FARMINGTON — Farmington City has decided to put a fence around part of Farmington Creek near the Farmington Creek/Lagoon Trail. Farmington City Council had three different options to choose from on fencing Farmington Creek on Tuesday, March 18. City Council opted for the third option, which is to fence the wing walls and do some heavy landscaping.“This is such a beautiful area, I’d hate to see a huge fence there,” said Farmington City Mayor Scott Harbertson. The hesitation on putting up a fence is the liability. If Farmington City puts up a fence, they have to maintain the fence and then become liable for accidents. However, if they don’t put up a fence, the City is still liable for accidents.“It’s a frustrating situation in the first place,” said City Council member Rick Dutson. “Both sides have safety issues.”

Because Farmington City decided on putting up a fence, now they have to look at different fencing options. The idea of a plain, old chain-link fence created more hesitation from City Council. “That would be great if we could do something nicer than a chain-link fence,” said City Council member Sid Young. He and the rest of the Council agreed that they should look at other options.

“Doing some heavy landscaping would encourage people to just stay on the pathway,” said Farmington City Manager Max Forbush.

Farmington City wants to keep the bridge safe without sacrificing the natural beauty of the creek.

“I like the idea of doing heavy landscaping and a rail bridge,” suggested City Council member David Hale. “We want some rail that makes it so people can’t get up over the edge.”

Tuesday’s motion included some type of attractive fencing on the wing walls of Farmington Creek at approximately 400 West and the I-15 Frontage Road, along with heavy landscaping to encourage people to stay on the path.

Shayln Roberts