Vail Resorts needs to show some contrition

I can understand why Deirdra Walsh (the new VP and COO of Park City Mountain Resort) is upset that the planning commission rejected Vail’s plans to replace Eagle, Eaglet and Silverlode with higher capacity lifts. However, she (and the Vail Resorts executive team and shareholders) need to recognize that our town has planning rules that were set up for a reason.

It appears that Vail (or its consultants) have manipulated calculations in order to justify these lift upgrades within existing planning rules, and I’m guessing that they expected nobody would notice. Fortunately folks on the planning commission did take notice.

Vail Resorts has behaved with such bad faith towards our town for several years now. They need to earn some goodwill back (rather than treating us as a bunch of idiots) before we should offer them the goodwill of breaching or changing planning rules to enable further development at our towns cost.

I wish Deidra Walsh the best in her new role – many folks I know hold her in the highest regard. However she cannot continue the playbook that the former COO followed; the mushroom playbook: “Keep them in the dark, and cover them in cr*p”.

The traffic and crowding in our town has been worse almost every day in the past ski seasons than it had been on all but the most busy days in prior seasons. The crowding on the Park City Mountain ski resort has been worse – almost every day – than I have ever seen before.

I support the planning commission’s decision to reject Vail’s lift upgrade plans even though I would love to have those lifts upgraded.

Enough is enough.

Jeremy Buzzard

Thaynes Canyon

PCMR neighbors now own the mess

Thanks to some busybodies in our community who think meddling in a private company’s internal business affairs is somehow their business, PCMR will be unable to upgrade Silverlode and Eagle lifts this year. Since these people are so concerned about PCMRs business practices, they should have to deal with the fallout of their nosy ways. To accomplish this, I propose that PCMR forward all complaints from guests regarding overcrowding to these busybodies and let them explain why lines getting out of the base and lines at Silverlode are so long. It’s only fair that if these entitled community members feel they should have a say in how PCMR operates, that they should have to explain the consequences of their actions to those that are truly affected by their short-sighted decisions.

Micah Kagan

Kamas

Newcomers need a bit of trail 101

First of all, welcome to all you newcomers that love to bike and hike. Hope you are enjoying our trail system as much as us long time Park City residents.

If you are a biker/hiker/trail walker enjoying our numerous trails, this letter is for you.

I am a 44 year resident that bikes and hikes everywhere, so I think you newcomers need a bit of trail 101. (I say this because the past few weeks being out there, I have encountered numerous “close calls” that should have been easily avoided). So with neighborly kindness, here is a short course. Not too hard. There will not be a test.

1 – Please ride/walk on right side of trail. (Just like driving)

2 – If you are riding/walking “side by side”, please form a single line if someone is approaching or needs to pass from behind.

3 – If you are approaching another biker/walker from behind, its polite to yell out “on your right” or “on your left”. You can also ring your bell.

4 – If you see someone walking with their dog, slow down a little (some doggies are afraid of bikes)

5 – Uphill bikers/hikers have the “right of way”. Get the heck out of the way! (too much?)

We all love our trails. Let’s watch out for each other.

Penny Sowul

Park City

PCMR tried to do the right thing

Hey Park City, PCMR, Vail or Whomever…… Thank you for trying to do the “Right Thing” and make some simple improvements to the skiing/riding experience by upgrading a couple of lifts. Sorry, to those of you who are “offended” because the lift is going to be too close to your home/condo that is walking distance to the slopes. Is it your Rental or Primary residence? Parking and Traffic: Completely, Totally and Separate Issues……… PCMR has announced plans for paid parking this coming season to encourage carpooling. Works for me and I will give it some thought the next time I head to Park City. Snowbird, Solitude and others have implemented Paid Parking, why not PCMR? Who is first In-line and Online to complain about “Paid Parking” at PCMR you might ask? “Locals” who meet at 10:00am for coffee and skiing for two hours. 4, 6, 8+ “Locals”, most of them driving their own cars (may I suggest you ride the bus or carpool) and they want to be “Guaranteed” parking and even better, they want it “FREE”. Because they are “Locals” I have a suggestion “Tongue in Cheek” but worth throwing out there. PCMR/Vail/Park City Ski Resort, etc: Announce plans to not open, nor operate the ski resort for the 2022/23 ski season and shut down completely. You might get a few hundred folks who would love that. On the other hand, the vast majority of us would ask you to not do such and continue trying to work with the community (like you are) and make “The Experience” – Better for All.

Rich Ford

Hideout

The post Letters, June 18-21: PCMR neighbors now own the mess appeared first on Park Record.

There were some in Park City celebrating this week as the Park City Planning Commission, hearing a rare appeal of a decision by City Hall staffers, ruled against Park City Mountain Resort, and, thus, against resort owner Vail Resorts, in a dispute regarding proposed improvements to ski lifts.

