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Wellsville and Cache County finalize Sherwood Hills purchase; mayor authorized to negotiate stewardship and trails plan
Summary
Wellsville City and Cache County completed a joint purchase of much of the Sherwood Hills property and will meet to decide ownership split and protections. The council authorized the mayor to represent the city in Tuesday's meeting with Cache County; county officials and trail planners described grant and master-plan opportunities.
Wellsville City and Cache County have finalized the purchase of the Sherwood Hills property and will negotiate how the land will be owned and managed, Mayor (speaker 2) told the council on May 7.
"So in the meantime, that purchase has been finalized," the mayor said, outlining that the wider property will leave roughly 450 acres under discussion for joint open-space stewardship while a private owner will retain 29 lots totaling about 102 acres.
The council discussed two ownership models: joint title with Cache County or a parcel held by Wellsville only, and it flagged development-rights protections tied to the green-space bond that paid part of the cost. Scott (speaker 1) told the council the overall purchase price was about $7.5 million, with Cache County providing $4,000,000 and Wellsville City contributing funds locally. At a later point in the meeting the mayor cited $1,000,000 from Wellsville and a $2,000,000 state contribution plus a private donation of $500,000; councilors noted these different references during public discussion.
Landis Wenger, representing Cache County Trails, said the county has applied for a new state Outdoor Recreation Planning Assistance Grant that can fund design and construction and recommended hiring a consultant to produce a recreation master plan and site assessment. "This is really exciting," Wenger said, adding the grant can cover everything "up to design and construction" and that careful study is needed because the site includes a water-source recharge area with environmental limits.
Local recreation advocates urged multi-use planning and cautioned about motorized uses. Glenn Ames, a Wellsville resident and longtime mountain-bike organizer, offered volunteer trail expertise and urged the council to consider ordinances limiting e-bikes where appropriate.
Council members repeatedly stressed protecting the city's water source. Several speakers urged that trail development and recreational access be located away from the spring area and that Wellsville secure the acreage around the aquifer before any county split reduces the city's control.
After public comment and discussion, the council voted to give the mayor authority to meet with the Cache County Council and convey Wellsville's preferences on ownership, trails planning and water-source protections. Committee member (speaker 8) moved the authorization and Committee member (speaker 5) seconded; the motion passed by voice vote.
Next steps outlined at the meeting include the mayor and city staff meeting with Cache County officials next Tuesday and continuing local discussion about naming the open-space property, drafting a joint trails master plan and clarifying the final dollar amounts and title arrangements.
The council emphasized it would return to future city meetings with specifics from the county conversation and any proposed joint-management agreements.
