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Emery County trails committee backs plan to ready Swell Retreat course for high‑school NICA races
Summary
Swell Retreat organizers and a NICA representative told the trails committee the property's 5.2‑mile course needs machine work (berms, wider corners, compaction, water trucks) and technical trail‑building help before a sanctioned NICA high‑school race can be scheduled; the committee signaled support and staff will prepare materials for the county commission.
Emery County's trails committee signaled support for work to bring the Swell Retreat's mountain‑bike course up to National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) standards, saying county equipment and a brief county review could help make the site race‑ready and open to the public.
Lacey, who is coordinating trail work at the Swell Retreat, told committee members the team has mapped a 5.2‑mile course that currently gains about 450 feet of elevation. She said NICA prefers a roughly 100 feet of climb per mile (about 500 feet overall) and, more importantly, a trail that "flows" for high‑school racers: fewer sharp corners, more berms and safe passing lanes. "We put a lot of time and effort into it already but it's not the right trail so we haven't opened it up to the public yet," Lacey said, adding the retreat intends to allow public access after people complete a one‑time electronic waiver.
Mike, representing NICA, outlined the program's focus on youth participation and family volunteerism and described the economic spillover NICA events can bring to host communities. "NICA's whole mission is to get kids on bikes," he said, and noted other Utah communities have reported meaningful tourism benefits; he cited a KSL story and said Richfield reported roughly $500,000 in local impact from events.
Committee members pressed on two practical points: how the public will access a course sited on private property, and what equipment is required to shape the trail to league standards. Lacey said the retreat will provide a gated entrance and parking, post signage/QR codes for waivers and maintain an online waiver process mirroring those already used by retreat guests.
On equipment, presenters asked for heavy‑equipment help (excavator/dozer), compaction and water trucks to build berms and manage dust. A NICA official said league representatives recommend hiring experienced trail builders and that the league itself provides standards and technical checklists rather than front‑line construction crews. County members noted several nearby counties have invested in trail infrastructure to host NICA events and suggested a modest county contribution of machines or staff time could make the difference in meeting NICA's scheduling window.
Following the discussion the committee agreed to prepare a brief for the county commission and a letter supporting limited county assistance and permitting as appropriate. Committee members said they would work with county trails staff to scope what machine time, culverts or other support would be reimbursable under existing grant rules and bring the item to the next commission agenda for approval.
The committee did not record a formal vote on funding at the meeting; members described the outcome as a consensus to pursue a formal request to the commission and to coordinate machine/equipment scheduling, waiver signage and a technical review with a professional trail builder.
The committee asked presenters to return with a cost estimate, a proposed access/waiver plan and draft language for the commission packet so a formal decision can be made in the coming weeks.
