When word got out that the City of Page received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), people started talking. The city had already saved enough funds to match the EDA grant. It was part of the deal. So $11 million originally intended for the Streetscape project seems up for grabs to some. It’s the old, hypothetical, “What would you do with a million dollars?” scenario, a chance for armchair city planners to decide how to best spend the money, regardless of what the experts recommend after months of studies, evaluations and consultations.

In Page, the mayor and council members are expected to make reasoned decisions on behalf of the city they represent. They are not experts, nor are they expected to be.
Still, they must make major decisions on policies, projects and finances. Page City Councilor Kenna Hettinger summed it up best:“I think that the responsibility of City Council is to give direction to the experts. Have the experts come back with their recommendation so that we can understand the pros and cons of each path forward and then make the best decision.” In other words, an effective councilor must grasp and evaluate information presented by experts in various fields and decide what is best for the community.

Non-experts often have good ideas, but ideas need evaluations, comprehensive studies and planning. The city needs experienced, well-informed expert input. Only then will councilors have enough reliable information to make informed decisions to authorize or not authorize large investments, like how to spend $11 million and do it within the perimeters of federal grant agreements.

While the independent group, Page Forward, is actively exploring Page revitalization options, city administrators are waiting to see what the new city council looks like in November and which direction they decide to go. All council candidates agree on most issues like workforce housing and water infrastructure. They differ on uptown revitalization. Several of the candidates and mayor-elect Steven Kidman opposed making changes to Lake Powell Boulevard, which is at the heart of J2 Engineering & Environmental Design’s “Streetscape” project. Even if anti-Streetscape candidates lose their bids for council seats, moving forward is thorny.

Last week, in part one of the  Page Infrastructure series, the Chronicle reported on the unknown maintenance needs lurking below Lake Powell Boulevard. When the city’s main street is repaved, all five lanes or however many lanes are decided, the piping, conduit and wiring beneath must be inspected and paths forward evaluated. The city must be prepared for the worst and in a position to act quickly. They don’t want to affect the integrity of new pavement by cutting it up to fix a broken sewer line, electrical malfunction or a damaged water pipe.

There’s also the expense of bringing the sidewalks and intersections up to ADA code (Americans with Disabilities Act). Even though there’s $11 million for the revitalization, it’s unknown how much will be available for aesthetic improvements like nicer sidewalks, benches and rotundas. Of course, if Page’s current economic growth continues, as it has with the current administration and council, finding more funds shouldn’t be a problem.

One argument voiced at council meetings is balancing the workforce housing shortage with bringing in new business. How do you grow when workers can’t find or afford homes? A balance is needed, otherwise businesses are perpetually short-handed. The result is poor service quality and tainted reputations.

Under City Manager Darren Coldwell and the council before the two recent councilor resignations, over 120 new homes were added in Page. “By the end of 2026, we are expecting the national economy to turn around to bring the interest rates and inflation back to some kind of normalcy,” said Page Planning Director Zach Montgomery. “And if that takes place, then we are projecting a minimum of 300 new single-family dwelling units in the City of Page to have been built by the end of 2026. We're looking at least half of those and probably 75% to be workforce housing. That's what we're working toward in our negotiations with the developers.

 “The type of housing or dwelling units that are in those projections include apartments, single-family homes, duplexes and condominiums and townhomes.”

When asked about investors snapping up new homes for short-term rentals, Montgomery said, “The primary benefit of the city owning the majority of the property within the city limits is when we sell that property to a developer, we have the ability to negotiate with them on the number, or percentage of housing, that’s to remain open for workforce.”

A property acquisition agreement is used up front to ensure homes are for the workforce. Montgomery said the city is currently doing this with a Cold Spring subdivision. “They're agreeing to build those homes and to sell them for workforce housing as a part of the agreement.”

The City of Page isn’t as myopic as some residents have expressed in council meetings. The city has the resources and expertise to accomplish multiple tasks simultaneously.

Now, it’s a waiting game. What direction will the 2025 City Council go and what is going on under Lake Powell Boulevard?