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Salt Lake City's 'cat park' reopens after bond-funded renovation

Salt Lake City's 'cat park' reopens after bond-funded renovation

Built World Salt Lake City, UT local

Rose Park's Steenblik Park kept its bronze Dairy Cats while gaining new playground equipment, part of an $85M citywide upgrade.

Today: Steenblik Park reopens

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Children in Rose Park raced to the new play structure minutes after helping cut the ribbon around it. Salt Lake City's "cat park" - Joseph F. Steenblik Park - reopened on September 22 after a year-long renovation, with its four bronze Dairy Cats untouched, exactly as neighbors demanded.

The upgrade is one piece of an $85 million parks bond voters approved in 2022. The City Council set aside $750,000 to renovate one pocket park in each district; for Rose Park, Councilwoman Victoria Petro picked the place residents call the cat park.

Why it matters

How the $85M parks bond is spent shapes Salt Lake City neighborhoods for decades - and it tests whether voters back the next bond.

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Key Indicators

$85M
Parks bond approved by voters in 2022
Citywide bond funding park upgrades across Salt Lake City.
$750K
Renovation budget for Steenblik Park
One pocket park in each council district received this allocation.
4
Bronze Dairy Cat statues preserved
Residents' top request was leaving the cats alone; they stayed.
12 months
Park closure for construction
Planned for three months, the work took about a year.

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People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

January 1984 September 2026

6 events Latest: Today
Tap a bar to jump to that date
  1. Steenblik Park reopens

    Today Opening

    Park reopens with new playground equipment, seating, shade structures, and preserved cat statues.

  2. Steenblik Park closes for construction

    Construction

    Park closes for a planned three-month renovation that ultimately lasts about a year.

  3. Voters approve $85M parks bond

    Vote

    Salt Lake City residents pass a bond for park enhancements; Council sets $750K aside per district.

  4. Dairy Cats statues installed

    Art installation

    Artist Day Christensen's four bronze cats are added, recalling the Steenblik family dairy's farm cats.

  5. Park renamed Joseph F. Steenblik Park

    Renaming

    City holds a naming contest; park is named for Rose Park leader and legislator Joseph F. Steenblik.

  6. Park opens as 'Tot Lot'

    Opening

    Salt Lake City opens the neighborhood park in Rose Park, then called the Tot Lot.

Scenarios

1

Salt Lake City passes $51M follow-up parks bond

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: KSL reporting that city leaders are seeking an additional $51M bond tranche

The 2022 bond funded one round of work, but the public lands department wants more. If the City Council places a follow-up measure on the ballot and voters approve it, the next set of parks projects gets funded. A no vote would cap spending at the current round.

2

District pocket parks reopen with upgrades by 2028

Likely Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Salt Lake City Public Lands Department rollout plan

Each council district picked one pocket park for a $750K upgrade, and Steenblik Park is the first to open. On-time completion of the rest suggests the bond program is running as planned, while missed dates point to trouble. Completion is the baseline expectation.

3

Cost and time overruns delay remaining park upgrades

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: The gap between the planned three-month closure and the actual year-long one

Steenblik Park's construction ran roughly three times longer than the city predicted. If other district projects blow past their schedules or budgets, later openings slip and the city may scale back remaining work or defer the follow-up bond. The planned three-month window set an expectation that the delivery missed.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1987

Make Way for Ducklings statues, Boston (1987)

The city of Boston installed bronze duck sculptures in the Public Garden in 1987, based on Robert McCloskey's 1941 children's book. They became one of the city's most photographed landmarks and a sentimental civic icon.

Then

The statues drew steady visitors and anchored family photos in the Garden.

Now

Boston maintains them as protected public art; when nearby landscaping was upgraded in later years, the ducks were refurbished and preserved, not moved.

Why this matters now

Same role as the Dairy Cats - animal public art locals treat as neighborhood identity, which is why the cats had to stay.

1990s–2020s

Accessible playground movement (1990s–2020s)

After the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1990, cities started replacing older playgrounds with equipment children with disabilities could use - lower platforms, ramps, and inclusive elements.

Then

New playgrounds became standard in park rebuilds nationwide.

Now

Inclusive, age-appropriate equipment is now a normal expectation for municipal parks.

Why this matters now

Explains Steenblik's new gear 'more suitable for younger children' - the upgrade is about access, not just fresh paint.

2020s

Post-pandemic U.S. parks bonds (2020s)

Spending so much time outdoors during the pandemic pushed many U.S. cities to borrow for parks. Voters approved billions in new bonds for playgrounds, trails, and splash pads.

Then

Cities funded a wave of park improvements with borrowed money.

Now

The big bonds produced project backlogs and requests for follow-up funding.

Why this matters now

Salt Lake City's $85M 2022 bond is part of this wave; the proposed $51M tranche is the classic follow-up.

Sources

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