Ogden city council member Kevin Lundell, however, felt like there was some lack of clarity about how the size of the park was determined.

“My major concern was that in the mayor’s statement (from Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski), he spoke about how the council wanted less property and to bring the price down of of the property,” Lundell said. “But from the work sessions — and I’ve been involved in every single one of them — that was actually never a position that the council, as a body, took.”

He explained that in the public meetings, the administration brought proposals first with a portion of the property and then with a smaller portion of the property.

“I asked ‘why are we taking less of the property?’ and they expressed some logistical concerns with the property,” Lundell said. “There was never a situation where the council said we want to bring the price down.”

Lundell said he felt like those living in the community would’ve loved to have more of the property as a park or open space and he wanted it to be clear that the Ogden City Council did not decide what the final size would be or attempt to shrink the size of the park.

“That’s just not accurate based on the public record that is out there,” Lundell said.

Parks and open space are topics that Lundell is known to be passionate about. On his city council bio, it says he “is also an avid outdoor enthusiast who treasures Ogden’s world-class trails and natural beauty, experiences that inspire his work to preserve public spaces and promote recreational access for all.”

While differences of opinion between mayors, city administrations and city council members are common in the process of city government, Lundell said he hopes to address concerns directly and spark more conversations on being clear about how and why certain steps are taken.