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A rendering of the new design of the Provo Utah Temple.

Courtesy Intellectual Reserve

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Paris Hilton, who has spoken out about the abuses she said she experienced at Provo Canyon School, center, was an advocate for the new law along with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson. Activists and supporters gathered in the Capitol rotunda in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, April 6, 2021, for a ceremonial bill signing of SB127 that will bring more oversight to the state's so-called troubled-teen industry.

Leah Hogsten, The Salt Lake Tribune via AP

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Rep. Keven Stratton, R-Orem, speaks during a press conference in Salt Lake City held for the ceremonial signing of a resolution to consider making Bridal Veil Falls a state park or monument on Tuesday, April 13, 2021.

Connor Richards, Daily Herald file photo

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Utah County commissioners, from left, Amelia Powers Gardner, Bill Lee and Tom Sakievich listen during a public meeting in Provo on Wednesday, June 16, 2021.

Connor Richards, Daily Herald file photo

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As John Lennon famously sang, “Another year over, a new one just begun.”

With the final turn of the calendar, we recall the moments that made 2021 the most memorable in Utah County. These are the top stories of the year, as selected by the Daily Herald, in chronological order:

Bridal Veil Falls

With the State Monuments Act in his pocket, and Conserve Utah Valley as allies, Utah Rep. Keven Stratton, R-Orem, spent time in the 2021 legislative general session protecting the future of Bridal Veil Falls.

The concurrent resolution was introduced first in February and culminated with an April signing by Stratton, Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson.

The resolution calls the area “one of Utah’s most spectacular and beautiful natural waterfalls, conveniently located in Provo Canyon and easily accessible from both the Wasatch Front and the Heber Valley.”

While it moved the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation to evaluate a state park designation for the area, a feasibility study was done on the issue in October.

Spanish Fork hospital

In April, Intermountain Healthcare opened the doors to its new hospital in Spanish Fork. Started in August 2018, the 33-bed facility sits on 45 acres east of Interstate 15 at 766 E. Market Place Drive.

It is the fourth Intermountain hospital to serve the residents of Utah County. Caregivers at Spanish Fork are trained to handle any medical need, but their main areas of focus are women’s health and medical/surgical services consistent with a community hospital.

As part of the Intermountain Healthcare system, Spanish Fork Hospital provides a convenient place to access an entire system of specialists when needed. The hospital provides a wide range of diagnostic and treatment options for patients who prefer a community hospital setting.

If more advanced care becomes necessary, the Spanish Fork team will make all necessary arrangements for transport.

Francis Gibson was named administrator over the not-for-profit facility.

Gardner joins County Commission

After a surprising resignation left an open seat on the Utah County Commission in March, a series of ranked-choice voting rounds elevated then-Clerk/Auditor Amelia Powers Gardner to the three-person board.

“Honored” to join the commission, Powers Gardner was the first woman elected to the commission.

In her time as a colleague of Tom Sakievich and Bill Lee, she has been a leader on multiple issues including the county budget, a resolution to repeal the death penalty and potentially split the Clerk/Auditor office into two departments.

Paris Hilton speaks out

One of the most recognizable celebrities of the 2000s made her way to the Utah State Legislature in 2021 when Paris Hilton told the Judiciary Committee about her experiences at a Utah County teen residential treatment center.

The celebrity told the committee she was “verbally, mentally and physically abused on a daily basis” while at Provo Canyon School as a teenager. She was one of several people to testify about their experiences at the school or in similar residential treatment centers.

In April, however, Hilton stood alongside the governor and lieutenant governor for the ceremonial signing of a bill increasing oversight at the state’s treatment centers.

“When I was at Provo Canyon School in solitary confinement, I had hours upon hours to contemplate the ways I needed support in those moments,” Hilton said in April during a press conference at the Utah State Capitol. “But I didn’t receive it and dreamed up about what I wanted to accomplish when I got out.”

Dudley runs for mayor

In the summer of 2020, Provo joined hundreds of cities across the country in holding protests against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. During the Provo protest, a local man named Ken Dudley was shot while driving close to protesters.

In the summer of 2021, Dudley threw his hat into the ring to become the next mayor of Provo.

“I felt like I needed to be involved. I’m not happy with things that happened when I was shot,” Dudley said in June. “I support our men and women in blue. I commend the police. They have my utmost respect.”

During the late-summer debate against incumbent Mayor Michelle Kaufusi, Dudley referred frequently to the Constitution and rights enumerated within.

By the time the November elections rolled around, Dudley received 3,422 votes compared to Kaufusi’s 10,029.

State Street saga

It has been nearly five months since the Orem City Council voted to place a six-month moratorium on the State Street Master Plan.

The plan was a five-year project done by city staff, residents, elected officials and stakeholders to design the future and best uses for areas along Orem’s portions of State Street.

