Provo Municipal Council approves resolution, seeks to maintain public use of Bridal Veil Falls
Water cascades down Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Water cascades down the upper falls of Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Water cascades down Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Water cascades down the lower falls of Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Water cascades down Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Water cascades down the lower falls of Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Water cascades down Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
To finish up the unique year that is 2020, residents, business owners and elected officials are weighing in on whether Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon will become privatized in 2021.
Bridal Veil Falls is a popular tourist attraction as well as a local favorite for recreation.
Many find the falls a place of peace and meditation, while others use it as a brief getaway from the city. The trails and connection to the canyon, area parks and Sundance Mountain Resort make it a popular viewing spot.
On Tuesday, the Provo Municipal Council voted on a resolution seeking to keep the falls area in its natural state and maintain the falls for public recreational use.
The council felt the resolution was necessary to have a resolution because of what has come to light in the past few weeks concerning developers wanting to privatize and develop the pristine mountain and its falls.
The council also agreed to add to the resolution a joint letter with the administration delineating more details on why it should not be privatized.
Part of the draft resolution says, “The preservation of Bridal Veil Falls in its natural state for its scenic beauty for the enjoyment of this and future generations is invaluable, and any loss to access by the public will have a detrimental effect on the quality of life enjoyed by those who use and visit the area.”
The council and Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi agreed that a greater impact on the commission would be to have the mayor read the letter during the Utah County Commission public hearing scheduled for Dec. 9.
“The County’s decision has a direct effect on Provo,” council chairman George Handley said.
Cliff Strachan, council executive director, added, “Provo is the nearest city to Bridal Veil Falls and carries some weight.”
Provo owns the Provo River Trail that leads to and past Bridal Veil Falls.
Councilwoman Shannon Ellsworth said she had only become aware of a private development issue on Nov. 23.
While Ellsworth and others on the council may have only recently been made aware of the potential of privatization of Bridal Veils Falls, it appears that Utah County Commisioner Bill Lee has been quietly discussing the issue since 2018 and specifically for the past year.
Media reports published Tuesday point to developer Richard Losee — owner of Cirque Lodge, an addiction recovery center in Orem — as the person hoping to develop the falls area with another Cirque location and rebuilt tram to the facility.
It is also reported that Losee would open the area and tram to the public occasionally.
During the recent election, Losee donated $5,000 against Proposition 9. The proposition sought to change the three-member commission to a mayor-council form of government. Commissioner Lee was also opposed to Proposition 9.
Campaign finance reports also show that Losee was the second largest donor to Tom Sakievich, the man who beat Commissioner Nathan Ivie for the third chair on the commission, and is favored by Lee.
It was Ivie that placed the desire for a conservation easement at Bridal Veil Falls on the County Commission meeting’s agenda. An easement would thwart private development.
Utah County purchased Bridal Veil Falls for $2.4 million from a private owner in July 2015. In the years since then, county officials have discussed whether the waterfall would be better managed by the county or a private owner.
In Oct. 2018, the Utah County Commission unanimously rejected two proposals to resurrect a tram at Bridal Veil Falls that operated from 1961 to 1996. It was destroyed by a massive avalanche in the winter of 1996.
A year later, the commission approved a concept plan put together by the Utah County Public Works Department to improve trails and public restrooms and increase safety measures around the waterfall.
Lee said he was troubled that Ivie wanted to have a public hearing before having closed conversations with other officials and entities about potential uses of the Bridal Veil Falls property.
“I’ve been looking at trying to find ways to do that (preserve Bridal Veil Falls) over the years that I’ve been in office, and so this is not new,” said Lee, noting that he has had discussions with Provo officials about the property.
“But this being thrown on there is a little disturbing to me,” Lee added. “I’m not adverse to a public hearing, but I think it’s premature until we go through a process a little bit more deeper and have some more conversations.”
When asked if she had ever discussed privatizing Bridal Veil Falls, Mayor Kaufusi simply said “no.”
“I love Bridal Veil Falls and am all for keeping it in the public’s hands,” Kaufusi said. “I first learned of a possible drug treatment center there when news articles broke the story last week.”
Kaufusi said drug treatment centers do a lot of good, but the idea of putting one at the top of the falls has no appeal to her.
“Bridal Veil Falls is on county property and I’ve had zero involvement in discussion about a possible sale of that property — or about putting a treatment center there,” Kaufusi said. “To my knowledge, no Provo City officials have participated in those discussions.”
“I believe this is the (right) process,” Ivie responded. “I believe this is a publicly held piece of property, and the public has an opportunity as we make a decision to come forward.”
According to Utah County Deputy Attorney Robert Moore, officials cannot discuss the sale or disposal of county property in a closed meeting unless the property has already been declared surplus, which Bridal Veil Falls has not been.
