EAGLE MOUNTAIN — It's grown up.
Eagle Mountain, built in patches in the sprawling Cedar Valley, has matured enough to start making serious plans for a City Hall, city leaders say.
Late this summer, work will start on a $2 million two-story building on 2 acres just south of the new elementary school in the Town Center.
"This is a momentous step for the city," said Mayor Kelvin Bailey. "It shows the city has arrived and is growing up."
City Administrator Chris Hillman said city workers are "literally out of room."
"The mayor is already sharing his office. We have boxes stacked in hallways and employees working out of closets."
A set of temporary portable trailers have served as the city's offices for six years.
At first, the city leased about 3,000 feet of space in trailers. The amount of office space for city workers doubled two years ago.
Hillman said the new building, which will be at least 12,000 square feet, will house 17 employees and offices to take care of a population of 10,000 people. City workers now operate in about 6,000 square feet.
Funding for the new building comes from nearly $3.3 million in proceeds left from utility bond sales.
Hillman said the city had planned to use the $3.3 million to build electrical generation units.
But the city found a cheaper way to provide electricity — a three-year contract for wholesale power from Payson-based Utah Municipal Power Association.
Money not used to pay for the construction of the City Hall will be used to pay for upgrades to the gas and electrical systems, buy vehicles for the utility services and build a $300,000 utility operations building.
Another portion will go toward paying current city debt.
This may not be Eagle Mountain's permanent headquarters.
In time, the city hopes to build another, more permanent structure midway between the two halves of the community on Pony Express Road.
Utility systems don't extend to the property the city officials have in mind, and the city cannot afford to build there, Hillman said.
If another City Hall is built, officials say, the City Hall now proposed would then become the city library or a public safety building.
E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com