Can the environmentally challenged lake be restored? And what kind of future can people who use the 150-square-mile body of water expect?
To that end, the commission on Thursday voted to spend $210,000 for a consultant to draft a comprehensive master plan.
San Francisco-based URS Corp. will create, by November, a document to guide land use, natural resources and recreation.
Provo Mayor Lewis Billings, commission chairman, said past efforts to address lake issues usually stalled because of the competing interests of cities, environmental groups and water users.
"There were some who said this couldn't happen," Billings said after signing the document. "But we are doing it."
Rick Cox, URS project manager and a Provo native, said the master plan will be unlike any other policy document because it will take a broad look and not be confined to only studying land-use policy.
The drafting process will involve three public meetings and creation of an Internet page to keep the public apprised and seek comment.
For Cox, the job is personal. He said his father's family lived on fish from the lake during The Great Depression.
"It is a great jewel. It has gotten a bum rap," the consultant said.
