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West Valley City • Barbara Castillo has been watching the construction of the Promenade at Fairbourne Station for the past year from her home a half-block away, wondering how it would turn out.

Her verdict: "It's wonderful," she said Thursday at the dedication of the 4-acre linear park behind West Valley City Hall.

The Promenade is a key element of Fairbourne Station, an urban renewal project designed to be a centerpiece for West Valley City. The state's second-largest city — which was incorporated in 1980 and has 130,000 residents — grew up as a suburban and farming community and never had an area considered to be a downtown.

The $3.4 million park includes a pavilion with a shade structure, pedestrian and bike-friendly walkways, a fountain and a stream of water running through it where people can splash around.

An interactive modern scale stands near the site of the scale at Joseph Fairbourne's 19th-century weigh station, where settlers stopped to measure their produce on the way to the market. The 21st-century electronic scale shows the weight of a person or a group of people standing on it depicted in terms of chickens, cows, bales of hay and apples.

"Story walls" depicting the history of West Valley City, including the multicultural groups that have made their homes there, are planned.

Castillo was among the hundreds who came to the dedication and community celebration at Leh­man Avenue and Market Street (3590 S. 2810 West). The free event featured food, musical entertainment, face painting and the opportunity to cool off.

Attendees at the celebration were impressed with the Promenade's features.

"I love the fact that they have a river and the kids can play in it," Christine Hendricks said.

Other pluses, she said, are the easy access to the West Valley City library and an adjacent TRAX station.

Jennifer Erickson, who brought her three young sons to the park, described the water feature as "awesome."

"It's a place where we can come for play dates," Erickson said of the park.

The overall project will include an upscale apartment complex, an Embassy Suites hotel, offices and stores. The Fairbourne Station development — which covers 40 acres south of 3500 South between 2700 West and 3200 West — will be built with an estimated $500 million of private investment and is expected to eventually create about 3,000 permanent jobs.