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Resident raises concerns about signs and private cameras at Kelly Park trails
Summary
A resident told the council that volunteer‑placed signs at Kelly Park restrict biking and other uses and that a camera placed on park property by a resident has caused concern. City staff said signs on city facilities should be approved by the mayor or the city’s parks director and agreed to follow up.
A Soda Springs resident said signs and a privately installed camera at Kelly Park have left some visitors feeling unwelcome and asked the council to address who may place signs and cameras on the public trails.
At the open‑floor public comment portion of the meeting, Terry Dieter of 311 Jagan Drive thanked the city for maintaining Kelly Park but described multiple signs on the ski and hike trails that prohibit biking, sledding and use of trails when temperatures are above freezing. Dieter said one large sign—described during the meeting as roughly 3 by 5 feet—tells visitors to "Be nice to trails" and lists rules including staying off trails if temperatures rise above freezing, staying off tracks deeper than 2 inches, and "No sledding or biking." Dieter also said a camera had been put up on public property by a resident and expressed concern about surveillance and the effect the signs and camera had on visitors from out of town.
Dieter said some of the signs had been torn down and reinstalled and that rules appearing prominently at trail entrances can make non‑skiing users feel unjustly excluded. "It just feels like they are chosen," Dieter said, describing a perception that skiers have priority use of the groomed trails. Dieter also relayed an exchange with the resident who installed a camera, saying that person told her he would record and publicize images of people breaking rules because the police would not act.
Councilman Carpenter read the posted sign text aloud for the record during Dieter’s comments, and several council members and staff discussed whether signage on city property should require prior approval. Justin, the parks/maintenance department head who responded during the meeting, said city cameras are limited to water‑system coverage and that the camera in question appeared to have been put up by a private resident on public property. Justin acknowledged the volunteer group that grooms the trails and said trail preservation is a shared concern; he also supported a recommendation that any signage placed on city facilities be approved by the mayor or Justin himself.
Council members thanked Dieter for raising the issue and said staff and the mayor would follow up. The council did not adopt a formal ordinance or directive at the meeting; the exchange was recorded as public comment and staff follow‑up.
