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Water cascades down Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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Water cascades down Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald file photo

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Water cascades down the lower falls of Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale, Daily Herald file photo

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Water cascades down the lower falls of Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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A Provo-based developer outlined his proposal on Friday to rebuild a tram at Bridal Veil Falls to “a state better and more conductive to the environment than it was originally” and in a way that “blends naturally and beautifully into the cliffs above, while mitigating the scar left on the cliffs from the previous tram.”

Richard Losee, founder of the Cirque Lodge Addiction Recovery Center, rushed to put the draft proposal together this week following public outcry over reports that he had been working with Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee on a proposal to rebuild the tram and open a high-end treatment center at Bridal Veil Falls.

“Because this whole thing sort of caught Richard by surprise,” Bruce Baird, Losee’s attorney, told the Daily Herald in an interview Thursday. “He was working with engineers and consultants and designers on putting together a detailed proposal, and then all of a sudden this ambush occurs. So we’ve been scrambling to get together the truth and a good proposal.”

The proposal, which Losee emailed to county officials on Friday, states that the developer hopes “to preserve Bridal Veil Falls and do it in the spirit of what is exemplified in Switzerland and the Alps where the community can abundantly and safely enjoy their magnificent mountains up close.”

“I hope to give the public an option of viewing the Falls from a spectacular tram experience rather than perpetuating the ongoing injuries and even deaths that occur from people precariously climbing the cliffs,” Losee wrote in the proposal. “With a public/private partnership we can join to rebuild this interface of nature and man, into, and beyond, the beautiful and inspiring landmark it once was.”

According to Losee, the aerial tramway would be open to the public “during the tourist season,” from about Memorial Day to Labor Day, and “at a reasonable ticket price.”

“The full public would be able to enjoy the Falls from the inspiring view of the tram ride, as well as from the main floor and observation deck of a new and modern upper tram terminal,” Losee wrote. “In addition, the lower tram terminal would help to assist with safety, allowing twenty-four-hour observation of the falls.”

Losee outlined three ways he envisioned moving forward with the Bridal Veil Falls development proposal.

First, he could pay $2.5 million to “buy the entire County parcel of approximately 21 acres, keep the Tram Acquisition and then deed the approximate 20 acres remaining back to the County contingent on the County agreeing to conservation purposes or dedicate it to a recognized conservation entity.”

Alternatively, Losee could “buy just the Tram Acquisition” for $1 million and the county “could keep the remaining property for conservation purposes or dedicate it to a recognized conservation entity.”

Finally, Losee proposed paying $20,000 a year for a total payment of $1 million to lease the train acquisition “for the longest lease that the County can legally enter into.”

Baird said he believed most of the outrage over development discussions was a result of “misunderstanding, people spreading fears, people spreading, I won’t even say half-truths, quarter-truths.”

“It’s a lot easier to get people to oppose something than to support something, especially if you say boogeyman scare words about things,” he said. “And that’s a large part of what you’ve seen so far, and not the truth.”

Emails obtained by the Daily Herald show that Losee worked on a development proposal earlier this year with Commissioner Lee, who in February outlined his objectives for “construction of a new aerial tram, lower terminal, and upper lodge at Bridal Veil Falls.” Losee also discussed the idea with Commissioner Tanner Ainge.

Lee said in a written statement Thursday that his “guiding principle has always been to protect Bridal Veil Falls for public use.”

During a public hearing scheduled for Dec. 9 at 3 p.m., the Utah County Commission will consider a conservation easement for Bridal Veil Falls, an idea put forward by outgoing Commissioner Nathan Ivie in one of his last moves in office. Baird said Losee planned on discussing his proposal at the public hearing.

Ainge and Ivie have both stated they would vote for a conservation easement, which would prevent private development at Bridal Veil Falls.