I would like to thank everyone that has taken the opportunity to reach out to the City about the Pleasant View Transit stop that is being discontinued by UTA. This is a very frustrating matter that has left all of us dismayed. The City was not involved in their decision-making process, and we were first informed of it in a City Council meeting and told they would hold an open house on March 12th to educate our citizens about alternatives they are working on. True to Pleasant View’s character, we had a great showing at the open house. I was told that they had never had as many people at any of their open houses as we had that night. So once again, let me thank you for your concern and your willingness to get involved.
Unfortunately, the decision was already made and the purpose of the meeting was only to educate us about the alternatives. We did our part as a city to work to make the Station a success. When it was constructed it had nothing around it. During the past ten years, retail and commercial as well as high density housing has been constructed surrounding the station, which were all components that were identified that would be needed to make the Station viable. Unfortunately, UTA did not secure the right of way purchasing and development of the track. They have stated that they will begin working on that as soon as possible, but the station will be closed until those goals are met.
On a related note, the City has asked UTA to refund the money that we spent to upgrade the Station to make it more attractive. Ten years ago the City approved almost $50,000 to help purchase the lights and other amenities that look very nice and was a good addition to the Station. However, when I asked if the Station would be maintained so as not to become an eyesore, we were informed that it would be maintained, but that they would likely relocate lighting and other amenities to other locations. If this is indeed their desire, then we as a City need to be reimbursed the $50,000 we contributed to the project.
We will keep working on a solution and try to speed the UTA’s timeline along. I know that many in the city are not affected by the closure and yet have been vocal about the disappointing decision-making process. It is great to live in a city where the citizens actually care about what is happening around them. Thanks again for the great turnout that we had for UTA’s open house. It reminded me as to why I love this community and why I want to serve each of you.
As I stated last month and will probably state each and every month going forward; I am committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure that we remain the best place to not only grow up, but the best place to grow old.
Mayor Leonard Call