By David Hinckley
The retirement of Vineyard Mayor Rulon Gammon after 15 years as the town?s first mayor could not have come at a more symbolically appropriate time.
As mayor over the town ? population 150 ? that borders Orem and houses Geneva Steel, Gammon represents much of what residents love about the area.
?He would be seen driving his tractor down the road, scraping everyone?s driveways after snow,? said resident Sean Fernandez. ?He was never asked, but always did it.?
As mayor, Gammon tried to build a strong sense of community. Since the town?s incorporation in 1989, every year Gammon has presented each resident with a cap and shirt bearing the town?s name.
But Gammon?s departure, selling his land and moving away in preparation to serve an LDS mission in Hawaii, comes as Vineyard prepares for major changes. A rural farm area since the coming of the Pioneers, Vineyard is being pressed by developers into the 21st Century.
The town is facing dual development issues. First, large developers are in the midst of legal hostilities over rights to develop the 1,750 acres Geneva sits on when the bankrupt steel mill is torn down. Each group plans to develop high-density housing and business in the area immediately north of where the long-standing settlers live.
But while they wage those battles, Vineyard residents are feeling pressure closer to home. As land prices have increased and old residents have sold, developer Anderson Geneva LLC has bought up much of the town south of the steel mill. When Gammon, one of the last farmers in the area, decided to leave, Anderson was there to pick up the property.
And they are ready to develop it. The town council has approved a master plan for developing the city, including easing zoning restrictions from one unit per 40 acres to close to two units for every acre.
?It?ll change fast,? said Fernandez, who is also a member of the town council.
And though they are reluctant to give up the old way of life, members of the town council have decided to face the change and try to direct it rather than pretend it isn?t happening.
Randy Farnworth, Vineyard?s new mayor, said he sees more for his town than to become an extension of Orem.
?There?ll be more of an openness ? more of a variety of different styles of homes,? he said. ?Our vision is that maybe we can develop in a way to take a young family, newly married, and keep them in the town clear down to a retired situation.?
It is that category Fernandez said he wants to fall under. Married to a woman with deep roots in the area, he said he plans to stick around indefinitely. And he said while he has enjoyed the rural feel of the town, he plans to stay while it develops.
Farnworth and Fernandez are likely to see major changes in the next few years. While they have exercised some influence in directing how lower Vineyard will develop, they may face a tougher challenge when the Geneva suit is worked out. Companies vying for control of the property want to develop as much as possible to raise money for Geneva?s unsecured creditors, who are limited in how much they get out of the bankruptcy by how much Geneva is able to make by selling the land.
One draw for the land will come when, according to Farnworth, a light-rail extension to Utah County passes through Vineyard.
But at the center of the change, Vineyard residents say they will be sad to lose some of what they love about their community.
?You?re far enough from the hustle and bustle that you feel like you really are out in the country,? said resident Nathan Riley. ?There?s not a lot of traffic and not a lot of people. I think anybody would like this quality of life. But this is definitely going to impact that.?
