Washington » West Valley City officials hope to use a $1 million earmark to help turn a blighted area near city hall into a vibrant gathering place for residents.

Sen. Orrin Hatch secured the money in the urban development budget to help West Valley with its ongoing City Center project, which would mix an outdoor concert venue with a farmers market nestled next to a train station and within walking distance of Valley Fair Mall.

"We are trying to create a real heart for our community here," said John Janson, the city's planning director.

The planned plaza is at the intersection of Lehman Avenue and Market Street, which is an area close to City Hall that hasn't had any significant construction for 20 years, according to West Valley's federal earmark application.

Light-rail trains are expected to pull into a nearby intermodal hub by 2012, which prodded the city into a redevelopment frenzy.

A plan presented to the city council calls for the three-quarter acre plaza to emphasize sun, sound, wind and water, through art pieces and its design. An initial $200,000 budget paid for a "wind art forest," colorful landscaping and seating. Hatch's earmark will cover costs for the plaza's centerpiece, Janson said.

Rough plans describe that centerpiece as a 60-foot circle that would house the "centerpiece trellis," where vines and hedges would connect to stone columns. The area could include a solar calendar, a stage and misters or mini-waterfalls.

Within the next month, Janson hopes to hire architects and engineers to turn his centerpiece idea into a workable construction plan, which could then go out to bid. The goal is to start construction before the end of the year and to open the finished plaza by next spring.

The city justified using federal money in its application by saying it will "benefit the entire community by revitalizing the City Center with enhanced opportunities for living, working, shopping, medical and government related services."