There is always something happening in Helper so Castle Country Radio took time to speak over the telephone with Helper City’s Mayor Lenise Peterman about grants, phase six of restoration project and the Rio Theatre.

The city recently held their annual Christmas Light Parade which went on without a hitch. “Oh, it was a great success. I feel like it was conducted safely and that’s really to me the most important thing that if we are able to get together, that we are really protecting each other’s health. I was quite pleased with the outcome,” said Mayor Peterman. It was thought that due to the COVID pandemic the annual parade would not take place this year but after working with the local health department the event was able to go on as planned.

Its that time of year where the city begins to apply for various grants. One of those grants that is currently being worked on by the city is the Community Block Grant which will benefit the entire city and its residents. “So we’re excited to submit a grant application this January and what we’re really focused on are different ADA areas in and around the schools, Helper Middle and Sally Mauro and improving those because we have such a walking community,” said Mayor Peterman. The Community Block Grant is through the Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments. This grant would also allow for ADA areas along Main Street, possibly a crosswalk and parking areas near St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.

Another project in need of grant monies is Phase Six of the River Restoration Project which is northern portion of the river. “We need about $2 million so we’ll start again with our grant cycles this January. The first one that que up will be WRI which is the Watershed Restoration Initiative so we’ll be really working on grants with that and the Outdoor Rec., Division of Utah State – just trying to get that final funding in place so we can really create a great entrance into the river north by the Gigliotti’s Pond,” explained Mayor Peterman. This final step to the River Restoration Project will tie in together the upgrades and expansions that have been made to other areas of the river.

Finally, Mayor Peterman wanted to share some great news about The Rio Theatre that involves an individual relocating to the area with expertise in sound, lighting and technical experience with stage shows. “He worked at Disneyland for a number of years running their live plays and musicals. So super excited to have him be a part of our community and we’ve been working with him on how to upgrade The Rio and what we can do to really turn that in to an event center,” said Mayor Peterman. The Eccles has gifted $25,000.000 to the city to use towards upgrades to the sound and lighting at The Rio Theatre. These upgrades and improvements will take place over the next year and the city is looking forward to seeing what this will do for The Rio Theatre facility.