Terracon Consultants, the engineering firm Heber City hired to provide preliminary plans for a redesign of Main Street Park, has finally addressed the question that has gone unanswered for six months: How much would the project cost?
Between $15 and 18 million. That’s what Terracon told the City Council on Tuesday the anticipated construction budget could be.
The city’s budget for the project comes from a variety of sources, including impact fees from new developments, city Trails, Arts & Parks tax revenue, state and federal grants, public-private partnerships and revenue generated by park vendors and events.
The anticipated construction cost does not include what the city has already spent on the project. Officials spent $3.5 million last June on the construction of a new bandshell and paving a portion of 200 South into a walkable festival street. Those were components of the previous park redesign master plan, published by architect Roger Brooks in March 2025. Brooks’ vision had a price tag of $23 million, a bit larger than what Terracon estimated.
Terracon was hired to tweak Brooks’ plan, providing a preliminary design after gathering feedback from the community and City Council.
The City Council has not yet discussed Terracon’s preferred preliminary design in-depth and will do so at its next meeting. The design prioritizes preserving the lawn and historic trees and includes elements like a splash pad, a skate/ice ribbon, an all-abilities playground and a handful of retail buildings.
The City Council and members of the public are split about whether the project is worth the cost.
City Councilor Yvonne Barney acknowledged that the city plans to raise property taxes 5.2% in August.
The Main Street Park redesign’s budget does not come from property taxes. However, Barney said that pursuing the expensive park redesign with “unnecessary, frivolous” elements would reflect poorly on the city and frustrate residents in a time when many are financially struggling.
Erickson had a different perspective, arguing that park redesign could bring economic benefits to downtown that would ultimately place less financial burden on residents.
“I have kids and family with the same problem. Every single city in Utah is struggling with the cost of housing and property tax and attainable housing,” he said. “From an economic standpoint, without downtown activation, the city becomes more dependent on property tax. It’s the stable form of income. … I’m not an economist, but a hustle bustle downtown (generates) tax revenue through sales and hotels and tourism and local shopping downtown.”
City Councilor Mike Johnston agreed, saying that downtowns should evolve to meet the city’s needs.
“The downtown now is severely lacking. People don’t come down here,” Johnston said. “If we ratchet down our vision to be timid and fearful, like, ‘Well, we really don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or change anything,’ nothing amazing will happen. … This is what we owe the citizens, the residents of this town, for the future. … We might as well start now.”
Not included in the construction estimate was Terracon’s contract with the city to provide the preliminary design and gather feedback, costing nearly $110,000.
Terracon Senior Landscape Architect Lars Erickson said the firm has clocked many hours of unpaid labor as the City Council has repeatedly called Terracon representatives back to meetings since early May.
As a recent example, Terracon representatives were slated to have one hour with the City Council on May 19, but they were given less than 20 minutes and asked to return in a future meeting.
“We’ve spent thousands of dollars wrapping up this current scope without nickel and diming you on that,” Erickson said.
What is included in the $15 to 18 million construction estimate is $1.2 million in fees to Terracon, which would pay for the in-depth design of the project, including documentation like schematics, a topographic survey and a geotechnical report.
The first milestone for design would be the 30% design, which would determine the basic layout of the project without getting into finer details of civil engineering or small elements like fire pits or bike racks.
The city cannot begin applying for grants until the 30% design is completed, according to City Councilor Sid Ostergaard.
The 30% design would also give a clearer picture of the project’s cost.
“At the end of that 30%, we put pencils down. We do a gut check with the council and staff and say, ‘Hey, is this still right?’ And then, we talk phasing and budgeting, and say, ‘OK. This 30% is $18 million,” and you’re like, ‘I don’t know. What can we build for $10 (million)? What can we build for $15 (million)? Or what can we build for $8 million?’” Erickson said.
The project will be built in multiple phases. The City Council will develop a master plan guiding the scope and cost of each phase before beginning any construction.
Erickson reminded city councilors that Terracon’s role in the redesign is to enact their vision, whatever that may be.
“You’re the hand. We’re the pen,” he said.