Last year we put forth an ambitious wish list of things we'd like for Tooele County. This year, rather than coming up with an entirely new list of dreams, we'd like to take a look back at the old list to see which wishes came true, which may yet come true, and which ones we may have to give up on altogether.

* A revitalized downtown Tooele

This was always a long-term wish so the jury's still out. Earlier in the year, it appeared the downtown revitalization movement was indeed gaining momentum. Bim Oliver, an urban planner with considerable experience in energizing aging urban areas across the state, was spearheading a planning process that would bring restaurants, shops, events, and most importantly, people back to downtown. In the second half of the year, however, the movement seemed to lose steam, and once the successful "Fridays on Vine" concert series concluded at the end of summer, the area's human vitality waned again. An afternoon of Halloween trick-or-treating brought people downtown for a few hours, but it seemed more a glimpse of downtown's past than its near-term future. The onus remains on Tooele City to keep the revitalization effort going forward, and much of that hinges on creating a business-friendly climate downtown. This is likely to be a defining issue of Mayor Dunlavy's time in office.

* A county commission committed to preservation of open space

The creation of a buffer zone around Miller Motorsports Park was a step in the right direction, provided the area isn't allowed to fill up completely with industrial operations. An approved golf course community outside Grantsville seems to be moving the wrong way however. Even if developers do have the water to transform a scrubby flat of sagebrush into fairways and greens, do we really need a subdivision catering to well-heeled commuters on one of the last open benches in the Tooele Valley? Then there's the issue of the rapid dismantling of the geologically important Stockton Bar by gravel companies with the County's blessing. Nobody knows exactly what will happen if the bar -- which may serve as an important wind block and temperature regulator between the Tooele Valley and Rush Valley -- is eaten away. The open space created by that project is not the sort we were wishing for.

* Reduced classroom sizes

Here there seems reason for optimism. A recent legislative audit found that the Tooele County School District was doing a better job of tracking class reduction funds than other districts in the state, and using the money to hire teachers. The district also has a plan for building new schools to keep pace with enrollment growth. Pay raises and bonuses for teachers in 2007 and 2008 -- if Governor Huntsman has his way -- will help retain and recruit more teachers. In general, complaints from parents about overcrowded classrooms seem relatively few given the size and rampant growth of the district.

* A slow-food restaurant based on regional cuisine

Grass-fed beef from a family-owned ranch in Morgan; rainbow trout from Strawberry Reservoir; Bear Lake raspberries; Green River melons -- these were all menu items attached to this wish last year. Honestly, we would have settled for one new fine-dining establishment of any kind. Instead we got Burger King and Apollo Burgers, and lost one of the valley's best restaurants when Leonardo's closed in Overlake. Unfortunately, Tooele County residents -- already among the most obese and generally unhealthy people in the state, according to a 2007 Utah Department of Health Survey -- aren't showing signs of moving toward healthier eating trends anytime soon. We can do better. Once Tooele's population hits 50,000 the Ruby Rivers and Outbacks of the world may take notice, but it would be nice if someone small and local would beat them to the punch.

* A sense of community for new residents

This one is hard to call. More people than ever seem to be turning out to events like parades, arts festivals and Easter egg hunts. On the other hand, many transplants still remain wedded to the Wasatch Front for everything from work to shopping to medical care. More communities need to follow the lead of Grantsville, which made a concerted effort to invite new residents to last year's Old Folks Sociable. As the county grows, our best hope for staving off a host of social ills is to create a spirit of inclusiveness and tolerance that brings newcomers and old timers together.

* Smarter commuting

This wish seems remote indeed. Solo commuters continue to head into Salt Lake City every morning in massive pickup trucks and SUVs despite gas prices topping $3 a gallon. Light rail isn't even on the distant horizon, and bus service to the big city doesn't look like increasing anytime soon. In fact, Tooele and Grantsville both raised sales taxes just to maintain current bus service. The Midvalley Highway project may alleviate some traffic congestion, but it may also force people to drive farther for shopping if big-boxers set up along the new artery, as many predict they will. That will only increase our vehicle miles of travel, which is already well in excess of the average for other Utah counties. We need better ways to get people to work and more employment closer to home, or our blue skies will soon turn the color of the Wasatch Front's.

* Affordable housing

A softening housing market may start to drag prices lower, but that's certainly no long-term solution to the problem of Tooele Valley kids not being able to afford a home near their families. Many of the candidates in this year's city council elections pledged to push for affordable housing policies. The real test, however, will come when those politicians need to put quarter-acre lots next to five-acre lots, or approve a new high-density apartment project, or link a new subdivision to bus service. Developing affordable housing policies will almost certainly entail standing up to people who feel such housing just means urban headaches like poverty, crime and drug abuse. It's a problem we have to tackle now. As each new equestrian subdivision or golf course development comes down the pipeline, we have to wonder who these developments are targeted to -- and whether our kids will ever be able to afford a home in Tooele Valley.