
Wealthy residents of stunning beauty spot outraged by plans to build giant WATER PARK next to their homes
Residents who live in a picturesque part of Utah have been left outraged that the owners of Splash Summit Water Park want to move its existing Provo location right on top of their prime real estate.
The park currently sits a mile or so northwest from the Slate Canyon, where the company wants to move. Splash Summit reportedly wants to relocate there due to aging infrastructure and the size limitations of its current property.
Specifically, the plan stipulates that the new park will take up 130 acres of city-owned land at the base of the canyon, which borders dozens of people's homes.
Residents have come out in droves to say this will destroy the natural beauty of Slate Canyon, where many people go every day to get breathtaking views of the Wasatch mountains.
The plan, which has not yet been formally submitted to the Provo City Council, would mean many homeowners will no longer get to marvel at snow-capped peaks when they step out into their backyards.
Instead, they'd have brightly-colored slides, sprawling parking lots and retail space to look at.
'Where we are is so beautiful and to think of the natural beauty taken away from us is scary,' resident Quinton Parrish told ABC 4.
Parrish also pointed out that there is a drainage basin at the bottom of Slate Canyon which he believes could be overwhelmed by all the concrete in the new park. This, he said, could create a scenario where dozens of homes are flooded by runoff and snow melt.
Tyler Peterson, another resident, said he was excited about the new park but not too thrilled about the traffic it would undoubtedly bring to the area.
Last week, the plan was first presented by the water park's project manager, Bryan Bayles, at a Neighborhood District 2 meeting, the Daily Herald reported.
Well over 200 people showed up to hear out Bayles, who is insisting this won't just be a water park. There will be an expanded frisbee golf course, pickle ball courts and other amenities to appeal to a wider customer base, he said.
'We envision people coming to see the new entertainment options at Splash Summit, walking to the neighborhood retail, grabbing dinner,' Bayles said at the meeting.
'We envision a place where families and friends can gather to play pickleball or any other numerous enhanced outdoor activities. It's a place where kids will have something to do that is close to home, where they can come and be kids again,' he added.
The city's comment period on the proposed park remains open, and residents were not shy before and after the meeting to make their thoughts known.
'Please, please preserve our beautiful Slate canyon! The road from the state hospital to Slate canyon is gorgeous, when all you can see is the mountainside and sky. This is a Provo treasure—please do not pollute it with retail, waterparks, hotels, billboards, and anything else. We don't need it. We DO need to be good stewards of our natural treasures,' Joanna Harmon wrote on May 7.
One anonymous person opposed to the park said they have lived in Aspen Summit, a housing development on the border of Slate Canyon, for five years and described the proposal as 'such a disappointment for all Provo residents.'
'The idea of moving Splash Summit and further developing the last quiet, beautiful space around Slate Canyon runs contrary to all of the values I thought we Utahns stood for,' Jess Brown wrote on May 3, adding that the outdoors 'improves our mental health.'
Others also showed concern about the area's ability to handle the increased traffic in the event this park were ever built.
'I live in the Slate Canyon neighborhood. I use the streets and the park and hike the trail on the mountainside regularly. Slate Canyon is not designed to handle that much traffic,' an anonymous resident wrote on May 1.
Bayles appeared undeterred by the overwhelming backlash, defiantly stating that 'we could be proposing to build heaven right here in Provo and people would oppose it. Good solutions require compromise.'
