Editor:
I am incredulous at those that seek an airstrip at Promontory for their convenience. Whose convenience?
There is not a summer that goes by that I have not had to make a phone call to the FAA about planes and helicopters flying less than 200 feet above the ground at Jeremy Ranch.
They range from military pilots, to the local AirMed helicopter guy, who appears have thrill-seeking tendencies, to private airplanes and helicopters who circle inanely and closely above.
They all think that they are special, just like the folks at Promontory who think that their airstrip is special.
I certainly hope we as citizens get a little bit of a backbone and say NO to such a bad idea, especially since history is not a good judge, so far, of the aviators that already think they are special and don’t notice the obnoxious machines and worse behavior.
Dave Knoop
Jeremy Ranch
Incredible support
Editor:
Over the last month, I have been the object of much unwanted attention in The Park Record. My goal as an elementary principal has always been to support my students, their families and my teachers so that every day is the best day for each child. As a person in a leadership role, it is never my intent to take center stage. Most certainly, not a center stage on which to air a personnel matter that should have been handled very differently, in my opinion.
That being said, I cannot begin to thank the Park City community, Jeremy Ranch Elementary School parents and students, former board members and superintendents, Park City School District administrators, staff and teachers for such incredible public and private support over the past few weeks.
As an administrator, I frequently hear about problems and dilemmas that need to be solved and I’m never in a situation to please everyone all of the time. So to have a Web site, numerous letters of support sent to the Board of Education on my behalf, letters to the editor, public comment at board meetings, e-mails and phone calls is inconceivable and deeply appreciated.
With the news of my reinstatement, it is time to move forward with so many important things as we enter the last seven weeks of school. I will never forget your voices. I know they made a difference in my life.
Thank you,
Michele Wallace
Principal
Jeremy Ranch Elementary
Following the gold brick road
Hey Dorothy,
Wake up! We aren’t in Park City anymore! Gone are the days when we had to stop for the cattle crossing on S.R. 224. Instead we have to stop for the gridlock, speeding traffic, head on collisions and road rage. They call this "prosperity."
Oh, and guess what Dorothy? The wicked witch won’t have to fly on her bicycle anymore! She can land her plane in Promontory. Hopefully, she’s educated enough about flying that she can deal with those high winds and mountains. We wouldn’t want to find just those slippers and nothing else if she crashed.
There are A LOT of big and powerful Oz’s in town now called developers. Those trails where you used to skip along and sing have been replaced by gated communities and golf courses. Those fields with poppies, moose, elk and deer were replaced by huge homes that people live in a couple of weeks a year at most.
That’s not all Dorothy. Poor Toto can’t run by your side anymore. If you are seen skipping along with your friends and Toto in Park City you will get a ticket. Things have really changed Dorothy. I don’t think you’ve heard of the term "property value." It has become the most important thing to many people in this town. The city can’t even find a place for Toto to play. Little Toto can do a lot of damage to those property values you know. Those people’s hearts and brains have been replaced by that big old dollar sign. In your day and age, money wasn’t the most important thing.
Too bad we didn’t have the courage to stop those Oz’s long ago. Maybe it’s not too late. Maybe we could send in the monkeys and they could take those "great and powerful" Oz’s away. Let them return when they get hearts and brains.
Ann Kruse
Park City
Online poll on airstrip
Editor:
As someone with over 120 published scientific articles, I understand both the value of statistics, and how they can be used to trick and mislead. Your online poll regarding whether your readers approve of building an airstrip in Promontory is an example of the worst use of statistics. Anyone can vote as many times as they want in your online poll by just removing the "cookies" placed on a voting computer in between each vote. When someone has a strong vested interest in a particular outcome, like Mr. Sonntag or his friends, this is a very easy way to influence public opinion–just keep voting again and again. So any outcome you report based on this so-called poll may be exactly the opposite of the real public opinion. Newspaper journalism, like scientific papers, needs to hold to a better standard of truth. Either conduct a real scientific poll, or at least stop publishing what are very likely false data. And you should publish an apology to your readers as well — I would have to if I had published something so full of errors!
Sincerely,
Kathleen Light, Ph.D.
Park City
Rotarians say thanks
Editor:
On behalf of the Rotary Club of Park City, thanks to everyone who donated to the "Sleep Warm in Utah" project. Through your generosity, we have a lot of blankets, sleeping bags and tents for the migrant farm workers in Utah. A special thanks goes to Katie Clark, Caleigh Hernandez, and Sarah Waugaman from TMIS, who donated fleece blankets for their IB Community Service Project, and to the folks who donated the tents! Also, special thanks to St. Mary’s Church for being the collection center and The Park Record for featuring the project in the paper.
If you are still interested in donating a sleeping bag or tent, call Judy Tukuafu at 731-0201. This project was coordinated with the Utah Migrant Farm Workers Coalition. For more information about this coalition, contact Tony Yapias at (801) 577-3200. Thanks, Park City!
Judy Tukuafu
Rotary Club of Park City.
Carbon sequestration
Editor:
I would like to offer my deep thanks to Park City Municipal Corporation for their letter of support regarding research into carbon sequestration. Council members, Mr. Mayor, and especially Gary Hill (acting City Manager) are all to be commended for their progressive approach toward acting at a local level on reducing global warming due to man-made greenhouse gases.
Park City’s old mines may find new life in helping provide an answer to reducing CO2 pollution. With the city’s expression of support, an effort is currently underway to raise funding for research. Maybe we can actually make a difference by doing a small test here.
Thanks again.
Sincerely
Peter Roberts
Park City