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SANDY — Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski says the Dimple Dell Regional Park is "the heart of Sandy recreation."
As a weekly park user for the last decade, Zoltanski said she has never seen so many people at Dimple Dell, but the health of the park is "better than ever."
"It is a park for everyone, designed for everyone and enjoyed by everyone," Zoltanski said. "People know Sandy because of Dimple Dell Park, and people come from all over to enjoy it. It is a treasure."
Dozens of Sandy and White City residents attended a public open house Wednesday at the Sandy library to learn about proposed plans for the future of Dimple Dell Regional Park and give feedback.
The Dimple Dell Regional Park is 600 acres, extending west to east across the city. The master plan was broken into eight different section,s so people at the open house could look closely at the proposed improvements and changes.
Salt Lake County parks and recreation staff members, along with city and county officials, were available for residents to ask questions about planned improvements on access points, trail management, a new pocket park on Larkspur Drive, parking expansions, a new sports park, wildlife and vegetation conservation and more.
County park planner and project manager Dan Sonntag said there have been plans in the past for park development, such as proposed golf courses or parking lots, but most have faded without public support. Parks and recreation officials are looking at how the park serves the public currently and how to maintain it for the future.
"We're looking at opportunities of what to leave natural, what to develop, what amenities to implement. And we're proposing it to the public for comment," Sonntag said.
Wednesday's open house was the first time the park's new master plan was released to the public. The master plan is years in the making and reflects people pushing for preservation of the park as a natural open space.
Sonntag said they will take all public comments into consideration and incorporate them into a finalized master plan that will be used to guide the park's development for the next decade.
"Generally, the vision is to leave the park as natural as possible," Sonntag said. Developments would just include managing vegetation, supporting the river and wildlife habitats, improving flood management and fire prevention.
Sonntag said there have been lots of unsanctioned trails created by people walking off the main trail. Part of the master plan would be to sanction the trails the department wants to keep and decommission the rest of the "social" trails that have been made.
"Everybody is keen on its preservation and promoting its use as a nature area to enjoy the views, the wildlife and native habitats," Zoltanski said. For many people, the park is a "beautiful refuge" or a place to retreat from the business of modern life.
Zoltanski said residents have been "instrumental" in the long-term management of the park, referencing how community members banded together against a proposal to pave the park five years ago. She said it's important for residents to continue expressing their opinions on the park to maintain it as a natural area.
Walt Gilmore, associate division director over park planning, said the park property in the 1970s "was a dumping ground" and wasn't respected or valued as an open space. A management plan in 1992 turned things around, Gilmore said, when the park started getting managed differently, allowing the public to view the park differently.
Gilmore said in the last few years, the park has undergone development to improve trailheads, increase access to the park and increase signage. The park has also seen a change in the people who use it, as what used to be a primarily equestrian park has become a popular hiking, biking, running and dog-walking area.
"It really is a nature park, and we respect that and want to manage it that way. Once you're down (in the park) you forget you're right in the middle of an urban city and region. It's an area where people can get away from the day-to-day hustle and bustle," Gilmore said.
Gilmore was happy to see so many people show up to the open house and said it proves how important the park is to the community.
Sonntag said it's crucial to focus on the park because as Utah's population grows, more and more people are going to be enjoying the outdoor recreation areas.
He added that they are hoping to make the park more accessible for those with special needs so people of all abilities can enjoy the area.
Sandy resident Heather Dupaix has been actively involved in keeping Dimple Dell wild. She is worried too much of the park is going to turn into sports parks, which she said cause traffic, reduce natural landscapes and take away the history of the area.
Dupaix is working with the Muir-Poulsen House, a historical building that uses outdoor classrooms to teach about nature and history and where they are rebuilding a historical apple orchard.
Dupaix said she was grateful for the open house so people could learn more and share their opinions on preserving the park.
"There's a time and place for everything, but keep it wild," she said.
The mayor echoed a similar idea.
"Keep Dimple Dell wild, now and forever," Zoltanski said.
