South Salt Lake City officials open new lines of communication to residents
South Salt Lake City government leaders want to start an ongoing dialogue with the community about the future of the city.
Recent major projects, such as the redevelopment of the Granite High School building and Central Pointe area, have city officials asking the public for more constructive suggestions about how to proceed in setting public policy.
South Salt Lake City Mayor Cherie Wood said she would like to hear from the community about their concerns.
“Our goal is to really listen to residents,” Wood said. “We don’t feel we’ve really had enough input on the direction the city should take.”
In order to gather public comment, city officials are sponsoring a series of free open house meetings called Community Conversations, in the coming months.
The first of the Community Conversations workshop was held Jan. 4 at the Columbus Center. The meeting featured speaker Chris Nelson, a University of Utah professor and published author, and addressed the topic of the future of housing and live-able communities in South Salt Lake.
City officials, including the mayor and members of the city council, were available at the meeting to speak with residents and answer any questions.
South Salt Lake City Councilmember Mike Rutter said the Community Conversations workshops will give residents an to speak directly with city officials, get involved and learn more about upcoming projects.
“The community asked for something like this,” Rutter said. “We want people to get more involved.”
Community Conversations workshops will be held at the Columbus Center once each month, through May.
Upcoming workshops are scheduled on Feb. 15, March 21, April 18 and May 16. Each meeting will be held on a Wednesday night, beginning at 6 p.m., and lasts for approximately one hour.
Topics will include how to improve the quality of life in South Salt Lake; how to build a safe, cleaner and more beautiful city; how to transform communities to be more walk-able; and how to plan neighborhoods and improve housing.
To publicize the events, the city will be sending information to residents through the mail.
A current schedule of the Community Conversations workshops, including information about scheduled speakers and other events, is available on the city website.
In addition, the city has posted an online open government forum for residents to post comments on the city website. Residents can register through the website to post suggestions and feedback about city projects.