The districts include multifamily dwellings, business, city center and the arts district.

The moratorium, according to some councilmembers, was used as a pause button so they could do some tweaking and refining to certain aspects of the plan, the most important being the development of multifamily-unit dwellings along State Street.

The moratorium became the No. 1 political issue of the 2021 civic campaigns and caused some divisions within the city on the city council.

“There were things that were missed that don’t make sense,” said Councilman David Spencer.

Spencer said he believes there are four issues that need to be addressed in the plan including building heights, sufficient parking, setback issues and neighborhood encroachment.

He is not only concerned about housing, but also what businesses will be required to do to meet the State Street design.

By early November, the council started having one-on-one meetings with city planners to give input on what they believe should happen, particularly with housing along State Street.

Those meetings have continued through the end of the year and the topic will be one of the main discussions of a council retreat that will be held following the inauguration of mayor-elect Dave Young and new councilmembers.

Provo temple renovation

In an October General Conference speech covering the world, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints struck a chord with Utah County in particular. In addition to 14 new temples to be built, Nelson announced a reconstruction plan for the Provo Temple.

First announced in 1967 and built in 1972, the temple redesign will be done after the Orem Temple is finished. Renderings were released in November by the church as well, showing a new design that will mirror the temples in Orem and Ogden.

“The Provo temple has been a place of light and joy to so many. I will always have fond memories of the original but am excited about the rebuild. The new temple will be bigger and even more beautiful,” Kaufusi said in November.

Ranked-choice voting

Although still considered an iffy proposition by some voters, ranked-choice voting made inroads in Utah County this past year.

For the 2021 elections, eight Utah County cities — Elk Ridge, Genola, Lehi, Springville, Vineyard, Woodland Hills, Payson and Goshen — opted to use the ranked-choice voting system.

Aside from Vineyard and Payson, which had previously utilized ranked-choice voting, this was a new concept for Utah County.

“We view the fact that six additional cities opted into RCV for this year’s municipal elections as a good sign. That is up from just two cities in 2019 — a 200% increase. Out of the roughly 70,000 anticipated votes, only a few dozen questions about RCV came into our office, another good sign that RCV is a common-sense idea that people innately get,” said Taylor Williams, the Utah County chief deputy clerk/auditor.

According to Williams, ranked-choice voting went relatively smoothly for the cities that adopted it for this year’s election.

A Ys Analytics survey of 1,995 voters appears to give a favorable nod to the ranked-choice format. Of those surveyed, 1,471 were in RCV cities and 524 were in non-RCV communities. The margin of error was +/- 2.6%.

According to the survey, 81% of the respondents said it was at least somewhat easy to vote. Of that, 52% said it was very easy.

Provo Airport

What began as an explosive red-white-and-blue groundbreaking for the Provo Municipal Airport terminal expansion has already led to explosive growth in commercial air service. Six new flights have already been added since the Nov. 6, 2019, event. And the terminal isn’t even open yet.

That opening will come in the spring of 2022. In the meantime, contractors are busy completing the interior buildout and putting the final touches on the new tarmac and runway.

On Nov. 18, Allegiant Air began service from Provo Airport to Houston and Austin in Texas and Palm Springs, California. While Allegiant continues to grow locations out of Provo, newly formed Avelo Airlines had opened one flight from Provo to Burbank/Los Angeles.

Allegiant already had the corner on the LA market and Avelo cut the Provo route almost as fast as it announced it.

“We’re thrilled to offer Provo residents with three new options for their warm winter giveaways,” said Drew Wells, Allegiant’s vice president of revenue and planning. “We think vacationers will appreciate our unique brand of travel: low-cost, nonstop flights without the hassle of layovers and connections.”

The formula appears to be working, as Provo is now the second busiest airport in Utah.

“By investing in vital infrastructure, we created economic opportunity for Provo rather than waiting for it,” Kaufusi said. “While many will appreciate the personal conveniences of flying out of a regional airport, including shorter lines and personalized service, the economic benefits are substantial with each new roundtrip destination bringing an estimated $15 million into our local, regional and state economy.”

The new terminal will open with four gates but is prepared to reach up to 10 gates in the future.

Clerk/Auditor Office

One of the main issues discussed by the Utah County Commission in the final meetings of the year was the potential dividing of the Clerk/Auditor’s office.

Overseeing elections, handling passports and handling marriage licenses are among the main responsibilities for the office. Vigorous debate between the two sides — Powers Gardner and a handful of officials in the current office against the duo of Sakievich and Lee — led to the eventual 2-1 vote to split.

“They are changing county government. This was a total discretionary call,” said Taylor Williams, deputy clerk/auditor. “It’s a solution in search of a problem.” Williams is over the elections office for the department.

It remains to be seen how complicated the split ends up being, but the plan is to have the election of the new officeholder on the 2023 ballot.

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