The Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District voted unanimously to remove one of its members at its regular Wednesday meeting at Trailside Park.
Dawn Bowes was appointed to the district’s board by the Summit County Council about six weeks ago. Board chairwoman Tracey Douthett said Bowes has been intense in her defense of the interests of the equestrian community to the point of disturbing the relationships the board has with its staff and one another.
For some time, the board has been working on creating a hard-surface trail in the Highland Estates area. Construction could begin as early as August. Horse riders prefer soft-surface trails. Bowes opposed the trail being hard-surface and was concerned that the board’s master plan did not fairly consider the needs of the equestrian community, Douthett said.
Prior to her appointment, Bowes has been the head of the Park City Equine Partnership lobbying for the creation of a public horse park in the Basin.
Douthett said her tone in raising these concerns with the board’s staff and other members was “caustic,” “hostile” and “threatening.”
“We’ve had three meetings so far that have gone the same way with an accusatory nature. It has been a long-thought out process by people who have put in a lot of hard work,” Douthett said.
The turn of events is unfortunate, she added, since the board truly appreciates the input of the equestrian community. There are currently 120 miles of soft-surface trails in the Basin, but these were made without much input from specific users. The new interest and participation from these residents has been helpful in the planning process, she added.
As a new member of the board, Douthett said Bowes likely misunderstood the process for raising concerns about past decisions and the master plan. Unfortunately, moving forward productively after what has transpired would be difficult, she said.
Board member Jake Burke said every member of the board must be committed to mutual compliance with board policies and maintaining a working relationship with staff. This was in jeopardy, he said.
These positive relationships must be in place to work effectively, but also to maintain a good relationship with the public, he added.
Bowes was contacted for comment, but could not be reached.
The Summit County Council will make the final decision on whether Bowes remains on the board or is removed. The council will also soon approve final plans for the new Highland Estates trail. Anyone wishing to give input on that trail is encouraged to write the council, Douthett said.
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