Mayor Donald Landes cuts the ribbon at the new city office building, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
PAROWAN — Parowan city officials and citizens celebrated the opening of a new city office building Friday morning in front of a crowd of residents. The building has been years in the making and marks the first permanent home for city government.
City meetings have been held in the library for years, and the new office building marks the first time Parowan has dedicated a real city hall, Mayor Donald Landes said.
At the 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony, Donald Landes officially opened the permanent city office building. The building’s design was inspired by other buildings in the city, he said.
After the ribbon-cutting, the public was invited inside the new building for refreshments and a tour of the new office spaces.
Bev Landes, Mayor Landes’ wife, said that it was wonderful to watch the building go up.
“We prayed for a beautiful day,” she said, “and we’re thrilled with the turnout. I think the town’s been looking forward to this.”
The new building, located at 35 E. 100 North, has been talked about for years, city treasurer Judy Schiers said.
What really started the actual planning process, however, was a Community Impact Board grant the city received from the state in 2014, which covered 60 percent of the total cost, Schiers said. The remaining 40 percent will be paid back on a low-interest loan. The city was able to build the new office without raising taxes or fees, city manager Shayne Scott said in a press statement.
“We hope the citizens love it (the new building) as much as we do,” Schiers said.
Donald Landes is very satisfied with the way the building turned out, he said. “We’ve been talking about it for years, and all of a sudden we had the opportunity.”
The new building allows everyone to be together in one space, which was important to the city, Donald Landes said.
“It’s an indicator of where the city is growing and going,” he said.
Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.
People gather for the ribbon- cutting of the new city office, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
Mayor Donald Landes speaks at the ribbon-cutting for the new city office. Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
People gather for the ribbon-cutting of the new Parowan city office building. Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
Elementary school students pose at the ribbon-cutting for the Parowan city office building, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
Each person who passed through the city office received a pin, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
People enter the new Parowan city office building, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
Photos of past Parowan City mayors hang on the wall of the new city office building, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
People walk through the new city office building, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
People walk through the new city office building, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
People stand in line for refreshments after the ribbon-cutting for the new city office building, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
People walk through the new city office building, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
People walk through the new city office building, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
Mayor Donald Landes sits in his office in the new city office building, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
People walk through the new city offices, Parowan, Utah, Nov. 20, 2015 | Photo by Emily Hammer, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emily Elizabeth Hammer was raised in Riverton, Utah, and moved to Cedar City in 2012. She writes novels in her free time and aspires to be a full-time author. She was a copy-editor at Southern Utah University before she started at St. George News. When she's not busy working or writing, Emily does archery and spends time with her husband and their hedgehog and cat.