Right now, it's not much to gaze upon. Just a large set of refurbished bleachers sitting out in the middle of an unremarkable 206-acre chunk of land.
But give it about 11 months, says Tooele County Commissioner Lois McArthur, and local residents should be looking at a major sports and recreation facility.She predicted the county's new $16 million Deseret Peak Complex will be in full operation by this time next year as host to various sports, convention and equestrian events including the 1998 edition of the county fair.
The complex is located on a large tract of barren ground northwest of the intersection of Sheep Lane Road and U-112.
McArthur said the county plans to build most of the complex using nerve agent incinerator mitigation funds provided by the U.S. Army and other environmental mitigation monies provided by west desert industries.
"We're hoping we won't have to bond for any of this," she added. "At this point, we're not anticipating any bonding or a tax increase to help pay for the complex."
What county officials are anticipating is a pedal-to-the-metal construction schedule as workers race to finish parts of the complex by fall and the rest by next summer.
Earlier this month, county commissioners approved a $334,100 civil engineering construction contract for the facility and OK'd another $25,230 for electrical design.
"This is not just going to be a swimming pool or recreation complex," McArthur stressed. "It's everything."
That simple set of bleachers now sitting along the main east-west road to Grantsville soon will seat 4,000 people and overlook an outdoor arena that can host rodeos and other riding events.
Nearby, there will be a covered indoor arena and a 3/4-mile outdoor race track with a large interior field that can be used for a variety of recreation events, including soccer.
A cluster of 10 stables with 200 horse stalls will be built near the arenas to support equestrian events booked into the complex.
In the southeast corner of the property will be a complex of four ball fields. At this point, said McArthur, it appears three will be softball diamonds while the fourth will be designed for baseball.
"Our plan is to have those facilities done by winter or possibly even by the end of October," said McArthur. "We would like to finish them so riding clubs can use them" for winter events.
Construction will also begin this fall on the largest portion of the complex, a new convention center that will seat up to 5,000 people and include both a central arena and an exhibition hall.
The commissioner indicated the convention center will be a first for the county, offering meeting rooms and concession stands as well as a commercial kitchen.
It will be named the Deseret Events Center, and McArthur said the commission would like to have it open and operational in time for the county fair late next July.
"The bleachers are just the first thing to go up," she said, noting the county was able to get a good deal on a serviceable set of used bleachers that could be completely refurbished at about half the cost of a new set.
"We're sandblasting them, repainting them and putting on new seats to bring them up to code," the commissioner added.
And there's more - those facilities are only the first phase of the complex project.
Plans for the next two to three years also call for an American Indian museum, a "Western village" using historic buildings to create a living museum, and a military museum with artifacts from various historic government operations in the Tooele area.
Other long-range plans include a fine arts building and an amphitheater for plays and concerts.
These facilities are currently mapped for the east end of the complex, but McArthur said they could be shifted to the west end if the county can figure out a way to fund a swimming pool.
"We haven't figured the pool into the complex," the commissioner said, "but it's still a possibility."
There has been some opposition, the commissioner said, from people who feel the recreation complex is being constructed too far away from Tooele.
But it's not easy to find large chunks of open ground near a major road with enough space to accommodate more than parking spaces and plenty of room for future growth, she said.
The county got lucky on the 206-acre Deseret Peak site when the Grantsville Soil and Conservation district agreed to lease the property to the county for 99 years at a cost of $1 per year.
"At one time, that was a dust bowl down there," said Mike McKendrick, county parts and recreation director. "Nothing could be grown. . . . The land had been overgrazed, and there was no vegetation."
McArthur said other people were concerned the county's project might interfere with Tooele City's plans to develop a community recreation complex of its own.
But the city has been working on its complex for years and has not been able to find adequate funding, she noted.
Meanwhile, things fell into place for county officials and they decided to move ahead.
"We're excited about it," McArthur said. "This complex is an idea that is constantly changing. . . . Now we're even considering a possible motorized arena where we could do motocross," tractor pulls and other similar events.
"Some things like the convention center, the two arenas and the race track are certain," she said. "Some things like the swimming pool are not."
But McArthur and McKendrick agreed there is one certainty. "We know it's going to take more employees" to manage and maintain the complex, McArthur said.