KAYSVILLE—The Davis Chamber of Commerce brought together Davis County mayors to talk about their cities at a special luncheon held May 15 on the Davis Technical College campus. The annual event celebrates the mayors and gives them a chance to connect with each other.

“There’s a lot going on in Bountiful,” said Mayor Kendalyn Harris. “Just to give you a few things, as of May 7 there is no more fluoride in the water. The legislature passed a bill that we will no longer be fluoridating the water. In Bountiful we made sure that we were on top of that.”

A shout out to the chamber, she said. “It was awesome we had a ribbon cutting for a new business in Bountiful, Kuska, for people who have children with autism and need services.”

Also, there is Wild Sage Events Center, said Harris. “It’s a little place for small events, like if you have a little wedding or a baby shower, or if you need a place for small events, maybe like up to 60 people. It’s a really beautiful space.”

There are some other things going on along Bountiful Main Street, she said. “We have open mic nights and improv comedy at BDAC (Bountiful Davis Arts Center). So if you’re looking for something on a Friday or Saturday night, improv sketch comedy and open mic nights are a really fun alternative thing to do.”

Harris also talked about the city’s purchase of the old DeBoer’s Running store building. “It’s really a unique spot because it fronts Main Street and it backs onto the Town Square,” she said. “So with that spot just being strategic, we’re now going to be opening a Lucky Slice restaurant. We’re really excited about that.”

Fiber is going to every home and business, Harris said. “It’s something our residents really wanted. Now we’re 18 months early and on budget and by June 30 every home and business will have access to fiber.”

Other events coming up are a Memorial Day program, farmers market, Handcart Days and Summer Fest, she said. “We have a lot going on and we’re grateful to be nestled in Davis County – the best county.” 

Several mayors mentioned having to run again this year. “So if you guys aren’t aware there were nine new mayors four years ago,” said Clinton Mayor Brandon Stanger. “That means hopefully we'll have nine more continuing mayors in four years. I’m definitely running so hopefully this is my fourth luncheon and I’ll have four more before I term limit out.”

“We have a crown jewel in Clearfield that nobody talks about,” said Mayor Mark Shepherd. “Job Corps. Those of you who have not been to Job Corps need to go. You need to take a tour and understand what they accomplish. They don’t have enough of our own kids from Davis County there. People don’t realize that they can send their kids to Job Corps even though they live right here.”

They deal with a lot of kids who didn’t have the right chance and in many cases just needed that little bit of a lift, he said. “The programs that they teach there at Job Corps are getting kids into family sustaining jobs. These are kids who in some cases didn’t graduate from high school. They have a phenomenal partnership with Davis Tech. They’re doing composite training.”

Shepherd said kids he’s met have been hired by Lockheed. “They’ve been hired by Northrop. They’ve been hired by others to do composite work and are making $60,000 to $80,000 a year. Those composites are putting them through college to get their engineering degrees. Give them your support and help them out.”

“We are embarking on a new city hall,” said Woods Cross Mayor Ryan Westergard. “New city halls don’t always go smoothly but there’s parts of our city hall that are 70 or so years old and it’s kind of been pieced together over the years.”

There’s a park right there in downtown, he said. “So we’re going to redesign that park so that it will accommodate the new city hall. We’re excited about that.”

“I love what I do,” said Commissioner Lorene Kamalu. “It’s because there’s a ton of service and there’s amazing great people. We work with the cities closely, where cities and counties are both local government. Thanks for all you do in the business world and in the chamber and for all of you as just great humans. It's a pleasure to serve you.” 

“As I go out through the nation as the President and CEO of the chamber, I get to see a lot of other chambers out there,” said Angie Osguthorpe. “Especially as you head west, they do not talk about being able to work with their municipalities. It's really an honor that we get to work hand in hand, cities and our businesses.”