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Mayor’s Message April 2013 Welcome to springtime in Murray City. I love seeing the grass turn green again and leaves showing up on the trees. It is great time of year to get out, go for a walk, visit with neighbors, and appreciate new growth all around. Since we often think of spring as a new beginning, it is also a good time to reflect on the past and the legacies left to enjoy today. As we continue to look back and consider changes in the City, I am especially drawn to 2002. It was an exciting year for the valley as the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics finally came to town. We had unique opportunities to participate to welcome the world to Utah. Many of you volunteered to help and were wonderful ambassadors to the visitors who came. We had the chance to watch Olympians practice on the County Ice Sheet right here in town. Our public safety personnel worked double time to provide security for the games. We all cheered as the torch run came through our City and past City Hall. It was an amazing, unifying event for us to remember. I was never so proud to be a Utahan and an American. Willow Pond Park, located on 30 acres west of I-15 and north of I-215, was under construction this year. We brought new features to Murray City with an urban fishery and public water playgrounds. It has been a very popular addition to our park system and been well used over the years for multiple types of recreational activities. The Park Center was also opened in 2002 in Murray Park. This full service recreation facility included a unique partnership with Murray School District as they participated in constructing a lap pool to be used by the Spartan swim team. The Park Center continues to be an amenity that our residents enjoy for the many sports and exercise programs available there. Another partnership with the School District created an outdoor amphitheater that was built near the Kennecott Nature Center on the Jordan River Parkway. A bridge was also constructed over the Jordan River to expand the use of the trails and facilities along the river. Fashion Place Mall added a new Dillards store as part of an additional wing on the north end of the mall. Other businesses were expanding and improving facilities all along State Street. Green Street was bustling with the Valley Center Office Towers being constructed. They have transitioned through the years, but are very functional spaces with easy freeway access. 2002 was a very busy year in the City. I hope as you travel around town and visit these areas that you will remember the good opportunities that have come our way. Our City is a hub for recreational activities, a great park system, and facilities to help us remember the fun we had when we were part of welcoming the world to Utah.