SARATOGA SPRINGS MAYOR’S MESSAGE

From great parks to fun activities and natural recreation, there is always fun to be had in Saratoga Springs during the summer months. Due to its location, Saratoga Springs has many ways to enjoy the outdoors. Access to the Jordan River, Utah Lake and the Lake Mountain range offers a variety of activities to enjoy the natural beauty of Utah.

Parks and open spaces are an important part of Saratoga Springs. City parks offer many amenities for families to have fun together, including pickleball, sand volleyball, basketball courts, award-winning playgrounds and more. There are two drop-ins along the Jordan River at Inlet and the RC park. These are perfect places to drop in a canoe, kayak, paddleboard or other non-motorized craft.

The Jordan River Trail offers residents the ability to walk, run and bike along the Jordan River and gives access to great fishing spots as well. The Jordan River Trail connects to the Utah Lake Trail near Inlet Park. The South Marina is a great place for a picnic and to access Utah Lake for both motorized and non-motorized watercraft. The Saratoga Springs Marina beach is under construction and should be available in 2024. Use the Israel Canyon trailhead to gain access to the Lake Mountain range for hiking, biking and more.

Saratoga Springs Community Events has another great lineup of summer fun this year. Summer Monday Fundays start the first Monday in June. This will be the sixth year the city has hosted this event. The events team has partnered with the Food Truck League once again to provide food trucks at Neptune Park each Monday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. from June 5 to Aug. 14. Each week, a different activity will happen by the stage at 7:30 p.m. From animal and hypnotist shows to a bike safety rally and concerts, there is sure to be something of interest for everyone. Don’t forget that the event always kicks off with the Chalk, Walk and Boogie on June 5. This fun chalk contest and Orchestra concert are a great way to start the summer.

Say aloha to summer and fall on Aug. 14 with the End of Summer Luau. Come join us for a cultural Polynesian show featuring NOA Polynesia while enjoying great food from the food trucks.

Of course, no summer is complete without attending at least one or two events during Saratoga Splash Days, which is celebrated the second full weekend of June. Splash Days will be held June 7-10 this year. We are excited to host the City of Fun Carnival once again. This fun family-friendly carnival is a resident favorite. See the city website for hours of operation and information on how to purchase discounted wristband vouchers.

The events start Wednesday,

June 7, with the Splash Bash. After having to cancel this event during the last few years due to COVID and the drought, we are excited to be able to bring this fun water party back. This event is for kids 12 and under. That night we will be holding an exclusive teen event for youth 13 and over. Teens are invited to Inlet Park to come to participate in a chalk war and spikeball.

Of course, no Splash Days is complete without the Car Show, concert, boutique, fireworks show and all of the wonderful activities your family has grown to love. For a full list of Saratoga Splash Days events, including locations and times, go to saratogaspringscity.com/splashdays.

After such a long winter, it will be great to get outside and spend time together as families and neighbors enjoying the beautiful landscape that surrounds our city and attending these fun activities. We are excited to join our residents in celebrating the many things that make Saratoga Springs a great place to live.

Mayor Jim Miller

Even in the midst of international impacts on the economy, the City of Saratoga Springs is continuing to move forward strongly with commercial development, transportation improvements and residential growth.

Saratoga Springs has been at the forefront of this residential growth year-over-year for the last 21 years, continually ranking as one of the fastest-growing communities in Utah. The city’s current population is nearing 58,000 residents and growing far ahead of prior projections. This continued growth will translate into a 35% population increase over the next five years or 65,000 total residents. At this rate, Saratoga Springs’ population will nearly double in the next 10 years.

As we progress forward, Saratoga Springs is working with commercial developers and brokers to tell our story and demonstrate the unique dynamic of our city and the surrounding region. Our ability to tell this story played a significant role in Home Depot’s announcement of its location in Saratoga Springs and the development of the surrounding support retail. Recently, Hobby Lobby, Sportsman’s Warehouse and others have opened their doors for business with more to open in the coming months.

Since the announcement of Costco, demand for retail development continues to be strong. A wide variety of businesses have reached out to the city and local developers about opening new locations in our area. These include everything from additional big-box stores to mid-box stores, fast-casual dining to sit-down restaurants, hotels, family entertainment, dance schools, medical services and more.

Getting to these businesses is now easier than ever. Saratoga Springs’s commercial district is home to a new interchange for Utah’s western freeway system, the Mountain View Corridor. The first phase of this multi-faceted intersection connects several municipalities to Interstate 15, Bangerter Highway and Redwood Road. It provides multiple outlets to Salt Lake City and the hub of Silicon Slopes. This interchange is also located next to the future home of two new medical facilities from Utah’s top hospital systems.

In the development of the city, we realized we don’t have a “downtown area.” We are excited to be working on plans to create an area of the city that would include a diverse mixed use area we would be proud to call our downtown with all the amenities you would expect to see there.

During the last year, multiple transportation improvements in Saratoga Springs were also completed with more under way. Pony Express from Redwood Road to the Jordan River was completed and Foothill Blvd. from Crossroads Blvd. to Grandview Blvd. will be completed in August. Both of these projects will provide great relief to east-west congestion as well as north-south traffic through the City of Saratoga Springs.

In addition to these improvements, the Utah Department of Transportation will start on the Mountain View Corridor connection from Porter Rockwell Blvd. to 2100 North. This connection is the first phase of a multi-faceted interchange that will provide a whole new means of transportation to alleviate congestion through Saratoga Springs and provide a long-overdue alternate route to the bottleneck on I-15.

So, what does all of this growth mean for economic development in Saratoga Springs? It means more retailers and commercial developers are turning their eyes to Saratoga Springs. It means we are proactively cultivating an incredible synergy that businesses are expanding and thriving on.

Most importantly, it means our residents will continue to find great places to work, go out to eat, have fun with their families and enjoy the amazing quality of life in our community.

As we like to say in Saratoga Springs, “Life’s just better here!”

Doug Meldrum