Cross the street, Mayor

Today, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker is expected to announce his administration's preferred site for a proposed $125 million public-safety complex.

In a meeting with the Deseret News editorial board Tuesday, Becker would not divulge his preference, saying he was still reviewing public input. The 3rd East Corridor — between 400 and 500 South — is the obvious front-runner.

The burning question that remains is which side of the street — Library Square or the block across 300 East, the current location of the Barnes Bank Building?

We say, cross the street.

Library Square is a cultural venue. In that context, public-safety buildings would not be a compatible use. Moreover, the Salt Lake City Library, designed by the renowned architect Moshe Safdie, is one of the most architecturally significant buildings in the state. The city must preserve the iconic nature of this structure as much as possible.

Previously, the city library shared Library Square (also known as Block 37) with the Metropolitan Hall of Justice, the Salt Lake County Jail and the circuit and district courts building. Each of those buildings, with the exception of the former library (now The Leonardo), have been replaced elsewhere. The new library was built on the northwest corner of the block, and a public plaza has been developed between the old and new libraries. Placing the public-safety complex on the same block would be a step back in time.

Locating the public-safety complex across the street, however, would preserve the concept of a civic center, which goes back to master plans from the 1960s. It also would relieve many of the objections raised by community members.

The city's police department and a stand-alone emergency-management facility should be in close proximity to the Matheson Courthouse, the Salt Lake City Courts Building, the Salt Lake City and County Building, the Salt Lake City Library and The Leonardo.

The city's police, as a philosophical and a functional matter, should be a part the city, not apart from the city, as Police Chief Chris Burbank is wont to say.

The department would, indeed, function better if it were integrated into the Civic Center. It would reduce car travel between City Hall, courts and the existing public-safety building at 315 E. 200 South. This would contribute to the city's sustainability goals.

Becker and members of the City Council have heard loud and clear from the public that they don't want the public-safety complex on Library Square. Considering that the city needs the voters' authorization to borrow $125 million to construct and equip the two facilities, it would be folly to insist upon Library Square, when an "equally good option," to borrow Becker's description, is right across the street.