Summit County, UT (March 27, 2024)— Summit County has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 Vernon Deines Award, presented by the American Planning Association (APA) for the county’s Union Pacific Rail Trail Corridor Plan. The Vernon Deines award is presented annually to recognize outstanding individuals and projects for their contribution to planning excellence in small towns and rural communities.
The Rail Trail Corridor (RTC) Plan envisions a unified land use strategy along its Corridor to encourage coordinated, sustainable planning adjacent to the Trail. The plan is designed to cultivate a strong sense of community and offer opportunities for revitalization and resource protection along the 24-mile Corridor. It considers improvements to trail conditions and connections while simultaneously supporting the diverse needs of community members, trail users, and local businesses.
“In the early 1990s, a local grassroots effort transformed the abandoned Union Pacific Rail tracks into a priceless community anchor known as the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail,“ said Maddy McDonough, Summit County Planner. “Without the tireless work of the community members before us, this plan for the future of the Rail Trail would not have been possible. The Summit County Community Development Department is honored that the Small Town and Rural Planning Division of APA has chosen to recognize our community's effort to proactively plan for the future of this vital community resource.”
The RTC spans across the urban-rural divide, touching on multiple aspects of community life. The six essential pillars of the plan include: accessibility, environmental quality, economic vitality, sustainable tourism and recreation, agricultural preservation, and history, arts, and culture.
“Summit County is immensely proud of the unique process, unprecedented community input, and governmental cooperation that went into the creation of this plan,” said Shayne Scott, Summit County Manager. “We believe this effort represents the Summit County community at its finest.”
The project team held four in-person open houses with 112 attendees, hosted eight online focus group discussions with 44 participants, conducted three online surveys with 1,244 responses, and received 25 community member photo submissions of the Corridor. Additionally, two springtime community celebrations were hosted at a central trailhead to give back to the earth and celebrate the trail use that comes with the change in season. Local musicians and small businesses provided entertainment and provisions while dedicated community members competed to remove as much litter as possible from the adjacent Rail Trail.
The Rail Trail Corridor Plan was approved by the Summit County Council on May 24, 2024 and can be found by visiting summitcounty.org/railtrail.