1 / 3

People wait for Vineyard Days performers at Vineyard Grove Park on Saturday, June 4, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

2 / 3

Vineyard Mayor Julie Fullmer speaks during a press conference at Orem Central Station on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

3 / 3

Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during the Vineyard FrontRunner ribbon cutting on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022.

Courtesy Vineyard City

❮ ❯

The expansion of Vineyard over the past decade has been substantial. It has been called the fastest growing city per capita in the U.S. That growth has now caused the city’s Public Works Department to divide so it can conquer the needs of the city.

Three new departments or teams have been formed to do a better job of serving the Vineyard community. They include a new Parks and Recreation Department, Neighborhood Services Department, and a merger between the Public Works and Engineering departments.

“Vineyard City elected officials and staff are dedicated to delivering an excellent experience to our residents and visitors,” said Kathryn Newman, city spokeswoman. “With the rapid growth of Vineyard City, we welcome new individuals and families each week as they join Vineyard’s community, and we treat each community member with care.”

That would include well-maintained streets, parks, open spaces and trails that ensure safety, instill a sense of pride, create a sense of place and foster community connection, Newman added.

As open spaces from completed developments are turned over to the care of the city and roads and trails are completed, the city’s aim is to achieve these objectives.

The Parks and Recreation team is responsible for maintaining and improving the appeal and usability of Vineyard’s parks, open spaces, interactive facilities and sports programs.

“Our team is excited to hit the ground running. This organizational change will bring about the needed updates, enhancements and project management to better care for our facilities in a way that serves our growing population,” said Brian Vawdrey, Parks and Recreation director. “Our team values investing in the future of our community, building these areas in Vineyard with our current and future needs in mind.”

“We hope to enhance the transparency of the City Council’s projects and goals by beautifying and maintaining parks, trails, open spaces and streets in Vineyard City,” Vawdrey added.

The Public Works and Engineering departments have been integrated into one team to enhance project management, improve customer service, better ensure smooth operations of critical infrastructure, and continue protecting the public’s health and welfare.

Vineyard’s Parks and Open Spaces Maintenance and Management Plan has also been introduced. The new maintenance responsibilities include the city’s park strips, streets, other rights-of-way and trails. In addition, Public Works and Engineering are responsible for the delivery and operations of the city’s water, wastewater and stormwater; delivering engineering advice; inspecting new development construction; and the operations of the city’s support functions such as facility and vehicle maintenance.

“Public Works is mobilizing to learn more about the needs of the growing community. We have already seen a lot of the challenges the community is facing, and have started an upward momentum for exacting our services with better care and attention,” said Naseem Ghandor, Public Works director/city engineer. “We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to make changes that will make a difference in the community and work together with people that want to help accomplish shared goals. We look forward to better-meeting the needs of the community and learning about what residents care most about as we introduce our upcoming service plans.”

“Neighborhood Services is where the role of code enforcement works hand-in-hand with Community Development, Parks, Public Works and the Sheriff’s Department to help streamline codes, services and utilize ordinances to better enhance safety and quality of life,” Ghandor added.

Tiana Spencer, the new Neighborhood Services coordinator, said, “We are excited to be taking on the goals of neighborhood services and bringing community goals into view.”

Newsletter