Utah Lake's past recalled at public forum

PROVO — There was a time when Utah Lake was lined with resorts and known as one of the state's hot spots. There was a showboat that took people out onto the lake, where they would dine and dance.

That was about 80 years ago, said Utah County public works director Clyde Naylor, and most of those resorts didn't last very long. Still, a few survived into the 1950s, including the Saratoga Resort, where in 1955 Naylor and his classmates celebrated their "senior day."

"It was a wonderful resort," he said. "There was swimming and all kinds of activities."

Utah Lake still features a handful of recreational outposts — the Provo, American Fork and Lindon boat harbors among them — but its reputation as a happenin' hangout has been replaced by that of a polluted, carp-filled body of water that most people only think about when someone drowns there.

"There are some efforts to try to utilize the lake's recreation," Naylor said, "and that's only one of the uses that needs to be identified for Utah Lake."

Naylor joined nearly 50 residents, lake-front landowners and local leaders at a public meeting to discuss the future of Utah Lake on Wednesday night at the Historic Utah County Courthouse.

It was the first of three scheduled forums designed to gather public input on the proposed formation of the Utah Lake Commission — a management authority that would work to utilize the natural resources and facilitate planning and development around the lake.

A committee of local mayors, county officials and state and federal representatives has been meeting since March 2004 to address issues that have created concern about the lake. Now, that group is preparing to take the next step with the formation of the Utah Lake Commission.

"Our interest has been in attempting to do something that would create some organization to help move interests (of Utah Lake) along," said Utah County Commissioner Larry Ellertson. "There needs to be some entity that is interested in looking at the betterment (of the lake) and listening to all parties involved."

The Utah Lake authority would be similar to the Bear Lake Regional Commission, which was formed in 1973 to manage multi-jurisdictional issues of Bear Lake Valley. The commission would coordinate with the existing government entities on issues such as resource utilization and protection, recreation access, economic development and uses of the lake.

The commission would have no legislative authority but would act as an advisory committee to the state agencies, county officials and local municipalities.

"This isn't about control," Ellertson said. "It's not about the idea of doing it to protect (the lake) at the expense of someone else. It truly is about working together."