LAYTON — City officials have decided to help develop a community fishery at Andy Adams Reservoir, even though several residents spoke against the plan during Thursday’s city council meeting.
With a 5-0 vote, the council joined with Kays Creek Irrigation Company and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The group still has key decisions to make while trying to resolve the many concerns of residents who live near the proposed fishery.
“The process has to start somewhere,” said Mayor Steve Curtis.
Residents are concerned about privacy and security issues, the placement of the restroom and whether people will park their cars on 1500 East while fishing.
Four homes on the north side of the reservoir have backyards bordering the water. Brock Hill, Layton parks division superintendent, said the city will try to have an agreement with property owners that allows access to the reservoir on the private property. If not, Kays Creek Irrigation Company could keep the water level low enough so people could walk around the water without stepping on private property.
Carrie Johnson, 49, is one of the homeowners on the east side. She said she has holes in her windows from kids shooting BB guns around the pond. She worries security concerns could get worse with more people visiting the reservoir.
“As a single mom, people do not listen to me when I tell them to get off my property,” Johnson said.
Council members Joyce Forbes Brown and Barry Flitton have homes on the south side of the reservoir and share concerns about losing privacy.
“I also realize this might be a great opportunity for parents and grandparents to bring youth to the pond and spend time with them,” Brown said. “Sometimes it’s hard to look past your concern for what’s best for the city.”
“We have to take the community as a whole into consideration,” Flitton said.
Scott Green, president of Kays Creek Irrigation Company and owner of the reservoir, said he is still trying to decide where to place the restroom. His first thought was to have the facility near the northwest corner of the reservoir, since there is access to sewer lines there. Those living in that area want the restroom away from their homes and near the east side, where a proposed parking lot will go. A facility on the east side would involve a vault toilet, which don’t flush, since there is no access to sewer lines. A vault toilet would require a pump truck to empty the contents.
The DWR will pay Green $6,000 a year when Andy Adams Reservoir becomes a fishery, and Green will use that money to maintain the fishery.
“Green will reimburse the city in full for whatever cost of maintenance,” Hill said. “He will pay it back over time if required.”
Green also will receive $5,000 a year for opening up Hobbs Reservoir, also in Layton, for trophy fishing. At Hobbs, only artificial lures will be allowed, making Andy Adams Reservoir more friendly for amateur fishermen.
The city put in a 30-foot gravel road starting where Gordon Avenue ends, at approximately 1800 East, going across property owned by Haven J. Barlow. There will be a parking lot at the end of the road near the northeast side of the reservoir.
However, residents argue that visitors will likely park on the dead-end street 1500 East and clog that street.
All the complaints did not sit well with City Manager Alex Jensen, who pointed out the reservoir was there long before the homes were built. While the Greens were not happy to have the homes built around their reservoir, Jensen said, they never complained to the city.
“The irony is very thick that now residents who have been blessed to live in a great area put Mr. Green in a position where he’s vesting this on you,” Jensen said. “Cities around us spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to create this and he’s giving it to us.”
Jensen said as the city moves forward in assisting with the project, all of the residents’ fears will be addressed.
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