U of M community safety center to open at site of old Kitty Cat Klub
MINNEAPOLIS — A first-of-its-kind change is coming right next door to the University of Minnesota in hopes of making the area a safer place to be.
The former Kitty Cat Klub is being transformed into a new community safety center.
The center will put university safety resources and and community safety organizations under one roof, with the hope to make Dinkytown a safer place overall. With students coming back for a new semester, it's just days from opening.
The plan to create the center moved quickly; it wasn't presented as an idea until just six months ago. Work couldn't start on construction until just this summer.
The concept will offer study spaces and meeting spaces for campus groups. It'll also offer community safety options like a self-defense classes and there will be campus security available during weeknights.
The people in charge say it's a brand new concept that hasn't really been seen elsewhere.
"We just sat down to really think – what do we want to bring to the Dinkytown area? What services from the university can we bring off campus? What other agencies can we coordinate with, from the city, the county to help build a stronger Dinkytown, but also just to improve the livability?" said Nick Juarez, with the university's department of public safety.
When doors do open on Sept. 6, campus safety leaders say it's here to stay, as they've signed a five-year lease.
