Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Ups and Downs
Some changes happening in the Salt Lake Valley.
Posted By Babs De Lay on July 26, 2017, 11:00 AM
Now that you've put your parade chairs back into the garage from the Days of '47 events and/or recovered from Pie and Beer Day, you might have noticed some changes happening in the Salt Lake Valley.
For example, the new 10,000-seat outdoor arena at the Utah State Fair Park that was finished up just in time for the rodeo. The $17-million facility was financed mostly by the county and state, with some donations from the LDS church and private donors.
You might hate rodeos and be an ardent PETA supporter, but don't worry, the stadium will be used for more than roping and riding events. There will be a loud future of demo derbies, monster truck shows, X Games and, of course, concerts. This is really great news because an outside venue of this size has been sorely needed in SLC, especially one that is located on a Trax rail line. Check it out during the Utah State Fair from Sept. 7-17. Although this year's fair entertainment schedule hasn't been announced yet, I'll be watching to see if they've pumped up the volume and added bigger and better shows. I saw Weird Al there a few years back, and that was definitely one of the best concert experiences I've ever had.
What you might have noticed coming down is the historic Granite High School in South Salt Lake. Memory-seekers were invited last week to get a free brick from the construction site of the school, which opened back in 1907. Did you know the state's first LDS seminary opened across the street there in 1912? The high school with the farmer mascot closed in 2009 as a result of declining enrollment. After years of development proposals (including one from Walmart that didn't fly), Wasatch Developments and Garbett Homes purchased the land with a mixed-use development plan including a line of 76 single-family homes and some commercial properties that have not yet been decided on. The property that was formerly home to Granite High is 27 acres, and 16 of them will be dedicated to housing. Garbett's last project in the area was in the "affordable housing" price range and featured geothermally heated homes that sold out almost instantly.
Ed Catmull (president of Pixar) and Leigh Harline (who won an Academy Award for the song "When You Wish Upon a Star") are a couple famous alumni of that humble little school, and LaVell Edwards coached the football team in the '50s and '60s.
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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