Cache County holds public hearing on $4 million 1200 East COG funding application

Cache County officials reopened a public hearing Tuesday and described a planned application for roughly $4 million in Council of Governments (COG) construction funds to rebuild 1200 East, a narrow collector road in unincorporated Cache County between Hyde Park and North Logan.

The county's Public Works Director, Matt Phillips, told the council the project would widen a roughly 20-foot paved roadway to a 66-foot right-of-way with curb, gutter, sidewalks and bike lanes, and that construction—if funded—would likely occur around 2027. Phillips said the county has $48,000 in preliminary design funding and plans to apply to COG for $4,000,000 in construction dollars.

The public hearing gave neighbors a chance to ask about right-of-way impacts, timing and property acquisition. Resident Steve Parkinson, who lives on 1200 East, said he received a notice the same day and asked for a second presentation; Phillips summarized the plan again and said detailed design had not been completed. Landowner Rick Longman asked whether the county would need to purchase private property, move irrigation lines and whether “green belt” tax status for farmland might be affected. Phillips said securing right-of-way and negotiating relocations would be part of later design and acquisition phases if the grant is awarded, and that the county would work with each landowner.

Other public speakers urged coordination among nearby municipalities and improved multimodal access. Jim Marshall, identifying himself as a Smithfield Planning Commission member, asked the county to coordinate connections with Smithfield and to plan for public transportation, pedestrian and bicycle links through the corridor. Nathan Holt, a North Logan resident, said the road is currently dangerous for people walking and biking and supported the project.

Matt Phillips said the county coordinated the application with North Logan so the improvements would align across jurisdictional boundaries. He said North Logan would share the local match if the COG award is made, and that Hyde Park and North Logan have completed or are completing adjoining segments.

Because the COG application requires a public hearing, the council took no vote on the project at the meeting; staff will use the meeting minutes to document compliance with COG rules and accept public comment before the August application deadline.

The county will provide affected property owners with detailed plans and right-of-way offers if the application is successful; Phillips said those landowner discussions and surveys would follow during the final design phase.

Documents and contact information for the project are available from the county public works office; public comments received at the hearing were recorded in the meeting minutes.