Good faith proposal?
Not everyone on Saturday thought the Davis quarry proposal was in good faith. At one point, Lehi Hintze, an elderly BYU geologist who has studied Rock Canyon for decades, asked to address the crowd. When organizers declined, the crowd rebelled and officials kowtowed to the public will. The cliff Davis proposes to destroy “is not rare rock, nor particularly valuable,” Hintze said in a weak voice as the crowd strained to hear. “It is the kind of rock that is used as riprap — piles of rock used for erosion control. Ask yourself, why would he want to propose a quarry? I think he basically wants to be bought off.” Residents said they were concerned about dust, noise, erosion, access to the canyon, the safety of hikers, devaluation of homes and permanent loss of the canyon’s aesthetic. “Why would the city even consider a proposal that will destroy the most beautiful area of town?” one resident said. But city officials said that because of the council’s tardy action on banning quarries, the
