Grantsville reviews $500,000 pump-track proposal and options to fix 13.4-acre park deficit

Dalton Vaughn, a representative of American Ramp Company, told the Grantsville City Council on Nov. 20 that his firm can design and build an asphalt pump track and produce a shovel-ready park plan intended to help the city win state recreation grant funding. “My name is Dalton Vaughn. I work for American Ramp Company,” he said, later adding, “Now what I'm proposing we do is a not to exceed $500,000 contract.”

The council’s staff presentation that followed laid out a longstanding shortfall in park acreage. “Our current deficit is 13.4 acres of park,” staff member Sherry told the council, and she said the city began collecting park impact fees in August 2022. Under state guidance, Sherry said, the city has six years from the start of collection to remedy the deficit — “so we have until August 2028” unless the council adopts a written resolution showing extraordinary and compelling reasons for an extension.

Why it matters: the $500,000 design-build proposal would lock in a build slot for summer 2025 and produce 3D renderings and cost estimates the city could use in grant applications. Vaughn said his Utah projects have been competitive for the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant and that communities his firm works with have won awards, enabling cities to leverage grant-match formulas that vary by county (examples discussed included 40% local/60% grant and other ratios).

Details and funding choices: Vaughn described his firm’s community-engagement process and gave local examples of pump tracks and all-wheel parks his firm has designed. City staff presented preliminary cost ranges to build the missing acreage — roughly $4.0 million to $5.8 million depending on site conditions — and an estimate of about $136,000 related to refund calculations if the city reduced its impact fee commitments. Staff outlined options to address the deficit: (1) develop Scenic Slopes in phases or with a bond (staff estimated a bond to finish the entire Scenic Slopes project would range from $6 million to $8 million); (2) develop a flatter site at Clark Farm that would likely cost less to develop; (3) lower impact fees and refund differences; or (4) add a nearby Durfee/Northstar parcel (currently used informally for motocross and trails) to the park plan as a lower-cost way to add acreage, parking and supporting amenities.

Timing and procurement: Vaughn recommended using existing state contracts or purchasing cooperatives such as Sourcewell to avoid a lengthy RFP process. He emphasized a contracting timeline that would preserve the city’s build slot: he said he could hold Grantsville’s slot until the end of the year but warned other projects are competing for the same build window.

Council reaction and next steps: councilmembers and staff discussed site constraints (slope terraces at Scenic Slopes, earthwork needs, parking and access), possible uses of car-tax or par tax revenues, and phased development strategies. Council members asked staff to provide additional analysis and to continue the discussion at a follow-up meeting; a designer was identified who will coordinate scenic-slopes master planning with the pump-track design so the pieces can be integrated. No final contracting decision or formal vote on the pump-track contract occurred at the meeting.

Procedural note: the work meeting concluded after the council moved to adjourn and voted unanimously to close the session.