Lawmaker seeks to make Provo Canyonâs Bridal Veil Falls a state monument
Utah County conservation group supports the measure, and so does Commissioner Bill Lee.
(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) In this Aug. 14, 2020, file photo, a hiker can be seen approaching Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. A state lawmaker from Orem has opened a bill that would give state monument protection and resources to the popular spot, which recently was granted a county conservation easement â a move that is being challenged by a developer s lawsuit.
  | Jan. 9, 2021, 8:23 p.m.
Just weeks after the Utah County Commission voted to protect Bridal Veil falls as a public asset, a legislator is seeking to further elevate the landmarkâs status.
Published January 7, 2021 at 6:13 PM MST
Jon Reed
KUER
Tickets for the Sundance Film Festival went on sale Thursday. This year the festival has gone virtual due to COVID-19. This story and more in Thursday evening s news brief.
Thursday evening, January 7, 2021
State
Second Highest Single Day COVID-19 Case Total
Utah recorded its second highest, single day total for new COVID-19 cases Thursday as health officials announced 4,597 cases. Officials also reported 29 deaths but they said 17 of those occurred before Dec. 20. There are also 537 people currently hospitalized with the disease. In vaccine news, Utah hospitals have already begun administering the second dose and 967 have received it so far.
A new lawsuit filed by developer Richard Losee with Utah's fourth district court on Wednesday aims to overturn the Utah County Commission's decision to block future development of Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon.
/ Wikimedia Commons
Nearly one month after the Utah County Commission voted to permanently protect Bridal Veil Falls, a private developer who hoped to build a rehab lodge there has sued the county.
The fate of Bridal Veil Falls is once again in question.
Private developer Richard Losee whose plans to build a private rehab lodge atop the popular Utah County attraction generated controversy last month filed a lawsuit against the county Tuesday.
His complaint alleges the county did not follow proper legal channels when the three-member commission voted last month to permanently place the falls into a conservation easement.
Losee’s attorney, Bruce Baird, said the county also failed to get fair compensation for its land, which he argues is a violation of Utah law. He added his client hopes to overturn the commission’s December decision and allow for a new vote on the issue.
Richard Losee had ambitions to develop a private addiction treatment lodge at the top of the falls, along with an aerial tramway. “The only reason for granting such an easement was to prevent a future [commission] from allowing some other use of the Bridal Veil Falls Property,” the developer claims.