The battle for Main Street

"The City Council has been quite slow to react," said Debby Lauret, director of the American Fork Chamber of Commerce. "I'm not sure what the thinking is and why. It's been over a year since the plan was presented, and we haven't heard back. I think a year is plenty of time to react, and we're hoping to hear from them soon. There has been kind of a budget crunch, and that may be a factor."

Not a factor, but the factor, said City Councilman Jimmie Cates.

"It isn't just the (Downtown American Fork) plans, it's the financing," Cates said. "The plans were not necessarily turned down, but there were no funds available. You don't really have complete harmony in the business district either; there are a few who don't agree with the plans. You can't really fault one side or the other."

Bim Oliver, the coordinator of the Utah Main Street Program, agreed that there isn't anyone to blame for the seemingly slow progress.

"I wouldn't say the City Council has been unfair," Oliver said. "I think American Fork has had a lot of good people involved. We've had good participation in from both the business community and the local government."

Like in other cities where a Main Street plan has been a success — Payson, Richfield and Logan, among others — Oliver said the challenge in American Fork has been reaching a consensus on how to best help the downtown area.

The fact that American Fork is growing so quickly, he said, makes reaching an agreement even more difficult because there are so many more competing needs.

For example, American Fork's water system is operating near capacity. City leaders are looking at expanding the present system or installing a secondary system, a project that will cost millions. Cates said that was just one of many pressing needs that have limited the funds for the downtown project, but he said the council was impressed by some of the plans it has seen and remains determined to help the downtown area.

But some business owners say the city should still be doing more. One of them, Downtown American Fork Inc. President Heber Thompson, is so sure that more can be done that he's running for mayor.

"There has clearly not been enough done," he said. "When The Meadows and other big-box developments came in, there were quite a few tax and fee considerations given to those developers, yet the small-town merchant doesn't get any significant tax considerations when he wants to restore or upgrade his business. The local government doesn't come through with anything for them."

Thompson said he is not against the arrival of big business in American Fork, as those stores serve a need for many of the town's residents, but insists that smaller business owners should "be on a level playing field" with the big stores.