Council approves two trail agreements to advance Mid Mountain Connector

Summit County Council members, convening as the governing board of the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District, authorized two agreements on July 16 to clear legal and property steps for the Mid Mountain Connector Trail.

The board approved a public recreation trail easement and access agreement with the Pine Brook Master Association and separately approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to allow construction of the Mid Mountain Connector Trail through the Hiute property, authorizing the chair to sign both documents when final materials are ready. "I move that we, approve the public recreation trail easement and access agreement Mid Mountain Trail, Pine Brook Master Association, and authorize the chair to sign," said Chris Robinson when making the first motion. Robinson also moved the MOU approval later in the meeting; both motions passed on unanimous voice votes.

The council discussed outstanding technical details before the votes, including trail width and construction responsibilities. Dave Thomas, deputy civil attorney for Summit County, advised the board that two separate motions were required: one to approve the Pine Brook easement agreement and a second to approve the MOU for the Hiute property and to authorize the chair to sign the easement after construction is complete. Thomas said the MOU "includes the easement and authorizing the chair to sign that easement when we actually have the, the as built stuff." Council members confirmed that affected parties — including Tompkins Land, Pine Brook HOA, and Utah Openlands — had reviewed or signed supporting documents. The record shows the parties worked through prior sticking points on width and construction methods before the board voted.

Council members asked procedural questions about ownership and signature authority because Utah Openlands had previously held a conservation interest on part of the parcel. County counsel clarified that the action on the table was limited to the easement and MOU and did not affect existing suites of agreements about fee-simple purchase options or other title matters.

Both motions passed by unanimous voice vote; the meeting record lists the first motion as made by Chris Robinson and seconded by Meghan McKenna and the second motion likewise moved and seconded with unanimous approval. No amendments were made to the agreements at the meeting.

The approvals allow staff to execute the signed MOU and, when construction is complete and the as-built easement documentation is available, to execute the easement instrument for public recreation trail access. Project proponents said the MOU and easement were intended to implement negotiations begun roughly a decade earlier and to formalize rights and responsibilities among property owners, Utah Openlands, and the county.