HURRICANE — Billed as an official State of the City address and grand opening for a new gymnasium in the recreation department, the April 29 gathering attracted hundreds of Hurricane Valley residents.

They mingled with city leaders and their families, bounced on air-filled slides and waited patiently in long lines for ice cream.

Construction challenges postponed gymnasium tours for one month due to ongoing building fabrication, Hurricane Mayor Nanette Billings told the crowd.

“We’ve had a few things that have set us back,” she said. “Anybody here built anything recently?”

Two buildings were donated by former Washington County businessman Robert Lichfield, who previously owned and operated the Cross Creek Manor youth treatment facility in LaVerkin, which has since ceased operations.

Billings said in recent discussions with the donor’s family, it was mutually agreed Lichfield Family Gymnasium would be the name of the metal structures that were combined into one building for Hurricane Parks and Recreation activities.

“This building is about bringing families together,” Billings said as the crowd applauded. “Our community is about bringing families together.” 

The Washington, St. George Area and Hurricane Valley chambers of commerce helped immensely in securing support from the many businesses who donated time, supplies and labor, Billings said.

Near the beginning of June, there will be six pickleball courts, four court areas for basketball and volleyball use and plenty of floor space for community events, social gatherings and Hurricane Valley recreational activities open for the public at the Lichfield Family Gymnasium, Billings told those in attendance.

Hurricane City Parks and Recreation Director Tiffani Wright told St. George News that up until now, the city did not have a gymnasium-style building.

“When people call me, I can be like ‘Yes, come and play,’” Wright said. “It’s awesome to have a chance for anybody — your neighbors to come and have a pickup game, or your family, or just a group of kids who want to play ball. It gives them that opportunity. There is nothing like that.”

As part of the citywide celebrations on April 29, Hurricane’s civic leaders also presented residents with a city-sponsored State of the City address, this time celebrating two longtime physicians.

Dr. Melvin R. Carter and Dr. G. Gregory Last were honored as recipients of the 2024 Mayor’s Public Service Awards.

Carter, a native of Beaver, graduated college in Cedar City and after finishing medical school in California opened his first office on Main Street in Hurricane.

Last, a Hurricane native, graduated from college in St. George and attended medical school in Salt Lake City.

When Carter and Last paired to build medical offices on the outskirts of town, where the Hurricane Police Department is currently housed, locals wondered about the location, Billings said.

“Because 700 West was out of town in 1990,” she said.

Overcome with emotion while accepting his award, Carter said when he moved to Hurricane in the late 1980s, there were just over 2,000 residents.

“It has been a great place to live, a great place to raise a family,” he said.

While Last was out of town for his award presentation, Billings told of his dual importance in bringing up-to-date medical offices to the city early in his career and his work with Intermountain Health recently to bring a medical clinic to the Hurricane Valley.

“And now we have labs, now we have imaging and a new emergency department,” she said. “So we are really grateful that he was able to expand some of the healthcare services needs that we have.”

Billings also showed proposed plans for a planned Veterans Memorial Park, as well as updates on the Three Falls electrical power substation that is nearly ready to produce city-owned power using diesel generators.

For entertainment purposes, Hurricane Valley residents will soon have a Coral Cliffs Family Entertainment Center being planned by the developers of the Coral Cliffs Cinema 8 to be built next to the theaters on State Street.

And construction has already started on the first phases of Southern Shores, Southern Utah’s first water sports community.

Before the evening ended, Billings ordered Hurricane City Council members to fulfill their civic duties for the night and dish up free ice cream for all in attendance.

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