Midway’s town square is slated for a makeover.
With help from Wasatch County grant writer Nancy O’Toole, Midway secured the Rural Communities Opportunity Grant with a potential award of up to $600,000 in 2024. It’s for town square revitalization and has a contract end-date for Dec. 14.
The Rural Communities Opportunity Grant requires the city to spend matching funds of $1,792,000. City Planner Michael Henker said it may be possible to extend the termination deadline by about six months, but a decision on whether to spend the funds must be made soon.
Called the “living room of the city” by Midway leaders, town square currently features plenty of open space. There’s a large gazebo, pavilion, a tennis court and lots of tree coverage. Visitors and locals can stroll by Midway Town Hall, pausing at the top of each hour to watch the Swiss-themed chimes go off.
In the summer, town square plays host to festivals and gatherings like Swiss Days, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Plein Air Artists Festival and a Christmas tree lighting.
In the winter, town square is home to Midway’s famous open-air ice rink — a family-friendly environment that also recently hosted its first semi-pro hockey game.
The idea to revitalize town square began in 2021, when the city contracted with the IBI Group, which helped with public outreach, visioning and concept design. IBI created two design concepts that were shared on city social media accounts and through open houses, which resulted in 38 public comments and 27 emails. IBI also presented the concepts to the City Council in December 2021.
There are three main goals for town square. First to enhance the use of green spaces. Then to increase the value of town square by providing gathering space. Third to provide more pedestrian traffic in and around Main Street and the downtown area.
The town square concept master plan includes a variety of promenades, a gathering plaza to support food trucks, fire pits and event seating; an enchanted forest to protect the existing grove of evergreens; and a memorial grove near Midway City offices.
“The idea was thought up that we should look at our town square, make it more of a gathering place for Midway,” Henke said. “That was written into our General Plan, and so we were following through on following that vision.”
Henke said city planners still feel positive about the plan IBI group created. That plan includes the idea to enhance green space and accommodate needs for events such as Swiss Days — a historical annual event in Midway.
“We want to make sure it functions for both things to increase the value of town square to the community by creating opportunity to enhance the square as a community gathering place,” Henke said.
Whether to move forward with using grant funding is up to the City Council, which discussed the matter on Tuesday. No decisions were made.
The IBI Group plan has five phases.
Phase one includes a southern promenade and ice rink plaza resurfacing. Phase two includes northeast surface parking, a multipurpose pavilion and barbecue pit, plus 100 W and 100 N crosswalks. Phase three includes a northern promenade, event plaza and water feature. Phase four includes an eastern promenade, the memorial grove and a multipurpose event patio. Phase five includes a western promenade, town square lodge and the enchanted forest.
City councilors agreed that town square revitalization is overdue. Now it’s time to think about what should be done and what should come first.