Sugar factory nears life as arts center

WEST JORDAN — Dozens of uses for the West Jordan Sugar Factory have been proposed over the past four years, and Nora Duncan has heard them all.

One vision had one of the two landmark sugar silos being refitted with a propeller under a grated floor, transforming it into a wind tunnel in which thrill-seekers could sky dive.

Another idea called for the silos to be converted into a giant climbing wall. And then there's the pitch to top the silos with a restaurant, creating a unique dining experience with views of the entire Salt Lake Valley.

As chairwoman of the ad hoc West Jordan Sugar Factory Committee, Duncan isn't ready to rule out the latter idea just yet, although it doesn't figure into the current vision for the historic site at approximately 8000 South and Redwood Road.

"We've pursued many ideas, brainstormed, researched, talked to a lot of people," Duncan said. "But we kept coming back to the arts."

West Jordan's longtime quest to transform the sugar-processing plant into an arts complex picked up steam last week when the City Council authorized staff to begin the application process for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Also last week, members of the City Council and resident volunteers on the sugar-factory committee met with a fund-raising consultant to discuss a possible capital campaign for the estimated $10 million to $20 million project.

"We are at a point where realistically we can see something happening at the sugar factory, something that will be of real value to the community and the whole valley," Mayor David Newton said.

The city envisions the site becoming a place where "all aspects of the arts can come together," Newton said.

The proposal that has been in the works since July 2003 includes performance areas for theater, dance and music groups, an art gallery, rooms for arts classes, convention and multipurpose facilities and an outdoor amphitheater.

It also calls for site's history to be highlighted throughout the complex.

"The sugar factory is a big part of West Jordan's history," Newton said.

The West Jordan Sugar Factory processed more than 4 million tons of sugar beets, producing more than 11 million 100-pound bags of sugar during its operation from 1915 to 1966. At the plant's peak in the mid-1950s, it was the largest employer in West Jordan, according to city reports.