Mayor Tom Dolan says the city wants to annex Dimple Dell Regional Park so it can have more of a role in the park's future and coordinate its development with other Sandy parks.
Having Dimple Dell's 643 acres inside the city would also make residents more aware of the park's benefits and would give Sandy a large chunk of permanent open space, Dolan said this week.But the timing of a request from Salt Lake County that Sandy annex the park has officials of the White City Water Improvement District thinking there's more to it than that.
"It's a ruse. Let's call it what it is," Paulina Flint, water district chairwoman, said Friday.
Flint said she has reason to believe Sandy wants to annex the park to "destroy the water company."
The water district, created by a public vote in October, wants to construct an underground reservoir inside the park.
John Shakula, chairman of the Dimple Dell Park Citizens Advisory Board, said Sandy City Council Chairwoman Judy Bell told him earlier this week that thwarting the water district's efforts "was the major reason for doing this annexation now."
"The permits for the reservoir would have to come through Sandy City, and Sandy City will do anything to obstruct White City water," Shakula said Friday.
The Salt Lake County Commission has asked Sandy to annex the park into its boundaries, and the city is prepared to do so within four to eight weeks. The annexation was discussed Thursday night by the Sandy City Planning Commission, and formal action could be taken at its May 4 meeting.
While Salt Lake County Commission Chairman Brent Overson alone signed the annexation petition requesting that the park become part of Sandy, it was supported by commissioners Randy Horiuchi and Mary Callaghan.
Flint said a group of citizens plans to ask the county to withdraw its petition. She said the water district and others are prepared to fight the annexation in court.
Shakula said annexing Dimple Dell without also annexing adjacent Salt Lake County land is "ludicrous."
"First of all, it would cut White City in half, it creates more small islands in the Granite area and it probably makes it easier for Sandy City to annex areas that don't want to be annexed, like White City," he said.
Dolan said Thursday the annexation of Dimple Dell is unrelated to White City's future. He said Sandy would support White City residents if they wanted to incorporate as a city and would also welcome them into Sandy. One scenario or the other is the likely future of the area, he said.
City planner George Shaw said Dimple Dell has been on Sandy's future annexation map since 1979 but said his department is in no hurry.
"As we work toward wall-to-wall cities, it eventually would come in," he said Friday.
Dolan said the city doesn't know how much money it can contribute to the development of the park.
"We haven't examined that yet. That would be a part of our budgeting," he said. "That is ultimately the county's responsibility. We feel we would be in a support role.
"We're not going to assume any more responsibility, but we would like to be supportive of the county in improvements that need to be made in the facility."
Overson said the county would still own and operate the park, as it does recreation facilities in other cities. But it would gain a willing partner in funding and developing the park. Sandy would benefit by having more control over what happens in Dimple Dell, he said.
"They are interested in funding some of the projects and felt it would be easier for them to substantiate why they're doing it if it were in their boundaries," Overson said.
"Sandy City doesn't have the budget necessary to do the improvements," Flint said. "We were willing to assist the park with at least $1 million worth of improvements that would have cost the county and Sandy City zero."
Overson said Sandy officials have expressed particular interest in the proposed nature center, trails and cleanup of the park. With Sandy's aid, the county may be able to move on those projects more quickly, he said.
Neither party is interested in putting a golf course in Dimple Dell.
"We are . . . agreed that is not an option," Overson said.