The Farmington City Council wasn't expecting to hear a long litany of abuse recited by landowners at Wednesday's public hearing on the city's proposed master plan for trails.
And, there were few comments in favor of the plan."I'm a little surprised we haven't heard from the joggers, the hikers, the mountain bikers and the off-roaders," Mayor Greg Bell said at the conclusion of the two-hour hearing that drew more than 100 people.
What the council heard were tales of vandalism, litter, trespassing, property destruction and gunfire from middle-of-the-night deer poachers in the foothills east of the city.
Elaine Partridge told the council she teaches at one of the worst junior high schools in Salt Lake City, replete with gangs, and also teaches night classes to county jail inmates.
"But the only time I've felt threatened, and the only place I've been shot at, is behind my mother's barn," Partridge said, recounting a tale of confronting poachers spotlighting a deer herd at 3 a.m.
Her story brought sympathetic nods from the dozens of landowners who attended the hearing, many waiting to tell their own stories of abuse by trespassers.
Brent Armstrong told the council vandals have done thousands of dollars in damage to equipment and the water system on the 120 acres of property he owns in the foothills in the south end of the city.
Armstrong said they cut his fences, erode hillsides with motorcycles and ATVs, leave campfires burning, and destroy any "No trespassing" sign he puts up within 24 hours.
"We feel a bit abused, quite frankly," Armstrong said. "We're being literally overrun and there's nothing we can do to stop it."
While he supports the principle of public access, Armstrong said, it needs to be controlled. He advocates fewer, more tightly policed, and better controlled trails and trailheads leading into the public lands east of the city.
To top it off, the landowners said they're also afraid of being sued if someone trespassing on their property is injured while crossing it.
Several speakers suggested the city hold a bond election to see if there is enough public support for the cost of acquiring and improving the trail system.
"Let them put their money where their mouth is," Armstrong suggested to the council.
One of the few defenders of the plan at the hearing was Celey Baum, a Farmington resident who has been riding horses into the foothills since he moved to the city in 1950.
The trails and access points date back 100 years or more to pioneer times, Baum told the council, and access must be preserved before subdivisions and development take over.
"You've given us a lot to think about," Councilman David Connors said after the hearing. The hearing, he said, is only the first step in what he sees as a lengthy process as the council reviews and revises the proposal.
"Every point you made, we'll take into consideration," said Councilman Gary Elliott, who still advocates the city annexing "everything we can, from the peaks of the mountains to the shores of the Great Salt Lake. We need to control our destiny," Elliott said.
Bell noted the city is in danger of losing the fields and pastures that provide open space and give Farmington its semirural flavor.
"Growth is upon us," Bell said, noting that landowners have rights, including development, that must be respected. "I don't want to wake up in 10 years and see all our recreational opportunities snuffed out."