There were Parkites on either side of the issue. Those who were backing PCMR saw the proposed improvements to the Silverlode Express and Eagle lifts as needed upgrades that would better move skiers and snowboarders across the resort as PCMR seems to be so much busier than even just a few years ago. The critics who successfully appealed envisioned the upgrade plan as something that would put further stress on the resort and the community, arguing PCMR would exceed an industry metric known as comfortable carrying capacity.

The Planning Commission majority, meanwhile, agreed with the assertion of the opposition that staffers did not hold the authority to grant the permit administratively.

The vote was undoubtedly a victory for the small group of Parkites who mounted the appeal, as well as those who supported them. Their success against a multibillion-dollar corporation illustrates that individual Parkites retain a significant amount of influence at the Marsac Building, to the point that they can effectively have the decision of professional staffers overturned.

But the outcome this week cannot be considered in a vacuum, especially since PCMR can return with a revamped plan for the lift improvements later. The vote, instead, should be viewed through the lens of the overall relationship between PCMR and its owner, the municipal government and the community at large in the nearly decade since Vail Resorts arrived in Park City, altering the course of the community. In that context, the Planning Commission decision seems almost innocuous when put against the upheaval in Park City in that time period.

Can anyone, even the most hardened critics of Vail Resorts, really see what could be merely a temporary delay in lift upgrades as some sort of turning point that will put Park City on a new trajectory with the resort industry? Or, are there those who are suddenly holding out hope the vote will roil the plans for a major development at the PCMR base area? Those kinds of scenarios are highly unlikely, and Parkites need to understand that.

There was much focus in recent months on the process that culminated with the Planning Commission vote. Those resources now need to be put toward the preparations for the upcoming ski season. Neither PCMR nor the community want a repeat of the lines, traffic and general displeasure with the most recent winter. That is something that did not change with the Planning Commission vote.

The post Record editorial: PCMR lift vote seems almost innocuous in context of relationship with Vail Resorts appeared first on Park Record.

With gas prices hovering in the range of $5 per gallon, it would be nice if someone else was paying for a fill up. Or, if gas was not even needed to move about.

The Park City area provides alternative means of transportation, and with gas prices so high, we encourage the community to consider options other than driving personal vehicles.

While the community’s tourism industry has said it does not expect the high gas prices to dampen business in the summer, the impact on Parkites, especially those at the lower end of the income spectrum, could be discernible. The cost of living in Park City has long been a deterrent for many, with real estate or rent prices traditionally being the driver. The current bout of inflation, including the high gas prices, has only made it even more difficult for them.

People who live in Park City and the Snyderville Basin can avoid at least some of the financial hit of the gas prices by choosing not to drive to many local destinations. The community, wisely, has spent years building a network of bus lines as well as routes for bicyclists, pedestrians and others who prefer an alternative to driving. The transit and trail networks reach from Old Town into far-flung neighborhoods in the Snyderville Basin.

The thinking during much of that time has been the routes are a traffic-reducing measure, but in the current environment they can also be, as importantly, a cost-reducing measure.

The core stretch of the summer-tourism season in Park City, typically the time between July 4 and Labor Day, is approaching. The visitors will likely drive their own vehicles or rental cars to Park City, but, during their stay, the buses and trail network should be inviting to them. The Parkites headed to work or to recreate need to also see the options as enticing alternatives.

The trails are, of course, free to use. The buses in the Park City area are also free of fares, one of the reasons the transit system is so popular.

And free beats the $5 or so per gallon drivers are paying nowadays for gasoline.

The post Record editorial: Free transportation options are a way to combat high gas prices appeared first on Park Record.

Defeat Dakota Pacific project by reelecting Rep. Birkeland

I write to support Representative Kera Birkeland’s re-election for Utah House. Not only is she the only candidate who recognizes how HB 462 (enabling the Dakota-Pacific project) directly harms the district and her constituents here in Summit County—she’s leading the fight against it.

In March 2022, Governor Cox signed HB 462, the so-called “Utah Housing Affordability Amendments” into law. This law imposes land use mandates that negatively affect many counties and municipalities—especially Summit County. One clause even specifically targets Summit County, enabling the Dakota Pacific project. Rep. Birkeland knows that more density means more traffic and more headaches at Kimball Junction—not to mention municipal resources for which there is absolutely no allocation and for which we citizens—not Dakota Pacific—will have to pay, from water to police and fire personnel, to new school rooms and teachers.

HB 462 embodies the type of government overreach that Rep. Birkeland will always oppose. Utah state government should not mandate zoning to local communities. Local community members know how to govern themselves best. And we certainly don’t need lobbyists & politicians in Salt Lake City mandating how we manage our own community.

