We at the FCC are extremely proud to have established a strategic partnership with the Utah State Fairpark to help drive economic development along North Temple.  We met with the Executive Director Larry Mullenax again this week to get an update.  As you may have seen, demolition is nearly complete of the old arena, bleachers and horse stables to make room for our new state of the art outdoor equestrian and concert venue.  This State-sponsored project is well under way and went through the appropriate DFCM contractor processes selecting Okland Construction as the General Contractor on 8/5.   A camera was installed so neighbors can see real time construction!  See our website for a link.  Demolition is set to be complete 8/19 and construction begins 8/22 with a completion date set for July 1, 2017, just in time for the Days of ’47 Rodeo.  Because of the construction, motorized events and equestrian events have been cancelled for this session of the Utah State Fair.   In its place, the circus and live music events will run all 11 days.  There will be an exciting automotive exhibit by the Diesel Brothers featured on the Discovery Channel on the opening day.

The new arena will be positioned from north to south, slightly east of the old arena which was positioned diagonally on the property.  There will also be a new nine-window ticket box office on the east side of the complex.  The project will be composed of snack bar buildings and rodeo support services.  New websites for the Utah State Fairpark and the Utah State Fair will be launching in early September with a new page specifically dedicated to communications during the arena construction.  Babcock Design has been selected as the architect and renderings are being finalized and will soon be available to the public.  Designs for chairs are currently underway and leaders at the Fair have emphasized that the arena has been designed for events year round.  For example, the old arena was not usable during the winter months because utility infrastructure would freeze.  The new arena will have insulated utilities and heating so it will be useable during winter months.  The new design has a cantilevered roof (like the Rio Tinto stadium but smaller) which will eliminate the view-blocking poles shown in the previous artist rendering.   New renderings of the area surrounding the arena feature 70 to 80 parking stalls to accommodate horse trailers as an attempt to get them out of the neighborhood during busy events.

The goal of the new design is to cater to larger events at the Fairpark.  “Outdoor rodeos make for better television.  We will be able to bring in big motorsports and equestrian events and our goal is to televise these events,” said Larry Mullenax.  The design also features energy efficient utilities, reduced light pollution and state of the art sound.  “A special 3^rd party contractor has been brought in to design a quality sound system so sound stays at the Fairpark, and out of the community.  I think this really demonstrates our commitment to the Fairpark community.”  Mullenax will be encouraging new promoters to advise or incentivize visitors to take advantage of the TRAX line.  The leadership of the Fairpark has an exciting and distinct vision for the North Temple corridor as a Grand Boulevard and is exploring options to acquire additional property in the area.  “White ball park could be perfect for a hotel development.  We’ve got lots of ideas.   We would love to see North Temple become a destination and are exploring ideas for an anchor project in the area.”