Councilmen Phillip F. Bird and J. Niel Strong are facing challenges from Michele M. Dugdale Dean F. Olsen, Stacey R. Petersen and Paul Wake. Councilman Rodney Burt, whose term expires this year, lost in September's primary.

Bird, 70, is finishing his first term. The retired educator points to the proposed civic center and new fire station and library as some of the noteworthy accomplishments during his tenure on the body. He said the city has also acquired 65 acres for parks in the past two years and is looking to create a 50-acre sports park.

Growth is a challenge for the city, Bird said, and the city needs to provide adequate water to residents as the city grows, especially on the west side.

"[Longtime residents] don't like it because they grew up in a small community," Bird said, but noted that a growing population is inevitable, and more people need recreational facilities. He said he also would try to stabilize electric rates and water supplies.

Strong, 61, said his experience as a first-term incumbent and a certified public accountant who is versed in municipal law gives him an edge on newcomers. Strong said he also would like to see through to the end some of the city's efforts that started in his first term - such as the new civic center and improvements to the city's water system.

"My goal as a city councilman is to make this a wonderful place to live, both for those who are moving in here and those who are already here," Strong said.

While growth affects every aspect of city life, Strong said Springville is well-poised to respond to it with a staff that can handle the challenge. He said impact fees also ease the growing pains by providing the funds needed to cover expanding utilities and roads.

Dugdale, 57, is owner of Provo Abstracts, a title company. She decided to run to ensure that west-side residents are represented on the council. She said the current mayor and council members live on the east side of the city and do not seem to be aware of the dangers of overdeveloping the reclaimed marshland on the west. Those areas, she believes, are at high risk of liquefaction during an earthquake.

"The families in the new subdivisions - [those] harmed in the future by the rapid and, in my opinion, poorly thought-out development practices - do not have any representation on the City Council," Dugdale said in an e-mail.

Another concern for her is the proposed civic center. She warns that its construction would destroy the central square and its park, which has been a unifying point between east- and west-side residents. She said the council has ignored residents who want to have the park preserved.

Olsen, 73, recently retired as the city's justice court judge and decided to run as a way to continue his service to the community.

"Springville has needs, but not wants. It's time for the city to catch up on our needs," Olsen said. One of those needs: the new civic center, which will house city offices, the police department and the courts. Olsen said the existing building is not only cramped, but it presents safety issues when moving prisoners to and from the courtroom.

He said a new library is also another need.

Being retired, Olsen said, makes him an ideal candidate because he has the time to devote to city business and respond to residents.

Petersen, 45, wants to use her experience living in Las Vegas; Corvallis, Ore.; and Denmark - along with her degree in geography - to help the city navigate the challenges of growth. She said the city should consider looking beyond its boundaries for help and ideas.

"I want to find out how the cities in the [nation's] top 25 [list of livable cities] have done it," Petersen said. Among the areas she would like to see the city work on are improving traffic flow and eliminating patchy development. This, she said, would help the city grow in a more orderly fashion.

She agrees with Olsen about the need for a new library. In addition, she would like to replace the city's "ancient" recreation center with a structure more conducive to a growing population.

Wake, a deputy Utah County attorney, said he is running to help make the City Council "more responsive to the people" and more willing to embrace change. The current council, Wake said, is clinging to a small-town mind-set, ignoring the fact that Springville is a growing city.

"The question is, are we adequately planning for the future?" he said, pointing out people moving to the city see the amenities offered in Provo, Mapleton, Orem and Pleasant Grove and wonder why Springville does not offer the same.

He said the city's plans to build a civic center first and eventually get around to a library is not in the public's best interest. Rather, the library should be the first priority.

Wake said he would also work to tear down the social divide between the new residents and those who have been in the city for generations.

dmeyers@sltrib.com