SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The city is closing in on a new location for Salt Lake's public safety complex. A public hearing was held Tuesday night where Mayor Ralph Becker recommended a site for the multi-million dollar facility
If there's one thing everyone agrees on it's that Salt Lake City needs a new public safety complex. The existing building is old, overcrowded, and wouldn't be able to withstand a major disaster. Dana Jeffs says, “I've seen the state and condition of that building... it is vastly overdue for replacement.”
Mayor Ralph Becker originally proposed to house the new complex at Library Square. That was overwhelmingly shot down. Tuesday he officially recommended to the City Council to build the project just east of the library between 400 and 500 South. That decision has been better received by Salt Lake citizens and one Police Chief Chris Burbank is satisfied with. Burbank says, “I see significant benefit to being centrally located to this building, courts, and really being part of the community.”
Burbank says this process has been a lengthy one and emotional for the department, “Some days you feel very positive and ‘Oh this is going forward’ and other days “Oh boy this isn't going to make it.’”
The Council will be taking public comments on this initiative until July 14th. Once that public
comment period is closed the Council will be meeting again to decide whether or not to put
it on the ballot in November.
