Council pledges $750,000 from second open-space bond to preserve 17.5 acres in Heart of Midway

The Midway City Council on July 7 voted to commit $750,000 from the city's second open-space bond toward Utah Open Lands' Heart of Midway conservation easement project at approximately 351 North Center Street. Utah Open Lands Executive Director Wendy Fisher told the Council the effort would combine four neighboring properties—roughly 17.5 acres including a historic red barn—into a single conservation area, and that participating landowners were contributing nearly $2 million in value.

Council members discussed the proposed conditions before voting. Staff and Ms. Fisher clarified that irrigation (Midway Irrigation Company) shares would remain with the property owners but be legally encumbered in the conservation easement so the land stays irrigated and maintained. The Council required that water-share identification and co-holding arrangements be addressed in the agreement, that public trail easements be clarified before approval, and that a time limit or release procedure be included for the City's $750,000 commitment if outside funding or a future bond does not materialize. The motion passed unanimously.

Wendy Fisher said the project's landowner commitments and the conservation easement terms were intended to preserve agriculture, scenic views, and the area's historic character. Mayor Simons and Council members emphasized the importance of preserving working farmland as a defining feature of Midway's landscape and asked staff to ensure legal protections for the reserved future homesite and irrigation entitlements.