OGDEN -- A consultant will come up with plans to revamp some of the key areas around Pineview Reservoir that draw visitors, a prelude to what Weber County leaders hope will be significant improvements in years to come to keep pace with growing use.

Growth has been steady in the Ogden Valley over the years, while the reservoir saw a particular uptick in use during the COVID-19 pandemic as people sought things to do outside. That increased use, accompanied by growing parking issues brought on by the traffic, spurred talk, and now moves, to upgrade the facilities around the lake, managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

"This is really the last step before we go into construction," said Weber County Commissioner Gage Froerer, who lives in the Ogden Valley and has pushed the efforts. He said increased paid parking at Pineview Reservoir locations -- as upgrades are actually implemented -- could be part of the mix.

Ensign Engineering and Land Surveying of Layton is set to come up with new plans and designs at five locations around Pineview to improve parking, add restrooms and generally improve upon the amenities at each. "Basically just making them more user friendly," Froerer said.

Image supplied, Weber County

The sites are the Pineview Trailhead adjacent to Windsurfer Beach on the west side of the reservoir, where parking has been an increasing concern, and Port Ramp Marina northeast of that, where a boat ramp is located. The Pelican Beach and Spring Creek areas on the east side of Pineview are also part of the focus, as is the Middle Inlet Beach area, according to Froerer.

The county, which approved the agreement with Ensign on Tuesday, has worked with the U.S. Forest Service, which will provide the bulk of the funding for the effort. The total cost to Ensign will be $442,940 with the Forest Service providing around $350,000. The county will make an in-kind contribution, chiefly via provision of labor, though it will also provide funds, according to Ashley Thoman, a Weber County engineer who addressed commissioners on the matter on Tuesday.

"There'll be some changes obviously. May entail paid parking and some others," Froerer said. "But again, at the end of the day we can't have overuse on that facility. We have to be able to control the use. But this will expand it, give people a better experience at Pineview."

Proposed improvements around the Pineview Trailhead and Port Ramp include the addition of acceleration and deceleration lanes on State Route 158 to prevent stacking of traffic on the roadway, according to the proposal prepared by Ensign. Other proposed improvements include development of new access roads, extension of pedestrian trails, added parking, new day use sites, new restrooms and more.

The biggest single chunk of funding for the design work is earmarked for Port Ramp, around $200,000. Funding allocated to the other sites ranges from around $54,000 to $74,000.

The county still needs to secure funds to cover the cost of actual upgrades, but the design work, to be completed by 2023, comes first. Froerer thinks the county should to be able to tap into federal Great American Outdoors Act funds, possibly in 2025.

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