Unless you’re into skiing, snowboarding or other snow-related activities, winter recreation opportunities in Cache Valley are limited. Residents of the area — one of Utah’s snowiest counties — are calling for a solution.
Logan resident Melissa Dahle, who has lived in the valley for more than 20 years, has seen firsthand the valley’s lack of indoor recreational facilities. As a parent of high school athletes, particularly swimmers, Dahle knows there are small facilities available — basketball gyms at local high schools, a sports complex and private gyms. However, there’s not a large facility to meet much of the community's needs. Most notably for her, there isn’t an indoor public pool.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” Dahle said, “like, why can’t we get something that schools could use for lap swim, but then also have something that has a huge indoor aquatic center that families and young kids could enjoy?”
The issue became even more pressing when the Logan City School District announced the end of its 40-plus-year agreement with Logan City to use a high school recreational facility as a community rec center. This motivated Dahle and other advocates to push local leaders to prioritize the issue.
In November 2023, Dahle — despite usually staying “quiet” — and a few other members of the Logan City Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, sent an email to all the valley’s mayors and representatives to open the conversation on indoor recreation. Representatives from every city gathered to discuss the issue, and it was agreed that a county-wide solution would be the best approach due to the size and scope needed to meet the community’s needs.
“If it was built correctly,” Dahle said, “everybody would use it.”
The idea of using the Recreation, Arts, Parks and Zoos fund — which is a one-tenth of one percent sales tax — to conduct a feasibility study for a county-wide indoor recreation facility came before county leaders earlier this year. Initially, the RAPZ committee proposed allocating $200,000 for the study, but on May 28, the county council only approved $75,000. One council member, Nolan Gunnell, said his reasoning behind this decision was because he had a preference for funding “shovel-ready” projects over studies.
After selecting an architecture firm to lead the feasibility study, Stephen Nelson, the county’s director of development services, returned to the council this month to request additional funds. The study had been divided into two phases: Phase one, which would cost $58,000 and would provide an overall analysis and gather initial data, and phase two, which would cost $87,000 and would focus on operation analysis and funding mechanisms.
In a close 4—3 vote, the council approved funding only the first phase.
“Let's first decide if it's feasible to do before we get into the nuts and bolts of whether it's statistically valid, detailed cost estimates, and things like that,” said council member Karl Ward. “Let's just first see if it's something we really feasibly can do and it's something we should do.”
However, council members Sandi Goodlander and Kathryn Beus argued phase two would provide essential details on how the facility could operate and be funded.
“I think that’s really valid information and that is what I feel like is what we really need to know,” Beus said, “the nitty-gritty.”
Nelson, the development services director leading the project, agreed. But he said he understands the concerns that have been raised regarding expanding government services.
“There are various people and organizations that are really supportive of the project,” Nelson said, “and others that are very hesitant about it. I would say the council is no different.”
The current Logan Community Recreation Center is one of the few facilities accessible to most of the county. Although owned by Logan City, the land belongs to the Logan School District. Superintendent Frank Schofield said that, over time, population growth and an increase in high school sports have made it difficult to continue sharing the facility.
The agreement will remain in place until June 30, 2025. After that, community members and the city will have very limited access, leaving many with no indoor recreation options.
“We’ve just seen that the sharing of the facility,” Schofield said, “in that particular building just isn’t practical anymore.”
Rachel Behm, a Logan resident and Board of Education executive assistant who helped advocate for this conversation, said more than 50% of the current rec center’s use comes from non-Logan residents. This makes the need for a county-wide facility clear, she said.
“I feared that if someone didn’t step up,” she said, “then public indoor recreation in Logan and Cache Valley would continue to deteriorate and maybe even cease to exist all together.”
Advocates like Behm envision a facility with amenities like indoor pools, turf fields, pickleball courts, play areas for kids, basketball courts, weight rooms and a senior center.
North Logan Mayor Lyndsay Peterson said her city has become the valley’s main provider of recreation, with 60% of users to the Hansen Sports Complex coming from outside North Logan. The growing demand for recreational spaces has been evident in recent years, and while North Logan could build its own facility, Peterson said that wouldn’t be the best solution.
“We can build a rec center to serve our citizens,” Peterson said, “but we know that the day those doors open, we would be serving valley wide.”
Peterson said she was frustrated with the county’s hesitation to fund the study, saying RAPZ funds are perfectly suited for this purpose.
“I think it’s a no brainer, honestly,” Peterson said. “But we’ve just encountered obstacle after obstacle with the county council.”
On the southern end of the valley, Nibley Mayor Larry Jacobsen is facing similar challenges. Indoor recreation is one of the top issues his constituents bring up, and while Nibley initiated its own feasibility study, he believes a county-wide solution is a better approach — one the county has a responsibility to provide.
Jacobsen said he understands the debate over government involvement in recreational facilities but said year-round recreation, especially in a region with long winters, is essential.
“People, frankly, just want year-round recreation,” Jacobsen said, “for their families and for themselves.”
If fully funded, the feasibility study will take 28 weeks to complete, with the first phase lasting 16 weeks.
