logo
Wealthy residents of stunning beauty spot outraged by plans to build giant WATER PARK next to their homes

Wealthy residents of stunning beauty spot outraged by plans to build giant WATER PARK next to their homes

Daily Mail​08-05-2025

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.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Aldi is cutting prices on hundreds of items to help consumers deal with ‘sticker shock' in the rest of the world
Aldi is cutting prices on hundreds of items to help consumers deal with ‘sticker shock' in the rest of the world

The Independent

time29 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Aldi is cutting prices on hundreds of items to help consumers deal with ‘sticker shock' in the rest of the world

Aldi is slashing prices on more than 400 items, aiming to ease consumer concerns over rising grocery bills. The discount grocer announced efforts Tuesday to help its customers across its 2,400 US stores save over $100 million over the summer months. From now until Labor Day, shoppers can expect lower prices on about 25% of its products, including grilling meats, organic produce, pantry items, and other popular summer items. 'Our customers count on Aldi for the lowest prices of any national grocer, every day, and we never take that trust for granted,' Jason Hart, Aldi CEO, said in a news release. 'While customers may see higher prices at other retailers, we're working hard to unlock even more value for our shoppers, just in time for summer's lineup of holidays and gatherings where food takes center stage. It's another way we're doubling down on our commitment to help shoppers fill their carts with great products for less.' The lowered prices come after the Department of Agriculture announced it expects grocery prices to rise by at least 3.3 percent this year. There have been fears of higher prices in the wake of President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' announcement of tariffs on goods from most countries around the world earlier this year, and the changing rates and policies since then. 'We want to do what we can to help shoppers,' Scott Patton, Aldi's chief commercial officer, said in a news release. 'Value isn't a trend at Aldi. It's been in our DNA since we opened our first store nearly 50 years ago.' In February, Aldi announced plans to open over 225 new US stores in 2025, aiming for 800 new locations by 2028 as part of a five-year growth strategy. There are currently over 2,500 Aldi stores in the US.

US immigration raid of Omaha meat plant cuts staff, fuels food production worries
US immigration raid of Omaha meat plant cuts staff, fuels food production worries

Reuters

time43 minutes ago

  • Reuters

US immigration raid of Omaha meat plant cuts staff, fuels food production worries

CHICAGO, June 11 (Reuters) - U.S. meat producer Glenn Valley Foods was operating an Omaha, Nebraska, facility with about 30% of its staff on Wednesday after federal agents detained workers in an immigration raid the previous day, slashing the output of products it sells to grocery stores and restaurants, the company's president said. In the wake of Tuesday's sweep by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, livestock traders and market analysts expressed concerns that the potential deportation of undocumented workers from such raids could disrupt U.S. food production at a time when beef prices have soared and meat processors report a labor shortage. ICE agents detained about 74 to 76 workers out of roughly 140 at the Glenn Valley Foods plant, President Chad Hartmann said. Other workers did not show up on Wednesday because they felt afraid or traumatized, he said, adding that the facility's production dropped to about 20% of normal. Glenn Valley Foods sells steak, chicken and corned beef products to restaurants and grocery stores, according to its website. Retail beef prices have set records as the size of the U.S. cattle herd has declined to its lowest level in 70 years after a years-long drought raised feed costs. Consumer demand for steaks and hamburgers has stayed strong nevertheless. Glenn Valley Foods is trying to determine how long it will take to hire new employees, Hartmann said. "The hole that got punched into our business is staffing," he said. Livestock traders worried that immigration raids could slow meat companies' demand to buy cattle from farmers to process into beef, if the companies do not have enough workers. Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures came under pressure on Tuesday during the raid, after recently hitting records. "There's certainly going to be nervousness out there on where the labor situation goes, going forward," said Matt Wiegand, a commodity broker for risk management firm FuturesOne in Nebraska. Meatpackers still face an acute worker shortage, said Julie Anna Potts, president of the Meat Institute industry group. It worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when major companies such as Tyson Foods (TSN.N), opens new tab temporarily shut plants because of a lack of workers. Glenn Valley used E-Verify, a federal database used for checking employees' immigration status. Hartmann said Homeland Security told him on Wednesday that there was no better system. "We will have to continue to use it," he said. ICE said a criminal investigation was ongoing into what immigration officials called a large-scale employment of immigrants who are present in the U.S. illegally. Footage, opens new tab of the Glenn Valley raid released by ICE showed agents searching the plant, restraining workers' hands and ankles, and taking them into custody. ICE officers have been intensifying efforts in recent weeks to deliver on U.S. President Donald Trump's agenda of record-level deportations. Tensions boiled over in Los Angeles over the weekend when protesters took to the streets after ICE arrested migrants at Home Depot stores, a garment factory and a warehouse, according to rights advocates. On Tuesday night, demonstrators marched in New York, Atlanta and Chicago. More than half of all meatpacking workers in the U.S. are immigrants, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a think tank. The Omaha World-Herald newspaper said on Tuesday that raids were also reported at local plants run by large meatpackers Tyson and JBS USA ( Tyson and JBS told Reuters their facilities were not raided.

