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Commission approves state recreation grants to fund Emery County trails equipment and crew
Summary
Emery County accepted two Division of Outdoor Recreation contracts — one to buy trail equipment and supplies and another to fund two part‑time trail crew positions for 2025–2026 — and staff discussed increased trail work after federal travel‑management changes.
The Emery County Commission on May 20 approved two contracts with the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation to support the county’s trail maintenance program, including funding for equipment and for two part‑time trail crew positions through 2026.
County travel and trails staff told commissioners the awards will supply items such as a jackhammer, generator and culverts and will pay for part‑time wages; the county requested $10,000 per year for the crew positions, up from prior years’ requests of roughly $7,200–$7,500. Staff said the county will use in‑kind contributions — partner‑agency time and leased trucks — as part of the grant match.
Why it matters Staff said the need for additional trail work increased after the Bureau of Land Management finalized travel management plans that clarified which routes are open to motorized use. Jim Jennings, public lands and planning zoning administrator, and Andy (travel/trails staff) said several routes already require repair and that the county will help cover more of the workload because of federal workforce shortages.
Staff comments and technical details Andy described the scope of purchased items as “jackhammer, a generator, and then culverts” and said culverts are kept on hand so crews can respond to projects quickly. He said the county leases two trucks that can be used to pull equipment and that the lease contracts may be used toward the grant match. Andy also noted the county purchased an additional machine about a year and a half ago, which increased capacity and supported a request for higher annual funding for crew wages.
Jim Jennings said the travel management planning work increased trail repairs: when asked whether that increased the need for trail work, he answered, “Yes. It has. Significantly.” Commissioners also discussed the competitive nature of the grants; staff said applications vary but this year was less competitive than some prior years.
Commission action and next steps The commission voted to approve both the equipment and trails crew contracts. Staff will finalize contract paperwork, track in‑kind matches (partner agency time and leased truck contracts), and report to the state per the grants’ reporting requirements. Andy and Jim said more trail work is anticipated as routes identified in BLM travel plans are addressed and as partner agencies reduce capacity.
Provenance Discussion introduced at transcript segment beginning at 1084.87 and concluding at 1343.635; evidence excerpts include staff descriptions of equipment and match sources and commissioners’ questions about increased trail needs.
