Sept. 2023 | Vol. 09 Iss. 09
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NEW COUNTY PARK OPENS ALONG JORDAN RIVER IN WEST VALLEY CITY By Darrell Kirby | d.kirby@mycityjournals.com
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est Valley City is home to Salt Lake County’s newest regional park. County and city officials cut the ribbon in July to mark the opening of Pioneer Crossing Regional Park. The 25-acre county-operated site is located along the west bank of what was a nondescript section of the Jordan River just southeast of West Valley City’s Utah Cultural Celebration Center at 1276 W. Cultural Center Drive. The park currently takes up a part of that acreage with plans to expand it in the future. The park features the natural surroundings of the Jordan River, a playground, gathering spots, multiuse trails, and the river’s first boat launch and fishing pier. “We are so excited and grateful for the ability to build a new park and to begin to bring more life to the Jordan River,” Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation Director Martin Jensen told the assembled crowd at the official opening of the site. “It not only provides access to the Jordan River itself but more importantly to our wonderful Jordan River Trail.” The popular trail runs along the river from its headwaters at Utah Lake and through central Salt Lake County to where it empties into the Great Salt Lake. Jensen recalled walking along the river in the area of the new park several years ago with then-Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams and needing a police escort to do so. Homelessness and criminal activity have been a problem along parts of the river over the years. To help keep the Continued page 12
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Pioneer Crossing Park in West Valley City features the Jordan River’s first boat launch and fishing pier. (Darrell Kirby/City Journals)
Hunter football
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Assistant City Manager steps down