Now, Salt Lake City leaders hope to tap natural sunlight to funnel more focus on the capital's Olympic legacy.

On Tuesday, the City Council unveiled the design for its latest 2002 Winter Games memorial - somewhat of a mathematical wonder - for the southeast tip of Library Square.

Downtown's $100,000 "tranquil feel" feature - part of the city's plan to place Olympic legacies in all seven districts - includes benches, colorful tile, a garden and a gazebo between the planned Leonardo culture and science center and 300 East.

"It will really create a nice space and a meditative place," said Councilwoman Nancy Saxton, whose district encompasses the project.

But the centerpiece is a series of Olympic rings that will be suspended atop stilts.

Their aesthetic beauty is a by-product of government bureaucracy.

City officials explain that due to licensing restrictions, the capital cannot display the Olympic ring logo with the circles intertwined.

So designers got creative.

The scheme calls for the rings to be separated in the air. But for two weeks each February - roughly mirroring the Olympic dates - the sun will hit just right to cast a noontime shadow that shows them intertwined on the plaza. And that Olympic logo, since it is only a shadow, is legal.

If it works as planned, it also will be a testament to resourceful engineering, and some catchy physics.

"The phonetic qualities of this are almost reminiscent of modern art," marveled Councilman Soren Simonsen.

The memorial also will depict a series of Wasatch Front Olympic events in a "whimsical way," described Tuesday as a Where's Waldo? approach.

It will be funded from a one-time Olympic cache, which the council agreed to set aside in 2002 for legacy projects in each of the seven districts.

"This is fantastic and worth the wait," Councilman Dave Buhler said about the District 4 prize.

Saxton says the planned plaza will provide a nice reminder even as the community's Olympic memories continue to fade.

In other City Council business:

By a unanimous vote, the council agreed to create a sustainability director position, which Mayor Rocky Anderson recommended in his final budget.

Calling it "long overdue" and suggesting the job should pay for itself, Simonsen pushed to fund the job immediately. He failed in a 6-1 vote. On the opposite end, Saxton suffered the same 6-1 defeat when she tried to spike the position altogether.

In the end, the council agreed to fund a sustainability director beginning Jan. 15, meaning the next administration likely will make the hire.