Division weighs shifting heavy-equipment trail crew to regional supervisors to stretch state funds

The Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation briefed its advisory council on July 14 about a proposed change to the state's newly funded heavy equipment trail crew that would shift operators from a single centralized crew to regional supervisors.

Director Jason Curry said staff initially planned "Form a single, centralized heavy equipment crew consisting of two new full-time employees based in Richfield traveling statewide." After reviewing costs and operational concerns, staff proposed converting regional supervisors into equipment operators and reallocating funding. Mike Innes told the council the regional approach would produce more completed projects statewide and reduce travel and per diem expenses.

The division said the revised model would convert four part-time regional supervisors to full time by using the funding that would have supported two new full-time positions. Division staff argued the change "doubles output capacity" by allowing supervisors to operate heavy machinery while a crew lead manages hand crews on separate projects.

Council members asked for accountability measures. Wade Allinson said the spirit of the funding favored motorized projects and urged strict tracking. Scott Wheeler and Mike Cook said 20 minutes was too little time to vet a significant programmatic shift; Cook specifically warned against mixing motorized and non-motorized work where funding is restricted. "Separating crews into motorized and non-motorized groups would make things easier to see where the money is going," Cook said.

Staff described training plans and partnerships to certify operators on federal lands, including collaboration with Fish Lake National Forest and annual training with the Weber Basin Job Corps. They also emphasized scheduling and GIS coordination with county partners to target work where it is needed.

The council did not adopt a formal motion changing the plan at the meeting; Jason Curry said staff would present the proposal again as it moves through the legislative session and asked for the council's continued advice. Council Vice-chair Brody Johnson urged staff not to lock into a single approach and suggested a one-to-two year evaluation period to assess effectiveness.