I have had some time to reflect on this extraordinary year. 2022 was a year of impressive accomplishments and completion on key infrastructure projects. I am proud of the significant progress we’re making and the citizen engagement we see daily. So to highlight these achievements, here's my top 10 exciting things that happened in 2022 in no specific order. (As it happens with these lists, I feel like I am leaving so much out.) Needless to say, I am proud of our work here in Provo and I look forward to the year to come!
1. Ranked #1 Best Performing City for Second Consecutive Year!
Securing Provo’s long-term economic vibrancy is a top priority. Being honored as the nation’s Best-Performing Large City by the Milken Institute two years running is a reflection of what we have known all along – Provo IS the best place to live and do business. Access to incredible employment capital from two universities and a thriving entrepreneurship environment make Provo a great place for businesses—and our cost of living and easy access to four-season outdoor recreation make Provo a perfect place to call home.
2. Provo City Hall Grand Opening
Provo City Hall officially welcomed home its citizens on July 2, 2022. We needed a city hall capable of meeting Provo’s public safety needs — and we are grateful to our citizens who also saw the need. The building was designed as an “essential facility”, meaning it must remain in continuous use, particularly in response to a natural disaster. By working together, we made Provo safer for generations to come!
3. Provo Airport Grand Opening
On Friday, May 6 we celebrated the Airport Grand Opening with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and a Public Open House on Saturday, May 7. As we celebrated the grand opening, Breeze Airways announced it will not only begin flying out of Provo, but the airport will be the airline’s Utah base! And Allegiant Air announced new service routes to four new cities to begin later this year. Having been born and raised in Provo, I know how important the airport has been and continues to be to the economic vibrancy to our growing community. Thank you to all who have helped the Provo Airport take flight!
4. First Flight at the New Provo Airport
July 13, 2022 marked the first flight out of our beautiful new Provo Airport. Allegiant was welcomed with a celebratory water cannon salute and I even got to greet the passengers as they arrived. If you haven't booked a flight out of the Provo Airport, now is the time to do it! Check out allegiantair.com and flybreeze.com for destinations including Las Vegas, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, LAX, Phoenix, Mesa, Tampa, Orlando, San Bernardino, Austin, Houston, Daytona Beach, Anaheim, Palm Springs, and Westchester/White Plains NY! I love our new four-gate, 75,000-square-foot terminal and hope you do too!
5. Breeze Airway's Inaugural Flight
We celebrated Breeze Airway's inaugural flight out of our beautiful new airport on August 4, 2022. The event kicked off with a press conference where Breeze announced a partnership with Brigham Young University Athletics to become their “Official Hometown Airline!” The five-year agreement, in partnership with San Bernardino Airport, spans across nearly all men’s and women’s athletics programs and home games and includes flying BYU teams to away games and other events.
6. Completion of Lakeview Parkway
Provo City celebrated the phase four completion of Lakeview Parkway with a “Bike the Parkway” event. Residents were invited to bring bikes, scooters, roller skates and more to ride on the brand-new road. Phase four is a unique section connecting the Lakeview Parkway Trail to the Provo River Trail and the future Delta Restoration Trails. This section of Lakeview Parkway contains two new bridges, one extending over the Provo River and the other over the new river channel constructed as part of the Delta Restoration Project.
7. Provo Was Recognized Nationally for Our Forward-Looking Waterwise Efforts
FEMA and the State of Utah recognized three projects in the state that have been selected for federal funding under the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) competitive grant program. The Provo City Water Supply Long Term Sustainability project received the maximum funding of $50 million for an aquifer storage recharge system, a project that will help maintain an adequate level of clean drinking water for the community. With this comes the opportunity to build a state-of-the-art water treatment plant to meet the water needs of Provo for generations to come!
8. Launched Shared Mobility Program with Bird
Provo City launched a multi-modal shared mobility program in partnership with Bird Global, Inc., a leader in environmentally friendly electric transportation. Provo residents and visitors can now rent both electric bikes and scooters throughout the city, accessed via the Bird app on their smartphone. Active transportation is now fully available to all who live, work and play in Provo. Our partnership with Bird finally fulfills our mobility goal of providing both e-bikes and scooters to our community.
9. Provo Received Third Annual Honor for Digital Inclusion
For three years in a row, Provo has been recognized by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance as a Trailblazer City! We are pleased to receive this recognition honoring our decades of dedication to create and maintain a connected city with the right tools needed for a modern, economically vibrant community. We continue to support our community’s digital inclusion effort to improve resident access to an internet capable computing device, a robust broadband internet service, along with the knowledge and support to use them.
10. Provo Police Celebrated their Sesquicentennial Anniversary
The Provo Police Department celebrated their 150th Birthday on November 4, 2022. We are proud to have earned the reputation as one of the safest and healthiest communities in the country by being committed to public safety values of community, partnership, accountability, professionalism and respect. Our high national public safety rankings, recently earned accreditation, and national recognition for our state-of-the-art public safety building show our continued dedication to a safe community. I'd like to recognize and honor all of our heroic officers, dispatchers, and hardworking employees in the Police Department. Thank you for your dedication and courage and for keeping our community safe every day.
Comments