Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
CLINTON — After nearly 30 years helping run the northern Davis County city of Clinton, Dennis Cluff has seen plenty of change.
"It was a rural community, a lot of farming, a lot of big, open areas that were farmed," he said.
These days, houses and subdivisions sit where onions and barley once grew, said Cluff, who came on board in Clinton as city manager in 1994 and retires on Jan. 12. Similarly, the city's commercial offerings at 2000 West and 1800 North, now a key retail hub in northwestern Davis County, have expanded from a gas station to a cluster of big box stores, food outlets and more. Along the way, the population jumped from 9,271 in 1995 to an estimated 23,358 last year, a 154% increase.
"The whole area has grown, and it continues to grow," Cluff said. What was once a volunteer fire department in Clinton, he noted, has become a full-time force while the number of police patrolling Clinton streets has grown from six to 23 in his time.
Indeed, the changes during his tenure of about 29-and-a-half years serve is an indicator of the sort of transition that has occurred and continues to occur all along the Wasatch Front.
"People moved out to the area years ago because it was rather sparse. Unfortunately, the growth changed that," Cluff said.
More specifically, the rural feel of the area has given way to a residential or suburban feel as empty spaces have filled in, as farmers have sold their land to developers, at times because younger generations aren't interested in an agricultural way of life.
"That's what happened all over," Cluff said.
Such change can be a friction point, with long-term residents chafing at the loss of farmland around them brought on by development, and Cluff has experienced the bumps. Those lamenting the way things once were "either have to grow with it, accept it or they move off," he said.
At the same time, growth underscores the import of city government — which serves to make sure the needs of the larger population base are met, as Cluff sees it — and Clinton's expansion has kept him going. "You want to deal with those issues and take care of them, which brings you personal satisfaction," he said.
Clinton is perhaps 72% built out, Cluff estimates, and the rapid growth in the city has paralleled expansion in the neighboring Davis County locales of West Point and Syracuse. West Point, now home to around 11,900 people, has grown by 135% since 1995 while Syracuse has grown by 490%, to 35,561, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Alluding to the growth, Clinton Mayor Brandon Stanger notes that Cluff has seen the city transition from a "one-stoplight town" and he proposed a means of honoring the retiring official via the expansion. "With the widening of 1800 North, there will be a small frontage road that will need to be named. I propose Dennis Drive or Cluff Way," he said. The Utah Department of Transportation is to widen 1800 North, a key east-west corridor.
Cluff, who held municipal posts in California, Nevada and Arizona before Clinton, attributes his longevity in the Davis County locale in part to his ability to deal with all sorts of people. He also thinks his sense of humor has helped. He stayed on well past the traditional retirement age because the work still inspired him.
"It's still been fun for me," he said.
Looking ahead, he suspects growth will continue to be the big issue for Clinton — that, and generating the revenue needed to contend with the ripple effects of expansion. The open spaces in and around West Point, Clinton and Syracuse are among the last developable parcels in Davis County, says Davis County Commissioner Randy Elliott. However, with a new roadway cutting through the area, the West Davis Corridor, he suspects "that will quickly get gobbled up."
"Growth is always going to be an issue, and funding for the growth and funding for the continuation of services people want to have," Cluff said.
Trevor Cahoon, who has served as community services director in South Weber, will take over from Cluff as city manager.
