Before he became a city leader in 2021, Salt Lake City Council Vice Chairman Alejandro Puy was a concerned Fairpark resident, and Madsen Park was one of the problems that irked the neighborhood.
Madsen Park’s playground was worn down, and the rest it was just as aged. It also wasn’t uncommon to find scores of people experiencing homelessness scattered across the 85-year-old park, and it became a crime hotbed along with other issues along the North Temple corridor.
“It was a park that was neglected by the city,” said Puy, who lives about four blocks from it…