By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News

Gratitude was the theme of the day as the Carbon County Commission convened on Wednesday, March 18. The agenda included several items celebrating members of the community, as well as the approval of the 2026 rural county grant.

Opening the meeting, the Commissioners heard from McKenna Terry of the C.A.R.E Coalition, who was there to present the Carbon County Heart and Character Award. Joining Terry at the podium was Rachelle Blanc from Active Re-Entry, who presented the award to Terri Yelonek, the organization’s executive director.

“I’ve witnessed the depth of her care and compassion. She not only supports and cares for her staff, but more importantly, she shows genuine kindness, respect and dedication to the individuals that we serve at Active Re-Entry,” Blanc said, adding that Yelonek reminds staff that they aren’t just a team, but a family.

Accepting the award, Yelonek stated,” I’m the luckiest person in the world. I have the best work team. But not only that, I get to work with the most amazing people in our communities. And it’s a privilege and an honor for me. I’ve always believed that you’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. And that’s a true statement today.”

Next to the podium was Lindsay Ingram, who presented the award to FST Filtration CEO and Fierce MMA and Fitness Founder Cody Bunderson. “Through his work at Fierce MMA Gym, Cody’s created something incredibly special. It’s more than a gym. It’s a place where people of all ages can walk through the doors and know they belong.

Ingram continued,” One of the things that makes Cody so special is his belief in people. He understands that life isn’t always easy and that people make mistakes. But if he sees someone trying, really trying, he will give them another chance. Sometimes a second chance, sometimes a third, fourth, and even fifth chance. Because Cody believes people deserve someone who sees their potential, not just their past.”

Following his acceptance of the honor, Bunderson shared some brief remarks,” This community means everything to me. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what your background is. I’ve always believed in helping others, and one of my purposes in life was to help others. I see so much good in this community that I’m always willing to get my shirt off my back. And it doesn’t matter what your past was, where you came from, or what you believe. I truly believe that we’re all one.”

Moving away from the Heart and Character Award, Judge Jon Carpenter of the Seventh District Justice Court approached the commission to honor Janeyl Breinholt, who received the 2026 Outstanding Justice Court Employee Award during the state’s annual Clerks Conference. 

“In the justice court, we try our best to serve the community and to provide a place where people can take care of their problems,” Carpenter shared. “A lot of that involves staying up to date with ever-changing technology and adopting that and figuring out how to use it.”

The Judge continued,” The court system has recently undergone some significant changes in the technology which has required lots of time and effort learning edge of that and to understand what it needs to do edge of that and to understand what it needs to do and to work through the hard effort of breaking in the new system so that it’s accessible and usable.”

Undertaking this tall task, Breinholt led the court in successfully implementing the new technology. 

“She’s done a tremendous job. This is just one part of her job that she’s done extremely well, and we’re lucky to have her,” closed Carpenter.

Addressing the commission, Breinholt stated,” It’s a thrill to work with him and my co-workers and all my friends that are here supporting me. So, this is a wonderful honor.”

The last major item of the meeting came when the commission sought to approve the 2026 Rural County Grant. Presenting to the board on the matter was Economic Development Director Shanny Wilson and Community Economic Development Board member Layne Miller.

“This is money that we receive from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. It’s a yearly funding opportunity that we get to apply for. And as long as we’re doing everything that we need to do, we receive this funding,” explained Wilson of the grant. 

“I’m the administrator, but we have a Community Economic Development Board that oversees this funding and the projects. It is an opportunity for businesses to apply to receive funding, and the board takes a lot of time. It’s a rigorous process to kind of view these grant applications and decide where they want to put these dollars.”

Taking the form of a 50/50 matching grant, the program allows businesses to apply for up to $50,000. According to Wilson, the program has helped create over 100 jobs in Carbon County. In 2025, recipients included Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness, Jones & DeMille, Clark’s Home Fire Safety and Desert Sage Salon.

“I think the thing that I appreciate more than anything about the board and about its history, we’ve been able to help large businesses and also small businesses … You’ll notice there were a couple of food trucks that we helped. So, all the way from the great big corporations down to the little guy on the street. And it’s been an awful lot of fun for me,” expressed Miller.

Following the presentation, the commission unanimously approved the item.

The next meeting of the Carbon County Commission is set for Wednesday, April 1, starting at 4:30 p.m. For those unable to attend in person, the meeting will be streamed live on YouTube.