The park's developers still need to submit a formal application to the city, which means plans have not been reviewed and public hearings have not been scheduled.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
34 minutes ago
- The Guardian
UK officials hopeful that US will start lifting car tariffs this week
UK officials are hopeful the US will begin lifting tariffs on British cars as soon as this week after the British trade secretary meets his US counterpart in London. Jonathan Reynolds is due to meet Howard Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, on Tuesday evening to discuss the deal to lower US tariffs on cars, steel and aluminium. Downing Street is hopeful that the implementation of the deal will begin this week, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. The aim is to secure a proclamation from Donald Trump this week that would kickstart its implementation, a government official with knowledge of the process said. The US commerce department would then be tasked with enforcing the tariff reductions on UK goods. Officials expect tariffs on British cars to be reduced first because the process is less complex than with aluminium and steel, according to the two people briefed on progress in the talks. Trump and Keir Starmer announced a 'historic' trade agreement last month that promised relief for key British industries affected by US import taxes. Trump agreed to reduce his 25% aluminium and steel tariffs to zero and slash his 25% tariff to 10% for up to 100,000 British cars a year. Two weeks ago Trump doubled US tariffs on steel and aluminium to 50% but said the UK would stay at the 25% rate until 9 July, pending enforcement of the deal and assuming that the British government 'complies with relevant aspects'. Ministers and negotiators are now racing to thrash out the details before that deadline. A trade department source stressed that the government could not predict the actions of the US administration. The UK is the only country so far that has struck an agreement with the US, though businesses have yet to feel its benefits. Starmer told MPs last Wednesday that he hoped the agreement with the US could come into effect 'in just a couple of weeks'. Cars are the UK's biggest export to the US, worth about £9bn last year. The value of the UK's steel and aluminium exports is much smaller, at about £700m a year, but the US is an important market for them. Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion One of the remaining questions for British ministers is how the quota of 100,000 cars will be allocated. Options include a free-for-all system until the quota is met, splitting it into 25,000 car exports a quarter, or earmarking a certain number of exports for small and medium-sized manufacturers. One issue the US government is concerned about is steel from other countries being processed in the UK and then exported to the US at a 0% tariff. This has triggered fears that the deal could end up excluding the UK's biggest steelmaker, Indian-owned Tata Steel, because of the origin of some of its products. Lutnick is in London for trade talks with China that aim to resolve mounting tensions between the world's two largest economies. Washington and Beijing agreed a temporary truce over tariffs last month but each country has since accused the other of breaching the deal.


The Independent
37 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why isn't there much buzz for the Club World Cup?
The United States is preparing to host the FIFA Club World Cup, but concerns about international travel, fan safety, and economic uncertainty are threatening enthusiasm for the tournament. The Club World Cup will bring 32 professional club teams to 11 U.S. cities with a $1 billion prize pool, but is facing a lack of buzz and slow ticket sales. The U.S. Travel Association has urged the Trump administration to improve visa processing and customs wait times ahead of the Club World Cup, Ryder Cup, next summer's World Cup, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested longer shifts for consular staff and the use of artificial intelligence to process visas. A ban on travelers from multiple countries has raised concerns, despite an exemption for athletes and their immediate relatives, spurring worries over safety.


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
World Bank predicts worst decade for global growth since 60s
The global economy will see the slowest decade for global growth since the 1960s as the effect of Donald Trump's tariffs are felt, the World Bank has two thirds of countries in the world had their growth forecasts cut from the bank's last set of predictions six months bank predicts global growth of only 2.3% in 2025, which is 0.4% lower than was forecast in January, and for 2027, it predicts growth of 2.6%Japan, Europe and the US were among those downgraded in the bank's twice yearly report. The bank's last set of forecasts in January were made before Donald Trump took then, his introduction of a universal 10% tariff on all imports into the US, as well as higher tariffs on steel and aluminium, caused financial markets to plunge in early April.A trade ruling found the bulk of his global tariffs to be illegal in May, although the Trump administration won an appeal to keep them in place for World Bank downgraded its growth forecast for the US in both 2025 and 2026, because of escalating trade tensions rattling investor confidence as well as private it not downgrade the US's main rival, China, which the bank said had enough financial stability to weather the "significant headwinds" from global political uncertainty."Against the backdrop of heightened policy uncertainty and increased trade barriers, the global economic context has become more challenging," the report said, adding that more "sentiment-sapping policy uncertainty" would come because of the potential for "further rapid shifts" in trade-restrictive moves by bank said there would be further cuts in growth if the US increased tariffs, and warned of rising could lead to "global trade seizing up in the second half of this year, accompanied by a widespread collapse in confidence, surging uncertainty and turmoil in financial markets," the report it stopped short of predicting a global recession, saying the chances of that were less than 10%.The report comes after the OECD also downgraded its outlook for the world economy. It said global growth is now expected to slow to a "modest" 2.9%, down from a previous forecast of 3.1%.In the mean time, a new round of talks aimed at resolving the trade war between the US and China has taken place in central London.