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South Valley Riverton Journal

Mountain View Village opens first stores and unveils massive eagle sculpture

Jul 20, 2018 03:42PM ● By Mariden Williams

Riverton officials gathered to say a few words after the unveiling of the sculpture. (Mariden Williams/City Journals)

By Mariden Williams | [email protected] 

This past June 15, the first phase of Riverton's much-anticipated Mountain View Village shopping center officially opened for business. Built by CenterCal Properties, which also created the Station Park development in Farmington and Canyon Corners in Park City, the development comprises 85 acres in one of the fastest-growing areas in Utah. When completed, it will include retail, restaurants, an office complex, a gym, a hotel and a full luxury theater. 

"This is the first phase of what will be a much larger project,” said Fred Bruning, CEO of CenterCal Properties. “The second phase will be starting construction next spring, and at the end of the day we hope that we'll have created a gathering place that the community can be really proud of." 

Throngs of people attended to take advantage of the numerous opening-day sales and to see the unveiling of the massive bronze eagle sculpture set at the heart of the development. The wind playfully pulled the sheet away long before officials could, allowing attendees several sneak peeks of the statue while various speeches were made. 

"When we were first starting to think of the architectural and artistic direction for the project, the team that was working on it kept coming back to a theme of eagles, because eagles had a sacred place in history for many, many thousands of years," said Jean Paul Wardy, president of CenterCal Properties. 

Titled "Majestic," the 9-foot-tall, 1,300-pound eagle took sculptor Brian Keith more than a year to make. At its base are three commemorative plaques— one for the fire department, one for the police department and another for the Air and Army National Guard. 

"The people who make up the first responders and the National Guard in our community make a choice to put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of everyone, regardless of the cost,” Keith said. “This is a large sculpture, but it is small compared to the scope of what they do for a living. Without the daily courage and sacrifice of the men and women who serve in the military and our emergency services, this project would have never come about." 

 The sculpture measures 13 feet from wingtip to wingtip, but were the wings unfurled instead of curved, the actual wingspan would measure closer to 20 feet in width.

"He's not taking off for flight. He's not landing. He's protecting,” said Keith. “You can almost imagine him on a nest with his wings flared out and around, defending the weak and keeping them safe." 

Members of the Unified Fire and Police Departments were invited to be honored and come take pictures with the sculpture. 

"This project is really the culmination of quite a bit of work,” said Riverton Mayor Trevor Staggs. “It's a storied timeline that goes back a good 10 years or more. The fields that were here previously, over the years they sustained many of us through bountiful harvest. And I believe they will continue to provide sustenance, albeit on a different level." 

Mountain View Village will provide more restaurant, retail and entertainment options closer to home for Riverton residents and will act as a gathering place for many more people across the valley. It will also provide hundreds of jobs and a hefty increase in sales tax revenue—something that has generated a lot of excitement for Riverton residents and city officials alike. 

"The overwhelming support and action from our public is something that I think is a credit to not just our elected officials but also to the property owners and to the developers,” Staggs said. “That's a very rare thing to happen, and it went off amazingly well."