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14-year-old warns St. George council that golf balls are striking homes, airport; city staff to investigate
Summary
A Little Valley resident told the St. George City Council that golfers hitting from the ridgeline above Airport Hill have shattered windows and struck airport property. City staff said the ridgeline is mostly SITLA land and pledged to discuss signage and enforcement and to monitor airport impacts.
A 14-year-old Little Valley resident told the St. George City Council that golf balls driven from the ridgeline above Airport Hill have repeatedly struck houses and airport property, and he urged the city to take steps to reduce the danger.
“I'm 14 years old, and I live in Little Valley here in Saint George. I'm here today to bring attention to a safety issue affecting my neighborhood. Golfers are driving balls off of Airport Hill towards our neighborhood,” said Jacob (Jake) Brenton, who described shattered windows, damaged stucco and a neighbor’s broken window. He said neighbors and his parents have repeatedly contacted the St. George City Police without a lasting solution.
City staff and airport officials said they will look into the matter. Dustin, the airport director, told the council airport staff have found golf balls on runways, taxiways and between hangars and warned of potentially large repair bills. “If they go through a windscreen or something like that, that could be tens of thousands of dollars of damage. So I'm…with him. And now that I know where they're coming from, we're gonna start watching for it,” Dustin said.
Council and staff discussed ownership of the ridgeline and possible next steps. A staff member identified the ridgeline as “mostly SITLA property,” and council members suggested contacting the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) about posting signs. Council members also said they would work with the St. George City Police to respond to reports and consider whether additional airport cameras or other monitoring would be needed; airport staff said installing a camera to cover the ridgeline would require additional expense.
Brenton also cited Utah law in his remarks, saying, “Utah code 76‑6‑206 states that it is illegal to recklessly create a substantial risk of serious injury or death to others,” and asked the city for help enforcing safety measures and for permission to place signs along the ridge asking golfers not to hit toward homes.
No formal motion or vote was taken on the item. Council members said they had not previously received reports about golf balls striking airport surfaces and that staff would follow up with SITLA, the police department and airport operations to explore signage, monitoring and enforcement options.
The matter arose during the public comment portion of the meeting; councilors and staff expressed appreciation for Brenton bringing the issue to their attention and said they would investigate further.
