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EAGLE MOUNTAIN -- Wakeboarding without needing a boat is the object of a proposed recreation park that would be situated just south of the Pony Express Regional Park in Eagle Mountain.
Wasatch Wake Park would initially have two man-made rectangular lakes, each 100 feet wide and 680 feet long, where wakeboarders would be pulled from one end of the lake to the other by an overhead cable system. A second phase would add a circular lake approximately 620 feet by 700 feet with an island in the middle that also has an overhead cable system.
- 2 rectangular lakes 100 ft wide by 680 ft long
- Lakes will use 3 million gallons of water
- Each lake is six feet deep
- A 20-foot high tower located at each end of the lakes
- A motorized pulley system pulls rider back and forth
- A circular lake approx. 620 ft by 700 ft with center island
- Six 20-foot high towers around the lake, with an arm that extends out over the water
- The cable pulley system allows up to eight riders at a time
Wakeboarder and first-time developer Darcy Hanks said he got hooked on the concept after seeing a similar cable system at a private lake in Washington. "I thought 'That's the coolest thing I've ever seen. That's going to change wakeboarding.'"
According to cablewakeboard.com, there are more than 140 cable wakeboarding parks around the world. Eagle Mountain public information director Linda Peterson said Wasatch Wake Park would be the first of its kind in Utah.
The project won city Planning Commission approval last week and is scheduled for City Council consideration Tuesday, May 17. Hanks said the project would be privately owned and financed but did not want to say what he expects the project will cost. The site is on Utah Trust Lands and would be leased from the state.
Hanks said he has equipment ready to start turning dirt, as soon as he gets city approval. "We potentially could be open towards the middle or end of June. Realistically it could be July."
Steve Mumford, Eagle Mountain planning director, said the city and Hanks are still negotiating economic development incentives, which may include the first 3 million-gallon fill for the rectangular lakes in the first phase. Fast-track construction techniques, like portable buildings and a gravel parking lot, are also part of the initial construction plan to get the park under way.
The exact placement of the park and its configuration are still being worked on. Trust Lands spokeswoman NormaLee McMichael said the amount the state charges for the lease will depend on the park's final configuration and footprint. She said the proposal currently ranges from five to 10 acres.
Hanks said he plans to offer equipment rental and lessons and expects he'll charge riders about $25 for two hours on the water and probably $35 for an all-day pass, the same as riders pay at Wake Nation parks in Houston and Cincinnatti. The first phase would accommodate 10-12 riders per hour and the circular lake in phase 2 would accommodate 35-40 riders per hour. "The objective is to get phase 2 up by spring of 2012," Hanks said.
Email:sfidel@ksl.com
