COSAC unanimously recommends funding for 2-mile Bonneville Shoreline Trail segment

The Cache County Open Space Advisory Committee (COSAC) voted unanimously March 3 to recommend that the County Council fund a two-mile segment of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail between Hyde Park and Smithfield.

Committee members and staff said the project would extend an existing portion of the regional Bonneville Shoreline Trail and improve connectivity between Dry Canyon (Smithfield) and Hyde Park Canyon. Staff said three nearby cities — Smithfield, Hyde Park and North Logan — have expressed support, and property owners along the alignment have signaled willingness to participate.

The project’s construction funding was described in the meeting as coming from a new Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation grant that does not require a local match and that will provide $570,000 for construction of the segment. County staff characterized the county’s contribution as primarily easements and an estimated local funding component of about $27,000 (an estimate, staff said, that is subject to change during final agreements).

Committee members emphasized the trail’s regional importance. One member said the Bonneville Shoreline Trail is “rapidly becoming one of the primary regional trail systems in the Intermountain West,” and several members noted national and statewide interest in completing contiguous segments.

Committee discussion covered alignment options, seasonal closures requested by some property owners, and access points. Staff said engineering and some trail access work are included in preliminary cost estimates; formal trailhead construction would add cost. Committee members also discussed trail surface standards for the BST master plan (noting a long-term goal of a 10-foot-wide multiuse corridor in many sections, with single-track options alongside in some places), and the potential for the segment to be built as a phase of a larger segment that connects farther north and south.

On procedure, COSAC debated whether to recommend the project as a phase 1 funding recommendation with conditions (legal documentation and easements to be completed before later funding disbursement) or to combine phase 1 and phase 2 into a single conditional recommendation. Staff said they would check whether the county’s existing ordinance procedure (referred to in the meeting as “Kozak ordinance language”) requires a staged approval. The committee voted to recommend the project to the County Council with the expectation that legal conditions and documentation be met before final funding and recording.

Motion and vote: A COSAC member moved and another member seconded a motion recommending that the County Council fund the Bonneville Shoreline Trail segment. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote; the transcript records the outcome as unanimous but does not provide a numerical roll call in the minutes.

Next steps: Staff will confirm any ordinance-stage requirements and outstanding appraisals or easement paperwork and will return details to COSAC or proceed as required by County Council direction. The recommendation will go forward to the County Council for final funding approval.