A special committee is looking at possible make-over ideas for Ephraim’s Main Street that could give it a stronger Scandinavian flavor.

The Main Street Committee is looking at ideas for redoing sidewalks, planter boxes and bike corridors, and beefing up building codes, said committee chairwoman Jannette Anderson.

The committee recently worked with students from the Utah State University landscape architecture and environmental planning program.

The students completed a “charette” (the term is a French word for the final dash students run at the end of a school term) in which they consulted with several Sanpete County cities.

Some of their ideas included adding flower planters around the Ephraim street signs, re-doing the sidewalks and trying to tie the buildings on Main Street together around a theme.

Another pressing matter for the Main Street Committee is the trees on Main Street. They are starting to outgrow their planter boxes. “We like the shade and we don’t want to lose our trees,” said Anderson.

The project the committee will be working on first is redoing the sidewalk and entryway to the Carnegie library, which is currently being restored.

“We want the sidewalk and entryway to be ready to use at the same time the library is ready to use.” Said Anderson.

Committee member Brad Taggart, an art professor at Snow College, said many of the ideas for redesigning Main Street have come from trying to eliminate visual and structural weaknesses and build on the street’s strengths that already present in Ephraim.

Another part of the design process, according to Taggart, is tying the basic look to Ephraim’s Scandinavian Heritage.

Taggart said stricter building codes need to be imposed for businesses on Main Street. “We have got to do it or we’ll get done and find we have a Frankenstein Main Street,” Taggart said.

Much of the success of the program will depend on funding. Taggart said the committee is looking at applying for a Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) grant.

Besides the grant, Taggart said the other thing that would help make the dream a reality would be for citizens to donate their time.

“We have the skill in the area. If we could get in-kind work, we could do a lot of the work with volunteers, and by doing so, we would have a more beautiful city.”

Anderson emphasized that ideas are still in the talking stage and nothing will happen with these projects for a few more years.