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South Valley Riverton Journal

What’s Up Riverton Rolls Onto 15th Year

Oct 06, 2016 02:58PM ● By Chris Larson

Riverton residents peruse information at the Healthy Riverton booth at “What’s Up in Riverton: A Celebration of Community” on Sept. 17. (©2016 Riverton City Communications)

By Chris Larson | [email protected]


“What’s Up in Riverton: A Celebration of Community” attracted an estimated 1,000 residents to the Riverton City park on Sept. 17 to promote doing business with Riverton-based companies.

The city-sponsored event has a 15-year tradition of assembling local businesses, city offices, service organizations and residents to a free event to help people realize that they can do good in the community by being conscientious about where they shop.

“(What’s Up in Riverton) promotes the concept of shopping locally and creating more awareness of what goods and services are available in Riverton,” Riverton City Communications Manager Angela Trammell said. 

Part of the fun was the chance residents had to get some free stuff from the 56 vendor booths. Since the event is free, city leaders ask all attendees to share a free item like a sample, coupon or other free promotional items with the public. City officials provided free hot dogs and drinks. 

“What’s Up in Riverton helps put Riverton-based businesses directly in front of its community members and customers,” Trammell said. “They can share information about the products and services they offer and create and reinforce quality relationships with local residents.”

The event was described by many as “fun-filled” and “positive.” The event was supported and made its rounds on social media with #ShopRiverton. 

Jake Bright, general manager for Salsa Leedos, hosted a booth and has for the last four years. 

“It’s always fun and it’s always a good time,” Bright said. “I love meeting a bunch of new people and building new relationships.” 

Bright said he passed out chips and salsa and vouchers at the Salsa Leedos booth. 

Bright is also on the Board of Directors for the Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce. He said commerce businesses were encouraged to set time aside to participate the shop-local focused event. 

Mayor Bill Applegarth held his own booth where he spent all of his time speaking with residents about major city projects.

“I am always extremely please who comes, the questions they have and the input they are willing give and get,” Applegarth said. 

The residents with whom he interacted were primarily concerned with the Redwood Road widening and the CenterCAL project.  

For many who own property along Redwood, negotiating a sale with the Utah Department of Transportation is a foreign and frustrating experience. He discussed the legal rights that he knew that residents had and suggested those with questions of concerns to The Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman.

“The ombudsman is a very close friend of the people in my opinion,” Applegarth said.

An ombudsman generally is someone who counsels on and investigates rights and rights violations. 

The mayor was able to use a chart and site plan to explain the process of the CenterCAL project, a massive mixed-use development built in the same style and by developer as the Farmington Station development but at a much larger scale.

The project will begin building from west to east, or starting at the intersection 13400 South and Mountain View Corridor and building toward the east. 

There are three basic phases that Applegarth described: the big box phase, The Mountain View Village and an office park. 

The big box phase includes building several big box retailer locations. So far, the only public commitment to build on the 85-acre plot is Harmons Neighborhood Grocer to be located in the northeast corner. The big box phase is estimated to be completed sometime during the 2018 calendar year.

The Mountain View Village will incorporate several different, smaller businesses into the space. The Village project and the big box project are tied together and progress on one will affect the other. Applegarth said the Village project will begin in the summer of 2018 and to be completed in the 2019. 

Then 23 acres of office space will round out the project. There will be buildings of 5 or 6 stories. Applegarth didn’t say when the office project would begin but said the estimated completion date for the entire project is 2019 and that the office project is not dependent on the other two projects. 

“The event has really blossomed since we started it,” Applegarth said. 

And the mayor’s give-away? Mini basketballs and footballs with the city logo.