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Disc golf at Thunderbird Gardens draws heavy visitation; SUU crew and city debate maintenance, ownership and RAP-tax funding
Summary
Southern Utah disc golf advocates and the Southern Utah University Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative told the RAP-tax committee that Thunderbird Gardens attracts large visitation and needs repairs to tee pads, signage and trails to protect safety and sustain tourism.
Southern Utah disc golf advocates and the Southern Utah University Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative presented a joint pitch to the RAP-tax committee to repair Thunderbird Gardens’ tee pads and signage, fund trail-crew work to address erosion and safety, and add amenities such as picnic tables and wayfinding.
Usage and impact: Presenters cited UDisc and BLM counters showing heavy visitation — including thousands of recorded rounds and tens of thousands of monthly visitors in recent months — and said the course drives regional visitation. “Over the 14 years, visitation to Thunderbird Gardens area has gone up 367%,” a presenter said, summarizing BLM data. Presenters argued the course is a tourism asset and a multiple-use recreation area (hiking, mountain biking, remote-control vehicles and disc golf) that needs investment to remain safe and sustainable.
Scope and funding: The disc-golf group proposed improved tee pads (especially on the backside of the course to increase accessible play without the mountain hike), additional baskets and sleeves, improved signage and picnic tables, and minor parking-area fence repairs. The SUU Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative (IIC) offered to apply trained trail crews (paid intern crews supervised by an experienced trail lead) to graded trail and safety repairs but noted labor and benefits were part of their proposed budget.
Ownership and maintenance debate: Committee members raised that the BLM had committed to restrooms and maintenance at Thunderbird Gardens but recently stopped maintaining the restroom, which the city observed is now locked. Committee members and staff repeatedly urged SUU and the disc-golf advocates to revisit the earlier agreement and asked whether SUU would honor continuing maintenance commitments. SUU IIC staff said the original grant-funded installation was intended as a one-time project and that long-term maintenance expectations had not been consistently resourced; they said the IIC can provide trail-building expertise but cannot indefinitely assume long-term maintenance on city-owned property.
Legal and financial considerations: Committee members repeatedly said RAP-tax funds are intended for publicly accessible facilities and that long-term maintenance responsibility matters because wrap-tax funding is not an ongoing maintenance stream. Several council members urged the university to either honor the prior commitment or consider a different ownership/maintenance model with the city; they suggested SUU, Rotary and city staff coordinate on a durable maintenance plan before RAP-tax investment.
Next steps: Presenters asked for the committee’s consideration of a funding package that would improve safety, accessibility and signage; committee members asked applicants to align proposals with ownership, maintenance commitments and RAP-tax eligibility before the submission deadline.
