Westsiders prepare for upcoming legislative session with help from HEAL Utah
Salt Lake City’s Westside residents are watching a new partnership grow between the Westside Coalition (WSC) and the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL). At their November board meeting, the WSC confirmed HEAL as an advisor to help educate and train community members on how to effectively participate in the upcoming legislative session.
Jordan River bridge reconstruction underway in Rose Park
Motorists traveling through Salt Lake City’s Rose Park neighborhood will face a new detour for the next several months as the 600/700 North bridge over the Jordan River is rebuilt.
The bridge closed Monday, January 5, for demolition and a complete reconstruction and is expected to remain closed through June 2026.
New child care options open on Westside
A new satellite daycare center has opened its doors at the SPARK apartment complex on North Temple, bringing affordable, high-quality childcare to local families and residents. Operated by Neighborhood House, this center is part of an innovative partnership that combines affordable housing with accessible daycare — a model that Executive Director Jennifer Nuttall calls “the right solution at the right time.”
Nature transcends language with Tracy Aviary's bilingual bird walk
On a gray Saturday in September, Jess John led a group of seven people along the shores of the Jordan River looking for birds. As she used a laser pointer to direct the group’s attention to various birds and noted their calls, Estrella Segovia repeated the information in Spanish.
Tracy Aviary’s Pai Okwai Nature Center, 3310 S. 1000 W. in South Salt Lake, hosted the bilingual bird walk during Latino Conservation Week, a first step in its effort to reach out to residents in western Salt Lake County. The nature center is currently working on translating into Spanish descriptions for its exhibits and posters detailing common birds in the area, as well as including indigenous names of wildlife on labels. In fact, the nature center adopted the indigenous name for the Jordan River, Pai Okwai.
“Having the indigenous names be highlighted and prioritized, I think, is very important to recognizing just how long these bird species have been here,” said John, the tour leader. “That they've been here significantly longer than most of us have alongside our indigenous communities.”
The bilingual bird-watching tours launched a few years ago as a pilot program and have continued annually, said John, a conservation outreach ecologist.
Community Spotlight: Glendale park opens, Yuletide in the Village holiday market
In this edition of The West View Community Spotlight, we highlight the recent ribbon-cutting of the new Glendale Regional Park and the first-ever Yuletide at the Village market.
Measles spreads in waiting rooms, so call ahead instead of walking in, health officials say
Community Spotlight: Little free pantries and fridges
A win for cleaner air: Official air quality alerts now available on the Westside
Residents living on Salt Lake City’s Westside now have the ability to receive official air quality alerts for their specific neighborhoods. That’s according to recent updates from local air quality monitoring agencies.
The alerts bring attention to the elevated pollution, confirming what many residents have long observed and known: the air can often be worse on the Westside compared to other parts of the valley.
Love Your Block: From idea to impact
Since 2021, Love Your Block has supported neighborhood improvement projects led by residents across the Westside and Ballpark neighborhoods. Originally funded through the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation, the program became a full-time city initiative in 2023 thanks to Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s support through the general fund investment.
But these projects are not possible without YOU. Yes, you — the neighbor reading this, the one thinking about that vacant lot you would love to see turned into a pocket park. Or maybe it is that wall you pass every day with your kids and your dog, imagining it brought to life with color and creativity. Or maybe you have thought about adding a little library to your street to share stories with your neighbors.
The Power District takes next step in development with groundbreaking of 10-story headquarters for Rocky Mountain Power
Amid a scene of bulldozers, backhoes, dirt mounds, and golden shovels, city, state, and business leaders braved the rain and cold temperatures for the groundbreaking of the first new building at The Power District.
On October 27th, local leaders and representatives for the Larry H. Miller Company, which owns the 100-acre property at Redwood Road and North Temple, broke ground for a new 10-story building that will house the new corporate headquarters for Rocky Mountain Power. The 300,000-square foot campus will replace the existing structure nearby, a 1951 building originally built for Utah Power, the precursor to Rocky Mountain Power.
Salt Lake City Council District 1 candidates gather on Westside for community forum
Ballots for the 2025 Municipal General Election have been sent out. Leading up to the election, many candidates have made themselves available for questions and public input.
In our constitutional republic, it’s crucial to participate in elections. Part of participating means learning about each candidate and their priorities, which candidates often provide opportunities to do. Nearly every Westside neighborhood was represented at one such opportunity — the Westside Forum: Candidates and Community Conversations event held on September 30. It was organized by The West Side Coalition and League of Women Voters.
