In the last eight years, Lehi has grown from a small, sleepy community to a booming Utah County powerhouse -- with traffic problems.

And in that time the city's been led by Mayor Ken Greenwood, who gave up the gavel when the new mayor was sworn in Tuesday.

Greenwood has been to more than 1,000 city meetings in his eight years in office. His last meeting as Lehi's mayor was Dec. 13. He leaves behind many memories.

During his tenure, the city has tripled in size, from 12,000 to 34,000 people. His administration has built a community center, renovated a building for a police station with room to grow, built a literacy center wing, enlarged the city's public library, started plans for a $800,000 public works facility, added three full-time firefighters, won numerous awards for water and finances, built miles of roads and utilities, rescued its power company from an energy crisis, built the city's first roundabout, paved the way for alternate routes for Main Street traffic and designed an addition to the courthouse and fire station. It also introduced annual surveys, a city Web site and newsletter.

He and City Council members may have introduced more large businesses into Lehi than any other administration, with Thanksgiving Point, Cabela's, Lowe's, Costco, Xango and others.

"His legacy is tremendous. Enough people don't appreciate what he's done," said Stan Lockhart, Micron spokesman. "He is a tenacious defendant of the city's interests and of its people."

Greenwood is also known for his colorful phrases and joking demeanor.

When asked by state lawmakers what he would do if he could control part of State Road 73, also known as Lehi Main Street, he answered "Toll road, baby."

At the opening of Cabela's in 2005, he praised -- well, almost -- the Utah Department of Transportation for getting State Road 92 ready to handle traffic.

"The bad things I said about UDOT, I pretty much take them all back," he said at the time.

Councilman James Dixon has worked with Greenwood for six years and well remembers his "Good on ya" and his "Oh, hell" phrases.

As well as for his country comebacks, he was known for working for the city at less than five cents an hour. It wasn't uncommon to find him laying carpet at one of the city offices or putting in shelves somewhere.

For a farewell gift, Lehi city employees pooled their resources to honor the outgoing mayor at the city Christmas party.

They gave him an over-under shotgun from Cabela's engraved by Dixon with Greenwood's years of service and his signature "good on ya" quip.

The council also gave him clay pigeons or skeet with words such as "UDOT," "MAG" and "Literacy Center" and Greenwood got to decide if they were to go in the pile to be shot or saved as trophies.

Steven and Gayle Holbrook presented him with another trophy, a cane complete with a horn, water bottle, rearview mirror and brake system to help him along in the future.

"I don't get weaned from you guys. I honestly don't," Greenwood said to the council and staff at an earlier meeting. "It's not normal the things I feel for Lehi, it's like family."

The mayor and his wife, Rita Greenwood, have decided to go on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They expect to have news of where they are going in January.

"I know the city is in good hands," Greenwood said of the 2006 administration. "It's been a real trip, it really has."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D3.