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SALT LAKE CITY — Glendale Park is now expected to partially open next year with a new all-abilities playground, basketball court, looped pathways, a pavilion and more on the site of the old Raging Waters waterpark.
All of this is part of the park's first phase. A larger vision is to be carried out in the coming years.
The park won't just feature all of these amenities, it'll also be home to Salt Lake City's next "iconic" public art installation. The Salt Lake City Arts Council announced Wednesday that it plans to install a new major art installation at the park sometime in the near future.
"Investing in the west side means more than just investing dollars. Our artistic investments will create iconic, creative community spaces for generations of Salt Lakers to enjoy," Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a statement.
The mayor mentioned the project while proposing her 2025 fiscal year budget on Tuesday. She said the arts council was considering a new public art project for either Glendale Park or the west end of the 9-Line Trail; however, she's recommended that both get funded.
Her budget book doesn't list the cost of the Glendale project, but the 9-Line project is valued at $150,000. She's also asking for some money for Glendale Park Phase 1 construction.
Ground broke in October on what will be the city's first new regional park in over 60 years. Construction is projected to ramp up this summer before it is open to the public in the "late spring or early summer of 2025," according to the Salt Lake City Department of Parks and Public Lands.
The park was initially supposed to open sometime this year but has since hit delays.
City officials said in October that they intended to repurpose parts of the old slides for some type of art project at the park, but it's unclear if that will be part of the future art installation. Renderings of Phase 1 amenities show some of them will feature the same vibrant colors as the old waterpark slides.
The project will be included in Phase 2 of the park. Planning for the second phase is expected to pick up this year while the first phase is being constructed.
A call for artists will be made sometime during this process, according to the arts council. It's unclear when the art installation will be added to the park.
The arts council co-led a survey about a west-side public art project in November, which received feedback from almost 300 residents. Respondents said they hope the project highlights the west side's diversity, culture, community and nature. They added they'd like for it to be some sort of gathering place preferably close to the Jordan River Parkway Trail if not a major road in the area.
Salt Lake City's recent public art projects include "Out of the Blue" in the 9th and 9th District and a traffic circle sculpture planned for the Fairpark neighborhood.
