Rick Lybbert has not always been an innovative community developer.

However, he has been an avid water-skier and physical therapist. Lybbert and his wife have decided to share their love of watersports with people with disabilities, like the ones Lybbert helps on a daily basis at work.

The couple went with a group of people with disabilities to Utah Lake on a watersport trip. But, Lybbert noted that the water was far too choppy for anyone to really enjoy.

That was when Lybbert and his wife decided to put their vision into action. They decided to create a private sports lake community. That community would be accessible to anyone with disabilities. The private lakes would be a perfect environment for someone with a disability to learn to enjoy watersports, Lybbert said.

He designed a contract between the development and Edge Adaptive Sports to allow groups of disabled individuals to come to the lakes during the afternoons of a specific day each week. Four three-day camps will also be held throughout the year.

"Last Chance Lakes is a very unique and special development," Lybbert said. It was designed so all the commons area is completely flat. A person can travel by wheelchair from their vehicle to the waterfront or the house without need of ramps or other aides. Lybbert said the lakes will be open for Edge Adaptive Sports to bring in the first wave of people with disabilities in early Spring.

While Last Chance Lakes is designed to help those with disabilities, it is also appealing to those without. Before the lakes were filled, nine of the 19 lots had already been sold. Each lot is priced between $200,000 and $350,000. The residents will have open access to the lakes with a private boat dock and hydraulic lift on each lot.

Lybbert said the lake community is being funded by the sales of the lots. He said he believes that the nine sold lots are evidence of the demand for such an area. The Last Chance Lakes community is the first of its kind in Utah. However, Lybbert said that since starting the development, two similar communities have been planned for other areas of Utah.

Last night Lybbert threw a party at the lakes. At 7 p.m. Lybbert opened the valve, to begin filling the two lakes that will be the main focus of the community. Last Chance Lakes are located in Tooele County on Pony Express Road.

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E-mail: cmadsen@desnews.com