Situated just south of the Echo Reservoir in northern Summit County, Coalville is home to about 1,500 residents and the official county seat.
The city won a $50,000 grant in March from the Mountainland Association of Governments. MAG, which is a cooperative body of governments in Summit, Wasatch and Utah counties, will pay about $47,000 and Coalville will contribute $3,000.
The city wants to connect local attractions to Main Street. Coalville Planning Commission Vice Chair Brandon Brady says a city of its size could easily be more walkable.
He said the possibilities include “active transportation, trails and sidewalks to make sure there's accessibility and people can get to and from Main Street.”
Brady said nearby attractions like the fairgrounds, petroglyphs, the Rail Trail and Echo Reservoir could be better connected to downtown Coalville.
The grant money will go to a contractor who will collaborate with the city to identify needs and ultimately follow through on a project. In this case, the contractors are engineers from the Salt Lake City-based Kimley-Horn.
Brady said the planning process will address what the city lacks and how to take advantage of what it has.
“What people are leaving Coalville to buy that they could buy in Coalville?” Brady said. “Or what are people coming to Coalville for?”
He says the city will have its first meeting with contractor Kimley-Horn this month to begin the planning process. To help develop the project, he said the city will solicit public input.
Coalville hopes to finish renovations by the end of 2023.
