Clearfield bringing jet statues to downtown corridor as part of rebranding as ‘Utah’s Military City’

Photo supplied, Clearfield City
Clearfield city's new logo, unveiled as part of its 2024 rebranding as "Utah's Military City."CLEARFIELD — One of Davis County’s fastest-growing cities is pushing a bold new image for its future by embracing its past (and present).
Earlier this month, Clearfield City debuted its new branding, announcing itself as “Utah’s Military City,” and also offered details on an accompanying public art initiative.
The moniker hearkens to the city’s proximity to Hill Air Force Base, the longtime presence of the Clearfield Naval Supply Depot (now the Freeport Center) from 1942 to 1962 and also the military housing that was built there and those ties to the armed forces that continue on to this day.
“Image is everything, and how people see the city they live in is crucial,” Clearfield Mayor Mark Shepard said in a video announcing the rebranding effort. “Equally important is how people that are coming into Clearfield see our city. We are excited to see all these things come to place and Clearfield’s image change.”
Shaundra Rushton — Clearfield’s communication manager — told the Standard-Examiner that the city’s various downtown development projects are expected to add about 148,000 square feet of commercial space, 550,000 square feet of office space, four acres of public parks and some 4,000 housing units.
She added that the city’s recent growth/development and refreshed branding are the product of many years of work behind the scenes.
“Past and current city councils have been working to kind of revitalize the downtown area, to bring more commercial space, more housing and more parks and open space,” Rushton said.
“Now that residents are starting to see it, the city council really felt like now was the time to embrace our new identity.”
As part of the branding effort, the city will be placing jet statues representing aircraft that have been stationed at Hill around its downtown corridor and also at city parks in a military public art initiative.
Nine jet statues painted by Utah artists and sponsored by local organizations will kick off the initiative. That includes three F-35s, three F-16s and three A-10s, which will be placed along the downtown corridor and also in city parks.
The fiberglass statues, which Rushton says are being produced by the same Nebraska firm that created Ogden’s iconic horses, will measure approximately four feet wide by six feet long and will stand six feet tall on pedestals.
“It’s built as a sponsorship program, just like Ogden’s,” Rushton said. “The nine businesses that each purchased a plane, they will have it for three years.”
Initial sponsors include Bravada Apartments, Davis Technical College, Lotus, the Military Installation Development Authority, North Davis Fire District, the Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors, Weber State University, Woodbury Corporation and 47G.
Sponsors will have the option to renew after the three-year term.
Meanwhile, the various statues will feature artistic designs and paint by Utah artists Brandon Naegle, Brooke Facer, Angie Smith and also Davis Technical College, which will design and paint its own statue.
Rushton says the city is currently waiting on delivery of the planes from Nebraska and that its staff is “hopeful that they will be out on the streets by the end of summer.”