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NORTH SALT LAKE — City leaders here are developing a funding agreement with Kern River and Questar Gas companies to pay for the remediation of the landslide in Eaglepointe Development.
The funding agreement was scheduled to go before the North Salt Lake City Council for approval Tuesday, as well as a consideration to award a bid for the remediation of at least part of the landslide. But the agreement was tabled and discussed in a closed meeting because of negotiation delays, according to city manager Barry Edwards.
"We anticipated being a little further along in the funding agreement," Edwards said. "We put this on the agenda on Thursday, and we've had lots of meeting since then. Lots of things have changed. We just haven't been able to pull it together (to the point) that we feel comfortable recommending (it) to the City Council."
The funding agreement originally included the remediation of only part of the landslide, but it's unclear what portions will be included and how much the final agreement will cost stakeholders, Edwards said.
"It's been a lot of phone calls back and forth," he said. "The devil's in the details."
Eaglepointe Development is not included in the current funding agreement, though residents, Kern River and city leaders have all said the developer should contribute to funding the repair of the hillside.
The city's remediation plan, which includes grading the entire landslide to a more gradual slope and building retaining walls at the base, is estimated to cost $2 million, and the city has offered to pay $200,000. The bid was set to expire at the beginning of next week, but Edwards said the city has a verbal agreement with the contractor to extend the bid.
Funding negotiations have been ongoing for weeks, but have slowed because of legal action against the city and the developer. In the past month, Kern River and the Eagleridge Tennis and Swim Club have both filed lawsuits to cover the cost of assessing damage and maintaining the safety of their property at the site.
Edwards said if the city finalizes a funding agreement with the two utility companies, the City Council could hold a special meeting this week to approve the proposal.
"We are making progress, and we've had significant discussions this afternoon," Mayor Len Arave said Tuesday. "There is some hope that we'll be able to move forward."
