Public officials in Tooele County got the first look at options for a Deseret Peak Complex master plan during a meeting Tuesday night.
The meeting unveiled a pair of preliminary options to expand and diversify options at the county’s recreation complex located in the center of Tooele Valley. Mark Vlasic of Salt Lake City-based Landmark Design presented the options to the Tooele County Commission, as well as representatives of Grantsville and Tooele cities.
Vlasic said the early concept plans were created by a team of consultants, including Victus Advisors and Bingham Engineering, who looked at the current offerings at Deseret Peak and options for future expansion.
Part of that process included interviewing vendors and employees at Deseret Peak and Vlasic said it was apparent that deferred maintenance was a major concern at the facility. He said its projected there is about $2.5 million in repairs needed at the complex to existing buildings and infrastructure.
“Just getting the facility up to running speed is a high priority that they felt like was extremely important,” Vlasic said. “The longer those sorts of decisions are put off, the further and further you’re going to get behind.”
Part of the evaluation prior to the recommendations for the master plan included reviewing the aspects of the facility that are successful already, according to Vlasic. He said Country Fan Fest is a real asset due to the amount of revenue and traffic the event generates and more music festivals could be a possibility at Deseret Peak.
Plans for expansion would help to differentiate the different uses of Deseret Peak, as a fair grounds, festival venue and athletic complex, Vlasic said. The two basic master plans for the complex, which would project more than a decade into the future, would add more than 100 acres of development.
One plan would build on existing county property, including the property on the south side of state Route 112, which is used for parking during Country Fan Fest. As the master plan progressed, the recreation facilities would be moved to the southern expansion and the existing site would focus on fair activities, RV parking and museums.
In the second option, land on the east of Sheep Lane would be purchased or swapped for other county-owned property. Without crossing a major thoroughfare, the land east of Sheep Lane would create a more contiguous complex but require more ambitious plans, according to Vlasic.
“This one is, if you were to take the bull by the horns, and move forward with it, this might be a direction worth pursuing,” he said.
In both preliminary master plans, additions such as a gas station and convenience store, retail space and other facilities could be included to add year-round use of the complex, Vlasic said.
Grantsville City Mayor Brent Marshall asked Vlasic about the possibility of building a dome over the current pool to allow its use throughout the year. Vlasic said year-round use is a focus of the facility but pools are more expensive than splash pads and outdoor recreation pools have a larger draw.
“If you focus too much on a competition venue and not as much on leisure swimming activities … how much you have to put into the facility to make it stay solvent is much higher,” Vlasic said.
Vlasic also cautioned against options like a recreation center, which Grantsville City Councilwoman Jewel Allen asked about. He said rec centers and other indoor recreation options like handball or pickleball courts are expensive and locating them in the center of the valley may not be the best option.
“We were looking at this as very much of getting a good financial return to make sure that it doesn’t become too much of a drain,” Vlasic said.
Tooele City Councilman Dave McCall said there is a big need for more fields for youth sports, with most of the facilities at Deseret Peak and the surrounding communities booked well in advance. He was concerned the plans, which include several soccer fields and two four-plexes for softball, don’t provide enough field space and would still have conflicts with concerts if the fields are used as additional parking.
“Even though it’s not necessarily something I’m happy about … the community is growing and the more we grow, the more we’re going to need more soccer fields, football fields as well as baseball fields or softball fields,” McCall said.
The preliminary plans for the Deseret Peak master plan are expected to be shown at a public meeting on Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Tooele County Building for feedback from the community.