Nearly a decade after it built an equestrian center near American Fork and Highland, the Utah County Commission is turning its attention to the southern half of the county.

County Commissioner Gary Anderson has been meeting with city officials from Spanish Fork to Santaquin to discuss the possibility of a county-funded equestrian center or other recreational facility in southern Utah County. Anderson, a Springville resident, said that area has been somewhat neglected by the county in the past, but that is changing.

"We've done something for the north and it's time to do something for the south," he said. "There's been a lack of communication in the past, and that communication is open. There's a whole new feeling between the cities and the county."

Anderson said the County Commission is willing and ready to fund some sort of project in south county, whether its a new equestrian center, the expansion of the fairgrounds in Spanish Fork or something else.

It all depends on what the southern cities want.

"We want to do something that they want, not something that we push on them," he said. "I have a feeling it will have to do with horses, because that seems to be what they want down there."

While the county is committed to the project, Anderson said it could be derailed if the cities cannot agree on what to build and which city to put it in. He expressed his confidence, however, that they would be able to reach a compromise.

Anderson said he plans to meet with the South County Mayors' Association to discuss the project.

Payson Mayor Burtis Bills said it is important for the cities to work together on the project.

"We've got to be careful not to be greedy and say, 'I won't be part of it if it's not in my community.' What we need to do is say, 'We want to be part of it but it's got to be centrally located,' so that Springville, Spanish Fork, Salem and all the other communities can participate," he said.

The project would likely be funded using hotel or restaurant tax money.

In 1999, the county spent $249,000 to build an outdoor equestrian center near American Fork and Highland, according to Clyde Naylor, the county's public works director. In 2001, the county built an indoor arena on the same premises at a cost of $447,000.

Spanish Fork Mayor Joe Thomas said an equestrian center may not be the best option, because not everyone owns horses. He suggested using the money that would have gone toward the project on expanding the trail system that links the cities in Utah County.

Thomas also expressed skepticism that he project would actually go through, calling it a "long shot."

South county cities started discussing the possibility of an equestrian center with the county in 2004. Those discussions were plagued by disagreement over what kind of facility would be built and where it would go.

Ken Ashby of the Hobble Creek Riding Club in Springville, a longtime proponent of a county-funded equestrian center, said his group has conducted feasibility studies and has designs for a possible center drawn up.

"These things are all making money," he said.

Jeremy Duda can be reached at 344-2561 or jduda@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.