Envision Utah unfurls 'pioneering' Cache Valley plan

LOGAN — Cache Valley residents took a step back in time last week, collectively preparing to leap 30 years into the future.

Gathered to participate in an Envision Cache Valley Growth Summit, business and civic leaders met with hundreds of Bridgerland residents to discuss Envision Utah's top issues — growth, transportation, air quality, education and quality of life.

"What kind of place do you want to leave behind?" asked Julie Gudmunson, portraying a "reincarnated" Mary Ann Weston Maughan, the pioneer wife of one of Cache Valley's original Mormon settlers. "What legacy will you leave for future generations?"

Gudmunson went on to express "Mary's" desire that the community's citizens of today embody a "pioneer spirit of cooperation and mutual respect" to preserve Cache Valley's unique beauty and heritage.

"Brigham Young said there was no other valley in the territory like ours," she said. "It's good to be industrious, but please remember that communities are made up of individuals and families. Towns are meant to be neighborly, to have open spaces for us to walk, to think and to relax. Are we losing that ideal?"

Envision Utah was established because how we grow matters," said Alan Matheson, executive director of Envision Utah. "In Cache Valley, your population is projected to double within the next 30 years. … There are long-term consequences of today's choices. Are we on track with where we want to be? With some modeling, maybe we avoid hitting the wall."

A member of the group's steering committee, Darrell Simmons, is a descendant of Peter Maughan who says he is "heavily vested" in Envision Cache Valley project because of its commitment to involve members of the community in the planning process.

"I like the idea that there's citizen input," he said. "It's not part of a vacuum."

Kaylene Ames, first vice president of the Wellsville Foundation board, agrees. Listing her top growth concerns as transportation, water and cultural values, Ames attended the Envision Cache Valley meeting because she wants to have a personal say in creating a long-term community vision. "If we don't take this opportunity to be involved," she said, "someone else will decide our future."

Logan and its surrounding communities, said Matheson, are experiencing growing pains similar to Morgan and Washington counties. "More land will be developed in Cache Valley from now to 2040 than was developed from 1856 to now," he said.

Throughout the coming week, Envision Cache Valley will hold community workshops from Preston, Idaho, on the region's north end to Wellsville on the far south.

"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for people to help shape the future of Cache Valley," said Matheson. "We know people's lives are busy, but when they make time to attend these workshops, they can really make a difference in the future of their communities."

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