PROVO, Utah — After months of back-and-forth between developers and concerned citizens, the city is now saying Slate Canyon is not for sale.
“The owner’s proposal to buy this land is fully and completely declined," said Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi on social media.
Trails in the area were less traveled on Tuesday as temperatures neared 100 degrees, but opponents of the proposal to relocate the Splash Summit Waterpark (formerly Seven Peaks) to Slate Canyon say the mayor’s statement puts the area back on stable ground.
“It is one of the reasons why so many people choose to live in southeast Provo, is the access to these trailheads,” said resident Katherine Hall.
Serving on the neighborhood’s district board, Hall was among the leaders of the Friends of Slate Canyon effort to keep the waterpark out.
Friends of Slate Canyon gathered hundreds of signatures in a petition opposing the developers who also wanted to bring in a hotel, retail spaces and additional housing.
“Once this is gone, we cannot claw it back,” added Hall.
Mayor Kaufusi pointed out she has no issue with the owners wanting to improve their park.
“There’s no question that Splash Summit is a significant business, one that many of our residents love,” she said Tuesday.
While the developers contend they are landlocked at their current location, the city’s legal department confirmed that proposals to buy new property can only go ahead if the executive branch wants the sale to happen.
“No sale can happen without my approval, so this puts an end to it," said a defiant Kaufusi.
The park’s next steps are unclear. However they choose to move forward, Hall believes this week's actions are a monumental step forward for Provo’s green spaces.
“I am so grateful to finally have someone, and especially the mayor, stand up to preserve these spaces," she said. "Not just for us, but for future generations.”
Later in the evening, after this report aired on FOX 13 and was published online, Splash Summit sent a response to FOX 13 News:
"[W]e’ve had preliminary conversations about future expansion opportunities throughout the region, including early-stage ideas near our existing facility," the statement read in part. "However, to be clear: we never submitted a formal proposal for any city-owned land. These were exploratory discussions only, part of our broader visioning process as we look ahead to the future of Splash Summit and its role in Utah’s growing recreational landscape. Any discussions regarding the water park expansion to Provo City property would not be located in Slate Canyon."
