Opinion
Letters to the Editor: Pointe Meadows Skate Park Selection Process Questioned
Dear Editor,
I am very concerned with the final site selection process of Pointe Meadows Park for the skate park by the Lehi City Council. Thanks to the Lehi Free Press, I was made aware of the selection of our neighborhood park. Imagine my surprise when I saw the paper with the large headline on the front page: Pointe Meadow Skate Park Location Approved. I had no idea that our neighborhood park was even a candidate for the final site of the skate park.
What added more to my surprise was the statement: “No one from the Pointe Meadow spoke in opposition to the location choice.” The reason no one from our neighborhood spoke in opposition was that we had no idea our park was being considered. From the article it stated that 12 residents from the Dry Creek neighborhood spoke in opposition to the skate park. Luckily they have a resident from their neighborhood on the Lehi Park, Trails, and Trees Advisory Committee that was able to notify them of the meeting. We were not that lucky. I am sure that given prior notice, we would have had just as good of a turnout to the City Council meeting to express our neighborhood’s concerns.
I personally don’t have strong feelings for or against a skate park, but I do have strong feelings when things do not seem fair to me. And this is one of those things. I feel like our neighborhood was not given its fair say in this decision by City Council. I hope it is not the case, but it appears that Pointe Meadows was selected solely because no one was there to speak for our community and was not even given the chance. Our neighborhood scored second on the rankings, yet it somehow floated quickly to the top after residents spoke out against other locations. I feel it is a serious oversight on the part of the City Council to approve a skate park in such a situation. We hope that the City Council is aware that many in our neighborhood feel unjustly singled out.
Within the past few days, I have reached out to the City Council and talked with city staff. I was told by a staff member that Pointe Meadows Park was not actually chosen as the final site for the skate park, but was merely chosen as a viable location for a skate park and that two other locations at future parks are also being considered. That goes directly contrary to what I hear when I watch the recorded City Council meeting. Now I really do not know what to believe, the official meeting record or something new that I am hearing that seems outside the established process.
I ask the City Council to make outreach to our community a priority with a goal to clarify this whole process and give us a voice. We want to know what is really happening with the skate park, and we want to have a voice in how it happens. And being put in our situation, I feel every resident in Lehi would expect the same.
Sincerely,
Bill Hereth
President, Townhomes at Point Meadows HOA
