County Lands and Natural Resources Manager Jess Kirby confirmed the county secured a $2.5 million grant for purchasing the Ure Ranch.
That means the county is halfway to covering the full $25 million cost of the 834-acre ranch, which it put a $5 million down payment on last spring.
The down payment came from bonds voters approved for open space acquisitions in 2021. Another $6-plus million came from the Summit Land Conservancy.
The latest grant comes from the Land and Water Conservation Fund—federal money distributed by Utah’s Department of Natural Resources.
The county’s $2.5 million award is the maximum amount possible.
The conservation fund has helped finance city parks in Kamas, Oakley, Henefer, Midway, Heber and Park City, as well as the East Canyon and Deer Creek state parks.
Click here to see a map of Utah’s LWCF projects.
The county will release more details about the new grant soon, Kirby says.
It has until 2027 to close on the ranch. Although there is $30 million remaining in bond money, county officials want to cover it with more grants.
“[Grant funding] doesn't make us have to bring any more funds from our general funds or from our tax base,” Kirby said.
That’s after her department won a $40 million federal grant earlier this month to cover the rest of the 910 Cattle Ranch in western Summit County, the county’s largest open space acquisition at 8,600 acres.
The total price is $55 million, so the sprawling and mostly-untouched ranchland ultimately cost taxpayers $15 million.
