Nature park will provide refuge from city life By TANNA BARRY Standard-Examiner staff MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE - A proposed nature park will soon give residents a place to get away from congested traffic and into a natural retreat. The five-acre nature park will be nestled between 17th Street and the river, officials said. The park would retain its rustic qualities by having few structures. Although plans are being made, officials said a lot of time and effort is required. "We've got a lot of work ahead, but it's exciting when you have everything lined up," said Duncan Murray, city ad-ministrator. A purchasing agreement for the park was signed Feb. 14, but the city is still waiting to close the deal. Although Mur-ray didn't release the cost of the land, he said a $38,000 grant from Quality Growth Commission will help pay for five acres. The five acres is only part of the total seven-acre parcel. The city is working with a co-buyer who will purchase the additional two acres where a house is built. "It's a perfect deal for the city because we didn't want to commit funding to buy the whole parcel," Murray said. "We were just interested in the raw land for the park." The idea for this park surfaced about a year and a half ago when Marriott-Slaterville became a city. At that time, the city filed for grant, which they received around June 2000. "You are always keeping your eye open for what's out there and possible," Murray said. With the land secured, Murray said officials are starting to decide what things will go in the park: However, the grant stipulates that there not be many buildings or development in the park. City officials want to keep the land in it's "rustic condition" with only a trail system, bathrooms, a wooden amphitheater and some parking on the five-acre area. "This will help serve as a focal point to help conserve open space," Murray said. "The other thing is, it will eventually tie into the Weber County trail system." The larger trail system would allow people to travel from cities such as West Haven up to the base of the mountain. This system will run through many cities in Weber County, including Marriott-Slaterville. "It's to provide some places for people to walk or jog," Murray said. "We're pretty excited about it." The city will sponsor a contest to name the park as well as begin mapping out plans. Construction could start on the trails as early as spring, but they will need to wait at least another year before building the restroom facility or parking area. "That is a whole separate funding issue," Murray said. "At least we can get the site cleaned up, the trails in and the place designed." You can reach reporter Tanna Barry at 625-4226 or tbarry@standard.net 47