TRADING DAY Good vibrations turn sour
TRADING DAY Good vibrations turn sour

Reuters

timean hour ago

  • Reuters

TRADING DAY Good vibrations turn sour

ORLANDO, Florida, June 11 (Reuters) - TRADING DAY Making sense of the forces driving global markets By Jamie McGeever, Markets Columnist I'm excited to announce that I'm now part of Reuters Open Interest (ROI), an essential new source for data-driven, expert commentary on market and economic trends. You can find ROI on the Reuters website, and you can follow us on LinkedIn and X. The US and China have reached a trade deal, or at least agreed on the framework of a deal, which together with surprisingly soft U.S. inflation data, gave markets a lift on Wednesday. But Wall Street's gains were mild, and they were later wiped out by rising tensions in the Middle East. In my column today I look at the 'equity risk premium' and other metrics that suggest relative U.S. equity and bond valuations are getting very stretched. More on that below, but first, a roundup of the main market moves. If you have more time to read, here are a few articles I recommend to help you make sense of what happened in markets today. Today's Key Market Moves Good vibrations turn sour It's a "done" deal, according to U.S. President Donald Trump, although the he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping still have to finalize the wording of the trade agreement between the two superpowers and sign off on it. The main points of the deal appear to be: China will remove export restrictions on rare earth minerals and other key industrial components; U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods will total 55%; Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods will total 10%. Trump could not have been more enthusiastic in his praise for the agreement on Wednesday, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said 'deal after deal' with other countries will follow in the weeks ahead. Yet, judging by the relatively muted market reaction, investors are less enthused. And given the chaotic and unpredictable nature of the Trump administration's tariff announcements thus far, the irony of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calling on China to be a "reliable partner" in trade negotiations will not be lost on some observers. Especially, one suspects, in Beijing. Based on these proposed China levies, and with the US expected to conclude more trade deals in the coming weeks, the overall U.S. effective tariff rate will be lower than feared a couple of months ago. That's a relief. But the effective tariff rate of around 15% that many economists expect will still be significantly higher than the 2.5% rate at the end of last year, and would be the highest since the 1930s. Also, as the May inflation figures showed, tariffs have yet to be felt on prices. Investors - and Fed policymakers, who meet next week - are in a state of limbo. How will corporate profits and consumer spending be affected? What proportion of the tariffs will companies "swallow", and how much will they pass on to their customers? Zooming out, inflation appears to be cooling around the world, although this trend is expected to reverse once tariffs start to fuel higher goods price inflation. Figures on Wednesday showed that U.S. consumer inflation and Japanese wholesale inflation were lower than expected in May. These reports follow similar numbers from Europe recently, and China remains stuck in its battle against deflation. Next up is India, which releases consumer inflation figures on Thursday, which are expected to show annual inflation slowed to 3.0% in May, the lowest in more than six years. Another focus for investors on Thursday will be the auction of 30-year U.S. Treasury bonds. US stocks-bonds warnings flash amber again Calm has descended on U.S. markets following the 'Liberation Day' tariff turmoil of early April. But Wall Street's rally has revived questions about U.S. equity valuations, as stocks once again look super pricey compared to bonds. Since the chaotic days of early April, U.S. equities have rebounded fiercely, with the S&P 500 up 25%, putting the Shiller cyclically adjusted price-earnings (CAPE) ratio for the index in the 94th percentile going back to the 1950s, according to bond giant PIMCO. Stocks are looking expensive in absolute terms, and in relation to bonds. The equity risk premium (ERP), the difference between equity yields and bond yields, is near historically low levels. According to analysts at PIMCO, the ERP is now zero. The previous two times it fell to zero or below were in 1987 and 1996–2001. In both instances, the ultra-low ERP precipitated a steep equity drawdown and sharp fall in long-dated bond yields. "The U.S. equity risk premium ... is exceptionally low by historical standards," they wrote in their five-year outlook on Tuesday. "A mean reversion to a higher equity risk premium typically involves a bond rally, an equity sell-off, or both." But reversion to the mean doesn't just happen by magic. A catalyst is needed. Equities have recovered largely because they were oversold in April, trade tensions have been dialed down, and investors remain confident that Big Tech will drive solid AI-led earnings growth. So even though huge economic, trade, and policy risks continue to hang over markets, there is no sign of an imminent catalyst that would cause an equity market selloff. The flip side of equities looking expensive is that bonds look like a bargain. Indeed, the relative divergence between stocks and bonds is such that, by one measure, U.S. fixed income assets are the cheapest relative to equities in over half a century. Using national flow of funds data from the Federal Reserve, retired strategist Jim Paulsen calculates that the total market value of U.S. bonds as a percentage share of the total market value of U.S. equities is the lowest since the early 1970s. "Since the aggregate U.S. portfolio is currently aggressively positioned, investors may have far more capacity and desire to boost bond holdings in the coming years than most appreciate," Paulsen wrote last week. But bonds are 'cheap' for a reason. Washington's profligacy – the reason ratings agency Moody's recently stripped the U.S. of its triple-A credit rating – and inflation worries have kept yields stubbornly high. The term premium - the risk premium investors demand for holding long-term debt rather than rolling over short-dated loans - is the highest in over a decade, reflecting concerns about Uncle Sam's long-term fiscal health. And the diagnosis here shows no signs of improving. Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' is expected to add $2.4 trillion to the U.S. debt over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, likely putting more upward pressure on yields. Of course, equity investors do seem to be pricing in a very rosy scenario, and the past few months have shown how quickly the market landscape can change. The U.S. economy could weaken more than expected, the trade war could escalate, or there could be a geopolitical surprise that causes bond yields and equity prices to fall. Investors should therefore be mindful of the warnings being sent by ERPs and other absolute and relative valuation metrics. However, they should also remember that stretched valuations can get even more stretched. As the famous saying goes, markets can stay irrational longer than investors can remain solvent. What could move markets tomorrow? Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, opens new tab, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store