The Utah Pride Center wants feedback from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities regarding the possibility of a new facility. That could mean a move out of the Marmalade neighborhood, sometimes referred to as Salt Lake's "gayborhood."---

The Utah Pride Center since 1998 has been located at 355 North 300 West and hosts Cafe Marmalade, a popular neighborhood coffee shop/cafe, on its first floor, as well as a community computer lab, meeting space and other services.

Pride Center development director Marina Gomberg says that facility size and location are just one of many topics the Pride Center is hoping to discuss with community members through a needs assessment survey.

"[Facility and location] is always a part of the conversation we have when we are strategically planning and trying to assess what the needs are in the community," Gomberg says. "Our community and community center has gone through a huge growth pattern recently. ... We're getting more and more staff as our programs grow. We're at a point where we are busting at the seems, I think is a good way of putting it."

Gomberg said any relocation would probably be within the community's "hub" of Salt Lake City--especially due to the mass transit system's hub located here.

She couldn't provide exact numbers, but Gomberg said the Center has expanded programs, including transgender training and cultural competency, the Sage Program for queer elders, as well as an HIV testing program.

The online needs assessment survey asks respondents for demographic information, their level of concern regarding various issues facing Utah's queer communities, their want or need for various programs, and finally, their ideal vision for the future of the Center, including its facility and location.

All LGBTQ (q for questioning) Utahns are invited to respond. You can take the survey here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/utah_pride_center_community_survey

(photo by Gavin Sheehan. For more information about and photos of the center, read this 2009 Gavin's Underground blog profile, also by Sheehan.)

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