Council approves cooperative agreement for Sand Hollow park interchange; approval subject to attorney review

Hurricane City Council on April 8 approved a cooperative agreement among Hurricane City, Utah State Parks, the Utah Department of Transportation and the Washington County Water Conservancy District to fund and manage safety and access improvements at the Sand Hollow state park entrance.

The agreement, approved by voice vote after a council motion, keeps the $2,000,000 grant the council previously committed and names Hurricane City as the project manager for procurement and early coordination. State Parks will cover remaining costs within its authority and UDOT will oversee work falling within state highway jurisdiction, the council was told during the budget retreat.

Council members discussed the procurement timeline and the need to secure qualified contractors; staff said the city plans to issue a qualifications-based solicitation before construction bidding. The cooperative agreement as approved includes language allowing UDOT to make technical edits; council approval was recorded as subject to final review by the city attorney and minor revisions if necessary.

The council did not require a roll-call tally in the meeting record; the motion carried by unanimous voice vote at the retreat. Staff said the council and partner agencies intend to begin the procurement process within weeks and proceed through engineering and right-of-way steps as those schedules allow.

Why it matters: The intersection and queuing improvements at Sand Hollow serve a growing number of visitors and local traffic; the cooperative arrangement defines funding responsibilities and places project administration with Hurricane City to speed early-stage work and align local needs with state standards.

What’s next: Staff will finalize contract language with the city attorney, post the qualifications solicitation and bring procurement recommendations back to the council for contract awards and construction authorization.