By increasing density, HB 462 completely undermines the needs and well-being of Summit County. It is wrong for the state legislature to impose mandatory land use provisions, especially when such provisions are contrary not only to our community needs and also against the will of its people. As our State Representative, Rep. Birkeland will stand against any bill that impedes individual and/or local autonomy, freedom, and choice.

Let’s repeal HB 462, let’s defeat the Dakota Pacific project, and let’s re-elect Rep. Birkeland!

Allison Cook

Park City

The post Letter to the editor, June 15-17: Defeat Dakota Pacific project by reelecting Rep. Birkeland appeared first on Park Record.

To many of us, February of 2030 seems to be in the distant future, a far-off month that is receiving more publicity than it should years before it begins. The month the Winter Olympics could return to the state, though, is approaching far faster than most realize.

And that is why we are encouraged leaders in Park City and Summit County, as well as those of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games pursuing the event, appear to be moving forward, for now, in an appropriate manner. It is also why the community must begin to consider the prospects of a future Games, as early as 2030, with more urgency.

The International Olympic Committee may not award the Games of 2030 for another year, but the Park City area in that time needs to have a thoughtful discussion about a role in hosting a second Games. Some of those efforts have started, and there have been signals that leaders will more formally approach the community later in the year about the Olympic possibilities.

Park City and Summit County see another Games as an opportunity to advance community priorities like transportation and even, possibly, housing. There is normally a large pot of federal monies available to cities involved in a Games, like there was in the 2002 Winter Olympic era, and City Hall and the County Courthouse would hope to tap those funds.

The timeline for tying those sorts of goals to an Olympics in 2030, however, is beginning to condense even before the Games are awarded. In many ways, then, leaders need to begin looking backward from 2030 as the timeline as much as they will be looking forward to that year.

Perhaps there could be Olympic money to assist with a City Hall housing development or with an aerial transit network. Any ambitious projects like those would take extensive time for public debate and design work. They would then need to be put through what could be a difficult approval process prior to a groundbreaking. Housing and transportation projects, meanwhile, should be finished well before an opening ceremonies to give time to work through any issues before the crowds and international spotlight arrive.

In that context, February of 2030 suddenly seems to be in the not-too-distant future.

The post Record editorial: Winter Olympics in 2030 approaching far faster than most realize appeared first on Park Record.

People in Park City and the rest of Summit County are likely deciding which spot they will select for a summer vacation.

But they also need to start deciding which candidate they will select in a June primary election. Ballots are expected to arrive in mailboxes within days.

The campaign season is reaching one of its most important dates, the June 28 primary, even as many people seem much more interested in finalizing plans for vacations after the pandemic altered or forced the cancellation of so many trips during the past two summers.

It has always seemed that most primary elections held in the summer just do not command the attention of the broad electorate. There are too many distractions this time of year and interest in politics, in years when the White House is not at the top of the ticket, tends to escalate only after Labor Day.

The 2022 campaign, importantly, is the first since congressional and legislative districts were redrawn following the census two years ago. The redrawn congressional districts are especially notable with Summit County being split between the 1st Congressional District and the 3rd Congressional District.

The political reality is the Republican primary voters will also likely decide the November winners this month since the makeup of the statewide and district-wide electorates lean so heavily toward the GOP. The Republican primaries, open only to registered members of the party, many times are more intense than the fall campaigns since the candidates and their supporters understand the stakes.

The Republican voters in Summit County will help decide the party nomination in the hotly contested U.S. Senate primary between Sen. Mike Lee and opponents Becky Edwards and Ally Isom. They will also help select the Republican nominees in both of the congressional districts that cover the county.

There are, however, no Democratic primary elections in Summit County this year as the party finalized its slate of candidates without the need for voters to make the decisions.

The ballots were scheduled to be sent to voters early in the week. Make sure to check the mail before you check in at your favorite vacation spot.

The post Record editorial: Cast a primary ballot before leaving on summer vacation appeared first on Park Record.

Prospector party successful

On behalf of the Prospector Square Property Owners Association, I want to thank the Park Record for their thoughtful editorial on Saturday and for the community at large for attending our first-ever Berrett Lane Block Party. We believe we could have had close to 500 show up during the evening.

As a first-ever event, we didn’t know quite what to expect, and we were pleasantly surprised by how many Parkites showed up and wanted an event targeted at locals. Thanks to Rich Wyman, Dana Williams and Chip Jenkins for four-hours of wonderful music and to our participating eating establishments . . . . Salt Box, Este Pizza and Guest Haus Juice Bar.

We have spent close to $2 million in upgrading Prospector Square in the last four years, and we are not done. Our next event is planned for Saturday, July 16, noon to 6 p.m. A Neighborhood Appreciation Party, it will also feature music and food. This event will be on our recently refurbished Berrett Lane between Poison Creek and Gold Dust.

Again, thank you.

