Bryant Anderson

  My family moved to Sandy in 1973, and we have loved living here ever since.  I was born in the Salt Lake Holy Cross Hospital the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed.  In 1947,  my dad took over a family homestead farm in Vale Oregon.  Our farm was an irrigated dairy farm, and we raised all the feed for our livestock, plus potatoes and corn.  My family lived in Oregon until 1960.  I have very fond memories of the days I spent working on the farm and living in a small community.  A lot of my feelings about developing a friendly and close community in Sandy come from the experience gained while living in Vale.   

  My family then moved to Lewiston, Idaho, and I adventured back to Utah to attend BYU.  That is where I met my Montana sweetheart Sharren.  She is at the center of any success that I have ever achieved.  I graduated with a Masters Degree in Communications Engineering, and Sharren with a Bachelors Degree in Education. We have five children and thirteen grandchildren.  All of our children have graduated from collage except our youngest son, Jared, who is now finishing his degree at the University of Utah.  

  After graduation, we moved to Redwood City, California, where I worked for General Telephone and Electronics for three years.  We received an offer in 1973 to work for what is now L-3 Communications (formally known as Sperry Univac, Unisys, Loral and Lockheed).  Univac was the company that built the world's first computer.  Even though the name has changed, I have worked for the same division for 32 years.  I enjoy my satellite communications profession very much.  It is the profession that I dreamed about when I was a youth.   

  Between 1993-96, I received two corporate wide Presidential Awards, and as a result, was presented the Utah Governor's Award for Science and Technology in 1997.  These awards were for project engineering leadership in Innovation and Entrepreneurship exhibited during the developmental of two different Transportable Satellite Earth Terminals.  I have six patents as a result of the developmental work.  Recently I have had the lead in developing satellite communications terminals for ships and submarines. L-3 Communications is the world leader in providing wireless microwave data links for airborne and surface military network applications.  In 2001, I was honored to receive the Noel Bateman Sandy Citizen of the Year award.  

  Growth in Sandy was soaring in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and we had the distinction of being the fastest growing city in the nation.  In 1980, I initially became involved in the community, because we did not have any parks in Sandy where our boys little league teams could play soccer.  A group of Sandy citizens got together and promoted the passage of a $3,000,000, thirteen year bond that was the impetus for building four new parks (40 acres total) in the Alta Canyon area (Buttercup, Willow Creek, Alta Canyon and Falcon) and the Alta Canyon Sports Center. The bond was paid off approximately nine years ago.  I led the effort to obtain a Federal Land and Water Conservation Grant that supplemented the money to build Falcon Park.   In comparison, the City just built the 30-acre Lone Peak Park on 700 East, which cost the City over $10,000,000 to build.   

  Following the Alta Canyon Project, we organized a citizens committee to promote the construction of a library.  With the help of County Commissioner Randy Horriuchi, and the generosity of John Pappanikolas, we were able to acquire most of the five acre parcel of land, located at 1300 East and Buttercup Drive, for the library.  The Sandy Library is now the highest circulation library in the County Library system, with more than 1.3 million items checked out annually.  We are hoping to expand the library in the near future.   

  The South Towne Regional Civic Center was planned and developed by establishing three Sandy Redevelopment Agencies to construct roads and infrastructure.  Without these critical agencies, the South Towne area would not be what it is today.  I was fortunate to serve as Council Chairman during the Auto Mall planning meetings. The Utah Auto Mall has provided a great tax base for our City, and the South Towne Civic Center area continues to be a high planning priority.   

  The vision and foresight of Community Development Director Mike Coulam and his Staff, along with that of our elected officials has proven to be a great benefit to our community.   Many successful developments that are now thriving in our community were approved by a narrow 3-4 vote of the Council.  One of those projects was the Jordan Commons project.  More recently, I helped spearhead the planning and development of our Sandy amphitheater located on the corner of 9400 South and 1300 East.  The first summer we sold out all the season ticket seats within three days.  Future plans for this property include adding a new indoor community arts center.  The City is in the process of trying to raise money for the project, and we are looking for donations.  

  I have five major goals for the remainder of my term. They are as follows:   

• Place more emphasis on public safety.
• Improve Sandy's business environment, including the Sandy Corners area (700 East and 9400 South).
• Build a much stronger sense of community.
• Seek out and listen more intently to the positive ideas and criticisms from my constituents.
• Keep Sandy financially sound by watching our spending and budgeting carefully.  

  Building a sense of community has always been a high priority for me during the past four terms I've served on the Council.   Based upon my experiences and involvement as a resident, I have found it is important for citizens to get involved.  One individual can make a difference.   

  I express my gratitude to our City Administration, City Staff and our Policemen and Firemen who protect our City.   We need to continue to work to establish positive values that help eliminate violence and crime.  I especially want to thank those residents who serve in the military.  I am grateful to organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary International, various churches, the Symphony of Sandy City, and the Arts Guild who foster and provide the residents with higher standards of living.   

  Please contact me and let me know how you feel so that we, together, can strengthen our community.  Let us renew our efforts to make Sandy a better place to work and live.