Summit County staff present 24‑mile Rail Trail Corridor Plan; public favors local control and improved maintenance

County planners presented a 24‑mile Rail Trail Corridor Plan to the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission on April 11, 2023, and sought public input before forwarding a revised plan to the county council on May 24. The plan defines the corridor from the Route 248 crossing to Echo Reservoir and excludes the 2.75‑mile segment managed by Park City under a State Parks agreement.

The plan, led by county planner Maddie McDonough and developed with contributions from University of Utah and high‑school students, is structured into four chapters: history and community engagement; the rail trail today (users, conditions and infrastructure); goals and elements; and implementation. McDonough told the commission the plan reflects extensive public engagement, including roughly 741 survey responses, about 112 open‑house attendees, 44–45 focus‑group participants, 25 high‑school students and three graduate students who worked on the project.

Staff presented three management options for the corridor: full Summit County ownership and maintenance (either in‑house or via a special recreation district), Summit County ownership with contracted maintenance, or continued State Parks ownership with contracted maintenance (status quo). "A large percentage of the community indicated interest in either Summit County or a special recreation district managing the trail," staff said, and presenters asked for guidance on whether the plan should include a rail‑trail overlay, design guidelines or a stakeholder commission to oversee implementation.

Public commenters generally favored more local control and improved stewardship. Long‑time rail‑trail activist Bill Coleman urged planners to "leave room" for future transportation systems and suggested the corridor could accommodate low‑impact commuter options or trolleys while retaining bike and pedestrian uses. "There could be something, some kind of a very simple commuter kind of a system that brings the residents and workers ... into town," Coleman said, arguing that planning should account for future mobility options and commercial uses such as temporary food vendors and events to increase trail use and revenue.

Several speakers pushed back on heavy rail restoration. Resident Suzanne Rosenberg said bringing mechanized rail back through residential areas would be "very disruptive" and called for eliminating the possibility of Union Pacific rebuilding heavy freight service. Rosenberg also urged safer crossings at major roads including Route 248 and supported more signage and historical markers.

Commissioners and staff discussed accessibility and the paving question at length. Commissioner Thomas Cook and others noted that crushed‑stone surfaces can meet accessibility guidelines without full asphalt paving and warned about environmental tradeoffs; Cook highlighted runoff risks to Silver Creek and the Weber River watershed as a concern if extensive paving were pursued. The plan authors emphasized it neither advocates for nor against paving but explores surface options at specific locations where the trail surface is in poor condition.

Staff also addressed maintenance funding: McDonough said maintenance for the rail trail is primarily paid through utility easements and that State Parks budgets an average of about $70,000 per year for maintenance; easement payments contribute roughly $76,000 annually. A State Parks maintenance contract runs five years with a declining payment schedule; staff said similar budgets routed through county departments or a special district could improve on‑the‑ground maintenance if properly structured.

Other public priorities raised during the meeting included: reducing the number of difficult gates and improving gate design (staff counted about 37 gates, plus or minus), adding access points such as Tollgate, improving wayfinding and historical interpretation, and increasing data collection on trail use (presenters and commissioners suggested sources such as Strava and short‑term user counts).

Staff said Park City Municipal is pursuing a design for an overpass at Route 248, and that the rail‑trail plan will reference long‑range transportation and active‑transportation plans as those projects progress. Presenters also noted a recent statewide initiative to create an interconnected multi‑use pathway system that could align with the corridor's goals.

The commission did not take action on the plan; the meeting served to gather public input and commissioner questions. Staff said they will revise the plan based on comments and return it for county council consideration on May 24, 2023.