The city pitched a plan to the Wasatch County Open Lands Board Tuesday to put trails, benches, fishing ponds and boardwalks at the site that currently only has grass, trees and creeks. The land is divided into two 5-acre parcels, one that the city purchased in August 2021 and another that the city has under contract. Even though the parcels share a boundary with Muirfield Dog Park, the plan isn’t to extend the dog accommodations.
“We’re going to keep it the natural meadow, the way that it is,” Open Lands Board Chair and Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco said. “We might put in a couple of trees, a few trees. It would be open on all sides, and we do not want to block the viewshed, and we’re not trying to landscape it like a regular park.”
Franco also said the park will be used for nature-related education.
The city requested, and the open lands board approved, $250,000 in funding. That would come from the open-space bond Wasatch County voters approved in 2018.
Following the board’s approval, the Wasatch County Council will hold a public hearing, then a vote to decide whether to release the money. County Manager Dustin Grabau said that would likely be scheduled in early May.
The county contribution would cover a quarter of the estimated $1 million cost. That includes nearly $500,000 for each of the land parcels and $40,000 for the conservation easement designated to the Summit Land Conservancy.
The easement allows for trails, benches and a shaded pavilion structure, but not for amenities for bathrooms.
Plus, the agreement ensures the city won’t have the option to repurpose the land in the future, according to Summit Land Conservancy Executive Director Cheryl Fox.
The city and board said the trails should accommodate biking, walking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, trail running, fishing and picnics. The easement won’t allow motorized vehicles.
There were three public comments. One person asked that the trails be wide enough for bikes and another pointed out that without bathrooms, events like weddings will be less likely to take place at the pavilion.
A third comment was submitted via email and said open-space funds shouldn’t be used for a city park development because open space is - quote - “wild area, not manicured land with parking” nearby.
For video footage of the open lands board meeting, visit this link.
