<== Site Review (2005-01-10) ==>

When Salt Lake chose to locate its new open air Gateway Plaza in the old warehouse district on the west side of town, there was a great deal of concern that the homeless shelters and advocacy centers in the area would drive away tourists and shoppers. Sadly, the redevelopment of the west side encouraged many voices wanting to ship the less fortunate out of downtown to the west desert (or something) where we wouldn't have to look at them.

Fortunately, the Gateway has proven a success. The homeless are not driving away shoppers. Personally, I think the mix of upscale shopping, hip urban lounges and homeless services on the west side does a great deal to add character to downtown Salt Lake.

Still, there are many in the Salt Lake Valley who will not venture downtown for security concerns.

While looking through the main Gateway site, I was surprised to see a large prominent link to Gateway Public Safety. This site has information on the public safety services at the Gateway Plaza and surrounding office towers. The site helps emphasize that the Gateway is a secure, well patrolled location for upscale shops. The security includes an employee spotlight page which lets us meet some of the workers for Gate Security.

The Gateway Security company was designed by the international security firm Chesley Brown. Chesley Brown specializes in designing security services for large commercial properties with unique needs like the Gateway Plaza.

Thanks to the efforts of Gateway Security, the west side is now an area where the different elements of our society can merge in a safe environment.

For more information on how you can help the needy in Salt Lake, I've included a link to Volunteers America / Utah. This organization provides detoxification services and other services to Utahns in need.