SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City has installed a roundabout in the Fairpark neighborhood to help make the local streets safer for everyone, but they're not done with it quite yet as officials hope to soon install a public art installation.
The artwork would be similar to the whale at 9th and 9th or the apricot in the Marmalade District.
"What we wanted to do with this project is improve people's lives in the neighborhood, tell a little bit of a story about the Fairpark neighborhood," explained Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez, Public Art Program Manager for the city.
Like murals painted on streets in the Glendale area, the roundabout is also aimed at being a way to slow traffic down.
"Public art has been proven to make people slow down, take a look at it, drive more carefully, so we thought it would be the best place for public art," said Olmedo-Gonzalez.
However, not all local residents are on board with the project.
"It seems like they are coming down the westside, wasting money, instead of doing things we really need," said resident Kathleen Jones.
Several people in the area are upset with the roundabout concept on their street.
"I hate the roundabout," said Jones. "It doesn't slow traffic down. To me, its a huge thing put in a small little street that we don't need. A four-way stop would have been a lot better. It's a lot of wasted money, and now they want to put up a beautiful, some kind of art piece, which to me is another waste of money."
The city plans to unveil the artist and plans for the installation in a month or two. Last year, officials held a public engagement process to learn what kinds of displays people hope to see.
"People wanted to see themselves reflected, that was one of the stories we heard a lot," shared Olmedo-Gonzalez. "It's really close to the Jordan River, the river really is part of the ethos of the westside of the city, so people wanted to see a form of nature reflected. There's also turkeys that run around the neighborhood, so people specifically requested turkeys."
