Story Walk in West Jordan canceled because of vandals

WEST JORDAN, Utah — The stories are laid out, one-page at a time, on a series of wooden stakes on some walking trails in West Jordan.  

Marie Titze, Digital Communications specialist for West Jordan City, said “The ‘Story Walks’ were created to get people out on some of the city’s trails.  Especially if people are at home quarantining during the pandemic.”

The first Story Walk was in Teton Estates Park along the Bingham Creek Trail in June.  “Within three hours,” said Titze “several signs were vandalized.”

Titze said city personnel go out almost everyday to replace signs.  When they did their second Story Walk in Ron Woods Park along Barney’s Wash Trail, they changed how the signs were mounted.

“We were hoping the first signs weren’t vandalism and maybe the result of the crazy winds we get in West Jordan.” Titze continued, “So, in Ron Woods Park, we screwed the plastic corrugated signs onto wooden stakes.  The wood stakes were then attached to metal stakes and driven into the ground.  But each day people would come by and break the wooden stakes.”

Titze said the city doesn’t have the time or resources to repair the stakes every day — and sometime multiple times a day.  The money for this project comes from the city’s general event fund.  It pays for events like the Western Stampede, which was canceled this year to due the coronavirus pandemic.

West Jordan officials are hoping to come up with some other events for residents to do outdoors.  However, no ideas are on the table at this time.

The city does have a free drive-in movie night once a month in the summer at the West Jordan Arena on 8035 South and 2200 West. Registration is required for the event and if you sit outside your car, masks are required.

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