City to turn site of deadly Logan landslide into park


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LOGAN — A long-awaited new park in a Logan neighborhood has special meaning for those who live close by.

The site of the new park was once the place where a devastating mudslide took the lives of a mother and her two young children. In July of 2009, Evelia Leavey and her children — 13-year-old Victor Alanis and 12-year-old Abbey Alanis — were killed when a canal burst, sending rocks, debris and water crashing into their home.

It took crews four days to recover their bodies. The home was destroyed.

It’s been nearly seven years, but the events of that July are still fresh in the minds of the people who survived it.

“When I got here, there was water everywhere,” said Chris Thomas, who lives across the street from where Leavey’s house once stood. “Just the fact that you live across the street from something where three people get killed is kind of disconcerting.”

For years, the land was tied up in lawsuits. Logan city was finally able to buy the land, and determined the area may still be too unstable for homes. So instead, they opted to build a park in memory of Leavey and her children.

This 2009 photo shows the point where the canal collapsed, sending water, mud and debris into the neighborhood below.
This 2009 photo shows the point where the canal collapsed, sending water, mud and debris into the neighborhood below.

When the first blades of grass began to pop up this spring, neighbors were thrilled.

“I think it’s great,” Thomas said. “I mean, it took a while … and for a long time I didn’t think anything was going to happen.”

Evidence of the landslide still exists. The land above reveals breakage, and the soil is still crumbled below.

“I remember walking out here to this road down the street and seeing a river of mud and water from curb to curb,” said Logan’s parks and recreation director, Russ Akina.

The city plans to build a memorial for Leavey and her children, a reminder that this park is much more than just a park.

“I think it’s special, particularly for the neighbors that are still around that remember that,” Akina said. “To see something like that sure leaves a deep impression.”

The city plans to pour concrete and plant trees in the coming months. The park is expected to open this summer.

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