Take a drive on State Route 36 south out of Tooele. Go past Stockton and just past Faust take a right onto the Pony Express Road toward Fish Springs.
In about a mile and a half you will see a green street sign on the left that reads “Last Chance Lane.” It’s an ominous name that may frighten off the curious traveler who may not know that Last Chance Lane is the road to a unique aquatic-based development.
Venturing up Last Chance Lane you will find Last Chance Lakes, a 19-lot subdivision along the shores of a manmade lake nestled into the desert farmland with a sod farm for a neighbor.
As you pull up to the development, which has sold 11 of the 19 lots, there are no homes built, but several boat houses dot the lake shore and water-skiers are enjoying the glass-like water on the lake.
“It is a special development,” said Rick Lybbert, owner/developer of Last Chance Lakes. “All the common areas in the development will be on the same level so no ramps will be required to get anywhere.”
Rocky Mountain Power is scheduled to bring power out to the development next week, according to Lybbert.
“Then we have three homes ready to be built,” Lybbert said.
The level common areas is important because the impetus for this development, aside from a place for Lybbert to ski with his family, was also to build a place where the disabled could ski.
The idea of subdividing the property and selling lots for homes came later, as a way of financing the project, according to Lybbert.
Back in 2001, Lybbert, a physical therapist and avid water-skier from Saratoga Springs, got the idea of building a lake so he and his family would have a place to ski.
This began his search for a place in Utah to build a lake and a home. Two years later, Lybbert had the opportunity to volunteer as a ski boat driver for the National Adaptive Center out of Park City. The center was conducting an adaptive water-skiing program on Utah Lake.
“It was a great program,” Lybbert said. “But the lake was rough and choppy and the facilities in the parking lot were not designed to make the experience very accessible.”
Lybbert decided to include in his lake a place were the adaptive ski program could operate.
It took three more years before he found a place with enough land, water, and the right kind of clay soil to hold the water for the lake — 80 acres of land near Vernon.
After purchasing the land, Lybbert looked at the tasks ahead: zoning change from the county, permission from the Bureau of Land Management to upgrade access to the property, an easement from Tooele City for power and water lines to cross their property, a permit to divert a stream, and a permit to build a dam. The list seemed never-ending.
Lybbert said he would give his dream one last chance — hence the name for the lakes that are now filled with water.
Lybbert partnered with Salt Lake General Contracting to build the lakes and construction began in January 2008. Dirt, 350,000 yards of it, was moved to make the lakes, which are really two rectangular-shaped lakes with a sandbar down the middle and connected by water on one end.
One lake is 2,300 feet long and 275 feet wide, while the other is 2,200 feet long and 200 feet wide. They reach 10 feet in depth and together they hold 25 acre feet of water.
Sixteen of the 19 lots sit on the north side of the lake, and three lots sit behind the other 16.
The lakes are private, only property owners and he adaptive ski program have access to the lakes.
The lakes have been engineered to absorb the wave energy created by motorboats, according to Lybbert.
“You can ski down the lake in one direction and by the time you turn around it is like glass again,” he said.
The lakes were finished last August and the water was turned on to fill the lakes, which took three and a half months.
Lybbert purchased water rights from an alfalfa farmer to fill the lakes. The water is groundwater that collects in French drains a mile and half away and eventually feeds into an 8-inch pipe that fills the lakes.
Lybbert and friends christened the lakes with the first ski run in October 2008.
He has not forgotten his dream of a place where the disabled could come and ski.
This summer with the help of the National Adaptive Center out of Park City, Lybbert hosted four adaptive ski events.
The staff from the National Adaptive Center trained Lybbert and his friends how to safely supervise and conduct adaptive skiing.
Lybbert has formed Edge Adaptive Sports, a non-profit organization, that will provide the water-skiing experience for people with disabilities.
“We held four events this year,” Lybbert said. “Now that we know what we are doing we plan to hold eight to 12 events next year.”
One of those adaptive ski days was held last Friday.
James O’Neill, 41, made the trip from Park City for the adaptive skiing program at Last Chance Lakes.
Kristin Caldwell, program manager for the National Adaptive Center, refers to O’Neill as a veteran skier because this was his third time on the water.
“Water-skiing is great,” said O’Neill. “My first time it seemed a little crazy but I love it now.”
Ryan Stevenson, 28, who lost the use of his legs in a snowboarding accident three years ago made his first try at water-skiing.
After making several runs up and down the lake and buzzing the dock, Stevenson finally pulled out of the water for a rest.
“That was a blast,” Stevenson said. “That felt great, it was like riding a board again.”
As houses build up on the lake the adaptive ski program will continue, Lybbert said. The home owners agreement states that one half-day each week is reserved for adaptive skiing.
Driving away from Lybbert’s dream after watching the adaptive skiers, you get the impression that the lakes aren’t a last chance, but maybe a second chance.
Tim Gillie: tgillie@tooeletranscript.com
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