Two of the three candidates running for District 1 participated in a lively panel discussion centered around key issues affecting the Westside. Prior to the panel, members of the community engaged in roundtable conversations about various issues and concerns from Westside residents, and were also able to speak directly with two people running to represent District 1: incumbent Victoria Petro and challenger Stephen Otterstrom.
Caring for the trees: Pitching in to save our urban forest
Urban trees offer vital benefits to our community, such as conserving energy by cooling buildings and streets with shade, providing animal habitats, and filtering the air. However, in Salt Lake City's arid climate, trees don't thrive naturally. This creates a dilemma: keeping our urban forest healthy requires property owners to irrigate, which often feels contradictory to our necessary efforts to conserve water by cutting back on yard watering.
Trash, encampments persist in Salt Lake City’s industrial corridor
Black garbage bags are scattered along the sidewalk on Gladiola Street amid cardboard, plastic, and other debris. Farther north, a camper trailer sits parked by the curb, surrounded by bicycles, boxes, and more bags. Nearby, an old refrigerator, broken trash containers, and other discarded items lie in a heap beneath a tree.
Gladiola Street is one of several industrial corridors where trash piles up near homeless encampments. Similar problems have occurred under the 700 South underpass at Bangerter Highway, near the Amazon Fulfillment Centers on 700 North, and near a newly-built Wendy’s on 5600 West and Amelia Earhart Drive.
Madsen Park reopens after playground renovation, other park enhancements
A local park in the Fairpark neighborhood is welcoming back neighbors of all ages after recent renovations. Madsen Park, located at 9 N Chicago Street, has evolved from once-empty land donated by private citizens to a full-fledged park. Now, it’s received upgraded amenities including a new playground and open green space.
Assistive Technology: A powerful tool helping individuals with disabilities
Dozens of exhibitors and volunteers packed the Sorenson Unity Center in Glendale, all to help highlight the different kinds of assistive technology available to those in our community with disabilities.
They arrived equipped with knowledge, resources, and tech aimed at helping individuals with disabilities navigate the world with greater ease. The second annual assistive technology fair was put on by the Utah Assistive Technology Program (UATP) at Utah State University.
Westside Dance Company: Teaching Mexican heritage and tradition through Folklorico
A dance group established in 1997 continues to thrive and make moves on the Westside and beyond in Salt Lake valley as they explore becoming a 501(c)3 organization. The move is coming with its own challenges, but Westside Dance has overcome many other trials as they expanded over the last 25+ years.
The message behind Utah’s Wildlife Walls
Art is powerful. It can transform how a place looks and feels, but it can also transform our own personal emotions. Wall art — murals — hold this type of power in the place we live in. But we often pass murals without really understanding their meaning. We don’t really consider how the artist isn’t just simply adding color to a blank wall, but they are transforming the space by creating an experience for those who engage with the art.
Op-Ed: Nourishing Possibilities: A Food and Water Genealogy of Place
When I imagine a deeper time, I wonder about the older and often ignored soul of Soonkahni that has nourished the peoples of this place for ages. When I think of the events and social structures that dramatically transformed this place, I now see them as beginning with ‘food fights’ and ‘water wars’, which catalyzed an apocalyptic change across this region. The Varmint Hunt of 1848 and ensuing Battle Creek Massacre, Provo River Massacre, Bear River Massacre, Utah’s Black Hawk War, up to Posey’s “War”, and more - represent a small amount of time with violently unprecedented consequences, including both physical and spiritual starvation. The aftermath has left the elder soul of this place malnourished.
Seeking input on future of Northwest Quadrant
Salt Lake City and the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) are seeking comments and feedback as they work to determine the future of the Northwest Quadrant. Specifically, they’re seeing public input on the area west of the airport.
Project Aims to Improve Air Quality and Transportation Access for Utah’s Aging Communities
Efforts to improve air quality and expand transportation options for older adults and underserved communities in Utah are receiving a boost through the AARP Community Challenge program. The national initiative supports quick-action projects that make communities healthier, more equitable, and easier to navigate for residents of all ages.
Locally, the nonprofit organization HEAL Utah used the grant to explore solutions at the intersection of transportation, air quality, and public health, with a focus on vulnerable populations most impacted by pollution and mobility barriers.