County advisory council recommends removal and rebuilding of locked gate at Rilda Canyon

The Emery County Public Lands Council voted to recommend that the county commissioners remove and rebuild a locked gate on the Rilda Canyon road after members raised concerns that the gate restricts public access while the facilities it once protected no longer exist.

A council member urged the group to ask the commissioners to act, and the council moved and seconded a recommendation asking the commissioners to remove the gate and rebuild an appropriate turnaround. The motion passed by voice vote; members responded "Aye" when the chair called for a vote.

Council discussion cited uncertainty about legal ownership of the road immediately above the old facilities and noted that the county sheriff had removed a sign indicating the area was closed. Members said the spot near the gate currently serves as a useful turnaround for trailers and that any replacement should preserve that capability. One member suggested a sign marking the approved turnaround location if full removal proved complicated.

Next steps: the council agreed the item is now in the commissioners' court and asked staff to confirm whether the road in question is a county road and to notify the commissioners of the council's recommendation.