Salt Lake County Chips in for Open Space

By Derek P. Jensen, The Salt Lake Tribune

Sep. 28–A grass-roots push by green groups to preserve a mountain meadow in Emigration Canyon appeared all but buried as today’s purchase deadline loomed.

Within minutes Tuesday, it was resurrected by the Salt Lake County Council.

Arguing the 190-acre oasis east of Ruth’s Diner known as Perkins Flat should remain as open space, members of the council agreed to kick in the final $85,000 toward the $1.4 million asking price for the parcel.

The eleventh-hour funding thrilled Wendy Fisher, executive director of Utah Open Lands, who helped orchestrate paying the balance of the bill through a combination of private and public dollars.

“This is a jewel I’m ecstatic to be preserving,” beamed Fisher. “We’ve got to have a balance with development. And there’s no better place than Emigration Canyon.”

Emigration resident Bob Avery agreed, calling the county’s commitment an important statement.

“This speaks toward maintaining a quality of life not only for the residents of Salt Lake County, but for the wildlife and ecosystem,” he said. “Everybody wins and I’m delighted.”

Over the summer, community and private sources compiled $365,000 toward the effort, part of it by going door to door. County officials previously pledged $400,000 from their open-space coffers, and the Envirocare Environmental Foundation added $200,000.

But Fisher’s request for a state grant got partly snipped — “Every single project got a haircut,” she said — when the committee for the state’s LeRay McAllister fund offered $350,000 rather than $450,000. Fisher notes the state received $12 million in open-space requests but had just $3 million to spend.

“We ended up with a shortfall in part because of that grant,” Fisher told the council.

By an 8-1 vote, the council endorsed spending the extra money, though the mechanism is unusual. The money will initially come from an open-space budget, but may be reimbursed by county flood-control reserves.

County leaders agreed Tuesday the flood-control division should pay for Perkins Flat remediation costs triggered years ago when flood workers removed beaver dams on the parcel in the canyon east of Salt Lake City and ran afoul of the Army Corps of Engineers.

If those costs exceed $85,000, the council will take that cash to reimburse its open-space coffers.

“If we can solve their problem for a measly $85,000 . . . boy that’s a win-win,” said Councilman Joe Hatch.

Meanwhile, Councilman Jim Bradley called on the parcel’s private owner to make a donation toward preserving the popular hiking and biking land. If that happens, he reasoned, the county could yet save that taxpayer cash.

“It’s everybody in this valley purchasing this property for posterity — and that’s good,” he said. “But the [$85,000] should be the seller’s contribution.”

Fisher says she has made that request, but has heard no response.

Much of Perkins Flat is hillside — carved in half by Emigration Creek — which provides refuge for wildlife. But 28 acres of the property are flat, coveted by developers and the reason for the steep price.

Once the purchase is completed, the county will be considered the owner, though a conservation easement will be applied to the land.

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