- Hurricane city officials reached an agreement to purchase the iconic "H" hill.
- The $799,900 land deal was partly funded by a state outdoor recreation grant.
- Mayor Fawcett aims to preserve the area for public enjoyment and wildlife.
HURRICANE, Washington County — City officials and private landowners in Hurricane, Washington County, have made a deal that will allow the public greater access to a local landmark.
The "H" that oversees the town of Hurricane in southern Utah will soon be under city ownership, allowing it to become a place the public can enjoy for generations to come.
"(The landowners) had it listed, and we wanted to buy it, but we didn't have the funds to do it on our own," Mayor Clark Fawcett said.
The land was listed at $799,900, and it included 80 acres that encompassed the entire hill.
"You can own 'The H!'" the land listing read. "Yes, it's the same H that Coach Wes made generations of HHS football players run wind sprints up in the August sunshine. The same H that gets lit on fire for Homecoming. The same H atop the hill produced the legend of Hurricane's naming."
Fawcett said that it took a couple of years to be able to find the funds to acquire the land, adding that about half of the funds came from an outdoor recreation grant from the state of Utah.
"I figured if we hadn't been able to get the grant, I think if we would have just sent things out to all the alumni from Hurricane (High School) for everyone to send us 10 bucks to help fund it; I think most people would rather do that than have houses on the hill or lose the H," Fawcett told KSL.
To Fawcett, purchasing the land was as much about maintaining the letter on the hill as it was creating a place where people could relax, recreate and where wildlife could have a place to call home.
"It would be nice to make an area with a pavilion and some picnic tables, but mostly we want to make it rural and make some trails up there and back," he said. "There's an old road that goes behind the hump that drops down into a little valley that's really shady and nice. I think it will be a nice little open place to walk. Hopefully, we can get some improvements and set the H on fire with lights for homecoming and other events."
Fawcett also said purchasing the land will give the current owners freedom from present-day worries.
"Today is a lot different than it was 50 or 60 years ago," he said. "You start worrying about people getting up there and liability and things like that. It would be good for them to lose that concern, and we can protect it from being developed into anything and preserve that nature for the community and the H that stands on the hill."
Earnest money for the land has been secured, and the city is in the due diligence process. The mayor said the city is set to close on the sale by the end of the year, but he hopes it will be done by August.
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Arianne Brown
