South Salt Lake has new slogan, big plans

SOUTH SALT LAKE — As her city has transitioned from an industrial center to a residential burg, Mayor Cherie Wood has watched her lifelong home suffer from something of a branding problem.

Now four months into her first term, Wood is working to ensure that South Salt Lake is no longer overlooked on the Wasatch Front.

A new transit-oriented development, a remake of the city's major gateways and a plan to purchase the shuttered Granite High School property all represent a "City on the Move" — a new city slogan Wood unveiled Thursday.

"No longer will you enter South Salt Lake and not know where you are," the mayor said during her state of the city address.

Wood, a Granite High graduate, said city officials are determined to purchase the property and transform it into a recreation center.

"If a window of opportunity appears, don't pull down the shade," she said. "I refuse to pull the window shade on this one."

The property would be a safe gathering spot for the city's youths, a mix of fields, classrooms and meeting space.

Even with the price tag on the purchase undetermined, officials said the quality of the Granite buildings and facilities is hard to ignore.

"It fits so nicely into the puzzle of the need of South Salt Lake," said City Councilman Mike Rutter. "The (residents) of South Salt Lake can have a very inexpensive, a very modern center for them to work out and swim and bring their children. It's a natural place for us to do these things."

The city has first right of refusal to purchase the property, and Wood said officials are working now to identify funding sources for the purchase.

The mayor also identified a number of community beautification efforts being planned for the city's gateways. New lighting and other efforts would make State Street and the city's freeway entrances hard to ignore, she said.

Wood also highlighted the city's developments, namely plans for the Market Station and Central Point projects, a mix of high-end retail and residential that could one day be a major stop along a planned Sugar House streetcar line.

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