PAROWAN – Mayor Don Landes delivered the first State of the City address of his term Feb. 24 and though he acknowledged the economic difficulties and the city’s challenges, he focused on the positive things that have been happening and the valuable resources the community has.

He said as they work on the budget for the next fiscal year they will face difficult choices, with limited revenue and the state requirement for a balanced budget. However, he feels fortunate to live in Parowan and thinks the city’s problems are small compared to those faced by others, such as pollution, devastating poverty, gangs and drugs.

He said Parowan has wonderful residents who are willing to work together as a community and care for each other. There are a lot of talented people and the city needs to take advantage of those talents and the volunteer spirit of the community.

He listed many things that have been accomplished in the past year, such as library programs for children, an updated and more functional city website (thanks to Jerry Bixman and Kristen Robinson), and many things in the recreation/events and public works departments.

There was increased participation in the car show, there were summer concerts in the park, the Iron County Fair sold the most tickets it ever has, high school soccer took place on the new fields, a 5K run/walk was added to the Fall Festival, and much more, he said.

The power system infrastructure was greatly improved, with about 25 miles of line, poles, transformers, vaults and other system components checked during a major maintenance project last summer.

“(The crew was) able to correct a large number of deficiencies before they caused problems,” Landes said.

A new section has been added to the southern end of the cemetery. Water lines were upgraded on 31 blocks and 534 fire hydrants were added. The city started its own solid waste program as well, he said.

In addition to talking about the good, Landes also addressed the ongoing problem of Parowan’s “industrial strength rumor mill.” He asked everyone to call him if they are not sure whether something they’ve heard is true, and he will do what he can to get them an honest answer.

“It is my greatest wish that we can all be on the same wave length and work to achieve the same vision,” he said.

He said Parowan needs economic growth, and he has assigned Councilor Steve Decker to head an economic growth committee.

He asked residents to support the local merchants. It’s tough for them to compete with the prices of the big stores, he said, but if the residents don’t support the local businesses they’ll end up having to drive to Cedar City every time they need something.

“Frankly, Cedar City has enough of our money,” he said.

He also said he believes there will be opportunities to enhance their tourist traffic with the new national Scenic Byway designation for Highway 143, which is now known as “Utah’s Patchwork Parkway.”

Landes also addressed the issues of shooting guns in city limits and dogs at large, which was a heated topic at the Jan. 28 city council meeting.

He said there is a city ordinance that forbids firing a gun in city limits, and he stressed that the ordinance will be strictly enforced. He also said he has tasked the police department to strictly enforce the “dog at large” laws.

“Way too many dogs are running the streets and way too many people, adults and children, have been attacked or threatened by dogs and this has to stop,” he said.

If a dog is loose it will be picked up and taken to the animal shelter, he said. The owner will be fined, or if the dog is not claimed, it will be destroyed. If the dog can be identified, the owner will be ticketed and fined.

“I’m dead serious that both the public and the owners’ livestock will be safe,” he said.

Landes said there are things the city needs and wants, and he personally has a wish list a mile long. For example, they need a new city complex to replace the current government building, and it would be great to have a recreation center and a regulation-size pool the high school kids could compete in.

“Perhaps we can’t get these things done right away, but if we work together, if we plan together, who knows what we can accomplish,” he said.

Even if the money is not available, it’s important to plan and work toward a vision.

“A vision without a specific task is just a dream, while a task without a vision is drudgery,” he said. “But a vision with a task is the hope of the future.”