Residents question whether Epic Sports Park in Provo is truly public

PROVO — Already proven to be an asset to Provo in its short existence, Epic Sports Park lives up to its name. With two successful tournaments under its belt, the sports facility, once it is completely built out, will be the only one of its kind in Utah — with 21 multipurpose fields, 45 pickleball courts, two playgrounds and walking pathways.

The last tournament before the season's close included more than 140 teams and lasted four days. Around 4,000 hotel rooms were booked in Utah Valley and Salt Lake County, according to Provo City Parks and Recreation Director Doug Robins.

"The local impact on the economy over these two tournaments was something like $3.1 million of local spending from people outside the community," he said.

But while city officials celebrate its early successes, the park remains a work in progress — and not everyone is cheering. Some residents are voicing frustrations over limited access to fields and confusion about whether the facility is truly public or private.

Its proximity to the Provo Airport and the Wasatch Mountain range, the views and temperate summers make the location appealing to many out-of-state athletes.

"There was a mom who spoke to us during one of the tournaments, and they're from San Diego, and she said that her kids asked her if they could move here" because of the views, Epic Sports Park facility manager Cole Walker said. "I'm from California as well, and anybody who says they're from San Diego who wants to move here for some soccer fields, that's pretty cool."

Epic Sports park manager Rylin Patterson told the Deseret News that they are in communication with out-of-state sports programs to compete at the Utah facility because the heat is unbearable in other areas of the country, like Texas and Arizona.

"There's enough demand here for their sport, and they're looking to play in better weather, on real grass that's not melting their cleats on artificial turf," Patterson said.

Funding and flood plains

A "visionary concept" over 10 years in the making, Robins explained, "It's been part of all of our planning documents here in the city, including our general plan, our parks and recreation master plan, the southwest area plan, and then our capital improvement plan over the years, and that's what gives us authorization to utilize funding."

The park is located just east of Utah Lake. It took eight years to raise the park's location out of a flood plain. The Parks Department partnered with the Provo River Delta Restoration Project, a federal initiative, to raise the land.

"They worked out a negotiated agreement where they excavated that soil, and they needed a place to put it, so we took it here and compacted it in lifts over three to four years," Robins said. "So, we've just been receiving all the free soil that meets our standards here and brought this entire site out of the flood plain."

The project's budget has been financed by a wide variety of funding sources.

"The Utah County Commission contributed $7.5 million to this project because of its impact on the local economy throughout the whole valley," Robins explained. "We benefited from $5.5 million from American Rescue Plan Act federal dollars, and the rest is coming from revenue generated through development impact fees here in town, and then also our recreation, arts and parks tax that we accumulate here, and then we're just constantly, always looking for other partners to join up with to finish the project."

Accessibility concerns and the struggle for community input

The presence of public funding raises important questions about accessibility, but it doesn't necessarily mean the park must be entirely open and free for public use.

Epic Sports Park is a regional sports complex. It was never intended to be a neighborhood park, a concern many locals in the area have said was miscommunicated to them.

Tiffani Lehmitz, who moved to south Provo when she and her family built their home 2½ years ago, said she feels the city was not transparent about the park's purpose and features, such as gated and locked fields, paid parking and limited accessibility for neighborhood residents.

"We don't have a park within walking distance of our neighborhood, so people were really excited, but there's all these limitations," Lehmitz told the Deseret News. "I think the city is working out some of those things. ... There was a lot of backlash from residents the week that it opened, but it just doesn't seem like they really sought community input with this."

During a neighborhood board meeting, Lehmitz became emotional after sharing an experience with her son at the park's grand opening.

"It was super sad at the grand opening when my son brought his soccer ball, and he was like, 'Let's go play on the field.' And I'm like, Oh, we're not supposed to. ... And he's like, 'Can we go back later today?' and like, nope, these fields aren't for us," she said.

Robins told the Deseret News that Epic Sports Park is in a completely different category than "neighborhood park" in the city master plan; its primary use is for scheduled, organized sports rather than open, casual access.

"We stand by this commitment to make sure that the park is accessible, the playgrounds, the walking paths, the picnic areas and the restrooms" — all to the public, he said. But they also abide by Provo park hours, which is to be open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

He added that the areas are enclosed with fences and gates to protect the site, as cows have wandered onto their fields from nearby pastures. But also stressed that the park is still an unfinished project.

"We're working on further enhancements to the south, which will involve our pickleball complex as well as a multipurpose field which will have a combination of drop-in play, reserve play, and, you know, league and tournament play as well," he said.

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