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West Side residents press council on Jordan River Trail safety as Wasatch Community Gardens seeks CDBG support
Summary
Residents and service providers told the council about safety concerns on the Jordan River Trail and asked for stronger action on homelessness and public-safety problems; Wasatch Community Gardens requested $40,000 in CDBG funds for a farm-based job-training program for women experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Multiple residents and nonprofit representatives addressed the Salt Lake City Council during the general comment period, pressing for more urgent action on homelessness and drug activity along the Jordan River Trail and urging continued or new funding for community programs that provide food and job training to people experiencing housing instability.
Speakers described recent closures along the Jordan River Trail and said the closures have shifted drug use and criminal activity to other parks and public areas. Kevin Park, chair of the Rose Park Community Council, said the trail and nearby Riverside Park had become littered with needles, foil and garbage and called recent closures "a start" but "little more than a band aid." He urged a comprehensive plan rather than temporary fixes.
Council members acknowledged the concern. Council Member Poye and Council Member Pietro (as recorded) addressed the room, noting both the community’s anger and the limitations of city authority when broader state and federal systems are involved. Mayor Erin Mendenhall responded that the city’s new public safety plan was designed to address the conditions on the Jordan River Trail and North Temple and to focus on repeat misdemeanor offenders, jail-bed availability and partner coordination.
Wasatch Community Gardens sought $40,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to cover wages for its Green Team farm-based job-training program for women facing or experiencing homelessness. Katie Dwyer, identified as Wasatch Community Gardens’ executive director, described the program: it employs 16 women annually, donates all produce grown on the city farm to low-income families, and, she said, the Green Team grows more than $60,000 of produce each year and supplies more than 2,000 Salt Lake City community members through partner distribution.
Graduate Carrie Allred and program director Jackie Rodobaugh described the Green Team as a place for job skills, community and recovery support; several speakers urged council to consider the request despite limited CDBG funds.
Speakers also criticized recent development and rezoning decisions and the reassignment of promised enforcement resources; some asked that the city apply the same urgency it uses for development approvals to homelessness and park safety.
Council members and the mayor said the city is pursuing a public safety strategy that includes additional actions and partner coordination; no funding decisions on the Wasatch Community Gardens request were made at the meeting, and council staff emphasized that CDBG decisions are competitive and made through an advisory process.
