TODAY'S HOURS: hours

Walter N. Nickel: 31st Mayor of Logan

nickel_lgDates in Office: 1978-1982
Terms in Office: 1
Age when Elected: 58

Walter Norbert Nickel was born June 13, 1920 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. His parents were Herman Nickel and Emma Wolfe. He married Maxine Brower on January 23, 1944, and they had two children. Following the passing of Maxine, he married Beverly Fitton on August 1, 1998.

When he concluded his service in the Army Air Force during World War II, he settled in Delafield, Wisconsin where he owned and operated a 130-acre farm. He also ran his own carpet-laying company. He eventually developed a portion of the farm into a municipal landfill. Following his retirement, he chose to resettle in Logan and established the Palatial Living Mobile Home Subdivision in 1976, still in operation.

Mr. Nickel was elected Mayor of Logan in November 1976. In office during a recession, he managed to improve the city's financial standing by increasing utility fees and selling surplus city-owned property. This brought the city from a deficit to a $5 million surplus at the end of his term. He led the city to purchase land on the south side of Willow Park on which was constructed a four diamonds softball complex. As president and chairman of the Logan Building Authority, he sought out land and oversaw the construction in 1981 of the Logan City Service Center which consolidated all city service units under one roof.


Sources:

1. "The Herald Journal". Former Logan Mayor Looks Back on His Time in Office. Logan, Utah: January 12, 2013, A1 & A10.
2. "The Herald Journal". Nickel's 90th. Logan, Utah: June 14, 2015, C4.
3. "The Herald Journal". Walter Norbert Nickel. Logan, Utah: February 15, 2017, A6.


Timeline

   1978

  • ~ Library checkouts have grown to exceed 100,000 a year.

   1979

  • ~ Logan's Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

   1980

  • ~ The Logan City Offices were relocated to 61 West 100 North in Logan. The building was then used as the Juvenile Court until it was torn down when the Court was moved to 136 North 100 West in 2003.

  • ~ The Ronald V. Jensen Museum opened as a year-round living farm museum. It has since become the American West Heritage Center.

  • April ~ According to the United States Census, the population of Logan was 26,844. 45

  • November 21 ~ Construction was completed on the Logan Regional Hospital, a not for profit medical center, located at 500 East 1400 North. 43