Imagine one day riding a Sugar House streetcar by four gleaming tennis courts, refurbished soccer fields and a sand volleyball court. Then, after hopping off to enter Fairmont Park, you notice the swamplike water feature has been replaced by a bird-filled pond and surrounding promenade. Heading farther, you find an amphitheater hugging a stage and hounds bounding through a dog park.

Such is the vision of Salt Lake City engineers who this week presented a Fairmont master plan -- an attempt to spruce up a historic city green space at 2361 S. 900 East that has fallen prey to gay cruising and crumbling structures.

"The people just want their park back," explained Rob Donigan, a consultant hired to craft the master plan.

For more than a year, city officials have brainstormed with residents who say the function and safety of Fairmont need to be improved. This upgrade includes new lighting, traffic-calming measures, an expanded playground and a pavilion for picnics. It also calls for preserving mature trees, planting new ones and incorporating access for a planned streetcar and Parley's trail.

"I'm excited mostly about the things people won't see -- for instance, the new irrigation system," said Cabot Nelson, a trustee on the Sugar House Community Council who has lived next to the park for 10 years. "We've got to have that to keep it nice."

Nelson isn't sold on attempts to blend Fairmont with the landscape, including curving sidewalks through the woods. "I do not believe public parks should be vignettes of nature," he said. And while he is "a little skeptical" new amenities will cleanse the cruising, especially after business hours, Nelson says, "I do welcome more people."

"There's just a lot of things that happen in the park," Donigan shrugged, "that detract from the environment."

To curb the lewd acts, drug trafficking and drinking, fueled by a nearby liquor store, city project manager Dell Cook says a dog park in the southeast corner should regularly attract responsible residents. Councilman Soren Simonsen agreed, adding that a new dog park should take pressure off nearby Parleys Historic Nature Park.

Council members also were pumped about replacing the five tennis courts near 900 East that have been rotting for more than 15 years.

"That whole corner is kind of the lead-in to the whole area," Councilman Van Turner noted. "And it's just been horrible for years."

Public Services Director Rick Graham says the five courts will be replaced with four new ones to create parking and better spacing. They are funded, he says, and will be designed to withstand Utah's climate changes.

Other amenities include a full basketball court, bleacher seating for the sports fields and shade structures at the skate park.

Fairmont's architectural character also will be preserved. Plans call for renovating the "moose grove" barbecue area, maintaining the stone monuments and providing a landscape buffer along the Interstate 80 sound wall.

Engineers, as instructed by the neighborhood, also plan to enhance the park perimeter, provide trail connections and overhaul the pedestrian crossings on Sugarmont Drive.

No timeline was set for the makeover, although city leaders hope to have the park ready to greet the Sugar House streetcar, a priority of Mayor Ralph Becker.

djensen@sltrib.com