January 2022 Foothills Trail System Update
Trail Design and Land Conservation Specialist RFP

As announced in last month's update, Public Lands published a Request For Proposal (RFP) to hire a Trail Design and Land Conservation specialist. Applications were due by January 17, 2022. The specialist will review the adopted 2020 Foothills Trail System Plan, evaluate Phase I trail construction, and make recommendations for future system planning and management. Their work will include hosting stakeholder meetings for input solicitation and presentation of findings. The applications are being reviewed and a selection should be made in February. 

Bonneville Shoreline Trail Goes “Off-Road” Above East Bench

Thanks to a truly collaborative effort between the East Bench Community Council, Trails Utah, and SLC Public Lands, the City’s newest BST segment has moved off of Lakeline and Scenic Drives to create a soft-surface trail connection between the H-Rock and Parley’s Canyon. The 4-mile trail has access points at the Foothill Drive paved path & I-80 overpass in the south, at the “Arcadia Trailhead” from the north (approx. 2077 Lakeline Drive), and has mid-trail access via a public pedestrian and bike easement on the road through the gated Cannon Pointe development at the end of Benchmark Drive. 

A huge shout out to Trails Utah project manager John Knoblock and executive director Sarah Bennett for initiating and funding this key trail project. John, a volunteer board member who also serves as director of the Bonneville Shoreline Committee, spent hundreds of hours scouting alignments, meeting with land managers and ecological specialists, and site visiting with countless community members to ensure the highest quality trail possible.

District 6 Council Member Dan Dugan shared, “John was truly the engine that made this possible. He answered every question and concern from constituents in and out of our District and personally inspected every foot of trail before, during, and after trail building. This is an absolutely wonderful trail for hikers and bikers alike.”

An additional thanks to the Utah Recreational Trails Program and Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation for major grants to help fund this project. A trail map with data and recent trail conditions can be found on this publicly sourced site. Please remember to stay off muddy trails! Trail signage and website updates at www.slctrails.com will be added this spring. 

(Please note that this new section of the BST falls outside the planning area of the City’s Foothills Trail System Plan and was a project of Trails Utah, so it was not impacted by the current pause on Trails Plan construction.)
Shifting Faces in New Places for Open Spaces

The new year has brought in some changes in the roles within Public Lands. We are excited to welcome Dr. Carmen Bailey as our new Deputy Director of Operations. Carmen comes to us from the State Capitol where she served in a similar role for the Public Lands Policy Office.

We are heartbroken to say goodbye to our Deputy Director of Planning and Ecological Services, Lewis Kogan. Lewis has passionately and deftly advocated for the conservation and sustainable use of SLC’s open spaces for 9 years while guiding the City from the Open Space Program to the Trails and Natural Lands Division and now to a City Department.

Tyler Fonarow, who has served for three years in a part-time capacity as the Trails Project Specialist for the Foothills Natural Area, has moved into the newly-created Recreational Trails Manager position, overseeing the planning and management of the Foothills Trail System as well as the Jordan River Parkway and water trail. The Public Lands team will soon be filling the Deputy Director of Planning and Ecological Services and Trails Project Specialist positions.

Aaron Benzon has been hired as a new Park Operations Manager, replacing long-time manager Troy Baker, who retired last year. Aaron began working with Salt Lake City in 2016 as an Arborist with the Urban Forestry Team. Following that he moved over to the Trails & Natural Lands Division where he worked as a Senior Natural Resource Technician and Natural Lands Supervisor.  Aaron will continue to supervise our natural lands crews in his new role as Park Operations Manager.
As promised in last September's announcement about the Foothills Trail System Plan, this is a monthly email update about the construction pause and consultant review of some aspects of the plan.