Pioneer Park gets a major redesign
Aug 1, 2018, 6:03 PM | Updated: 7:28 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Ground is broken today on a major redesign of Pioneer Park. City leaders say the new park will hopefully drive drug dealers away while enticing more people to come to play on the grounds.
Currently, there’s a criss-crossing pedestrian walkway that goes through the center of the park, with large trees providing shade. That’s going to be ripped up to make room for a multi-purpose field where people can play sports like football or soccer with lighting that will let people play at night.
Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski says there is already a huge demand for a sports field like this in the downtown.
“We will be programming this space every day,” Biskupski says.
City leaders say the open design has been proven to reduce crime.
Director of Parks Kristin Riker says, “Having an open area provides eyes on the park, so, there are more members of the public looking at that area.”
Riker says they’ll place a new pedestrian walkway with more sycamore trees around the field, and they want to get the work completed as fast as possible.
“It should be finished by October-November and ready to play on and be used by the public in the spring of 2019,” Riker says.
