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SALT LAKE CITY — Sugar House Park visitors may notice a new pavilion by the park's pond and think about holding gatherings there, but Holly Nichols thought of the struggle it took to complete the structure as she stood in front of it Wednesday morning.
The Sugar House Park Authority Board had identified a need to replace the park's seven aging pavilions — each about 60 years old now — nearly a decade ago, but she said something new seemed to come up every time it appeared the project would finally happen.
"It would get momentum, and then it'd get a funding issue. Then there'd be a pandemic, then there would be a storm that would decimate our park. Then there would be another funding issue," said Nichols, Sugar House Park Authority Board chairwoman. "Just getting to this point is so huge for this park."
A few moments later, she joined Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County leaders in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting event to signal the opening of the new Fabian Lakeside Pavilion. The new pavilion features expanded size for flex space and more seating, power outlets and LED lighting, along with fewer surfaces that can be vandalized. It was also oriented to provide views of the pond and other park scenery.
The pavilion is now open again for reservations.
However, Wednesday's ceremony wasn't as much a celebration of the structure — named after the first Sugar House Park Authority president, Harold Fabian — as it was to commemorate what's to come at the park.
Two more park pavilions are slated to be replaced after the Salt Lake City Council directed $960,000 to the project in its latest capital improvement program budget, which it adopted in August. Sugar House Park Authority officials said they are still seeking funding for the remaining four pavilions, which they hope to replace over the next few years.
Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County split the park's costs, which they agreed to when the old state prison site became a park in 1957.
"This project, especially, is an amazing first step in making sure that we're replacing all seven of those pavilions as quickly as possible," said Tom Millar, director of the Salt Lake City Public Lands Department's planning and design division.
Nichols added that other projects are also "getting unstuck" after years of delays. New bike racks were installed, and new park signage will be installed in the coming weeks. Other future projects on the docket include a playground replacement, basketball court improvements and improvements to the park's irrigation system.
The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands also approved a $15,000 grant match request last month for an arboretum plan that the Park Authority agreed to earlier this year. It would potentially reverse the impact of the 2020 windstorm that destroyed over 70 trees and tack onto the more than 1,000 trees that currently exist at the park.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, who said Sugar House Park is one of her go-to parks in the county, said it can be difficult to manage all of the park needs when both the city and county have so many that they manage. However, she said there is interest from both sides to make sure that Sugar House Park remains a "treasure" in the community.
"This park will be here for hundreds of years to come; I'm certain of it," she told KSL.com after the event. "It's a community amenity that we're not going to lose, and we're going to continue to invest in."