Craig Dennis

Executive Director

Prospector Square

A terrible location for housing

Why on earth would anyone consider stuffing a high density housing development in valuable open space in a key wildlife corridor with quiet trails crossing it using AH as the overriding wedge? You cannot manufacture or save more open space by eliminating it or developing it. This mindless push to build AH on sensitive land is not what the citizens voted for or want to see from our current leadership. In order to continue to peddle this R/E development project on city property using an up-zone in a terrible location, our own city staff and leaders must leave out and ignore the most important factual information that really matters, shamelessly using AH as the hammer and wedge. This key open space location was meant to be left alone and was specifically discussed as sensitive and worth saving during the Flagstaff negotiations 15 years ago. The General Plan also specifically discourages any development on entry corridors, which this is. It also ignores the 1st failed attempt sent quickly packing for many reasons just last year. Every citizen should be alarmed about this backroom deal. This sensitive location stands today as a valuable community open space asset, serving not only as important wildlife habitat and natural area with trails throughout, but also as a quiet buffer zone between the Flagstaff mess and Old Town cherished by residents and visitors alike. This is a bad idea driven once again by special interest quotas that shows very poor judgement. Whoever is behind this worst-possible location should be fired.

Peter Marth

35-year Old Town resident

Join the Women’s Giving Fund

2,022 women helping other women and children in Park City!

That’s the goal of Park City Community Foundation’s powerful Women’s Giving Fund. A one-time gift of $1,000 makes you a life-time member of this wonderful group.

Every year the proceeds offer high-impact grants for projects that empower women in this town and our members choose those projects.

Grants have gone to early childhood education, transitional housing for families experiencing abuse, medical and counseling services for women, caregivers of elderly adults, and youth mentorship programs. Women in Park City have always been a powerful group, and joining the Women’s Giving Fund makes you a part of 2,022 powerful Park City women.

You are never alone in Park City with Park City women behind you!

Join the Women’s Giving Fund and be a part of gathering, grantmaking, and supporting women and children in this community.

https://parkcitycf.org/joinwgf

Sydney Reed

Park Meadows

The post Letters: June 8-10: A terrible location for housing appeared first on Park Record.

It always seems Main Street and the mountain resorts get all the attention when talking of places to shop or dine. They are undoubtedly what visitors see as Park City, and there are plenty of Parkites who frequent them on any given day.

People who live in the Park City area also are aware of another place where someone can go shopping or have a meal. In Prospector, a district offering a range of shops, services and restaurants far enough away from Main Street and the resorts, a seat can be found even during the busiest stretches of the calendar.

The term Prospector can be used broadly in Park City and can mean the neighborhood stretching between S.R. 248 and the Rail Trail as well as the businesses that generally move inward from Bonanza Drive and Kearns Boulevard.

When improvements are made to Main Street, there tends to be plenty of publicity, particularly when City Hall is involved. Upgrades at the mountain resorts are also usually trumpeted across the community, and even through the industry.

But as Prospector attempts to increase its stature as a business district, there has been only limited recognition. Much of the work has been privately funded and, thus far, has included some of the more tedious tasks like working on parking lots, sidewalks and lights.

Although mundane, the investment made in the Prospector business district, we expect, will ultimately benefit the wider community. Even with the improvements, commercial leases in Prospector will not command the same dollar figures as those on Main Street.

The district, then, will be improved, yet it will likely remain somewhere that is more affordable to locally owned businesses that would struggle with Main Street-level lease rates. And by doing so, it will stay a place that will draw Parkites into the shops, restaurants and service-oriented businesses.

Prospector Square on Saturday evening will host what is known as the Berrett Lane Block Party, an event that the organizers hope will become an annual gathering. The block party is an opportunity for Parkites to acquaint themselves with a commercial district that they may otherwise overlook on their way to Main Street or the mountain resorts.

The post Record editorial: Prospector business district offers plenty for Park City community appeared first on Park Record.

Gratitude for success of Gin & Phonics

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our community for the outpouring of support for this year’s Gin & Phonics fundraiser to benefit PC READS. Our team is dedicated to the work of educating and advocating for struggling readers many of whom are dyslexic— and their support teams, including parents, teachers and tutors.

The success of Gin & Phonics exceeded our expectations in every way. We never imagined we’d sell out of tickets (thank you all of our attendees), we never expected to double our fundraising goal (thank you to the local businesses who donated items to our silent auction and opportunity drawing), and we didn’t anticipate the full hearts and tears in our eyes when listening to Chad Starling, 1999 PCHS graduate, who shared with us how his dyslexia has influenced the incredible art he creates.

Thank you to the Kimball Art Center for the facility, to Hearth and Hill for the food, and to Ryan Walsh for the music. We couldn’t have done it without you! And, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and attendees, we will continue to expand and improve upon our programming to ensure that all children learn to read.

With appreciation,

Kelly Manning and Kristi Marsh

PC READS Board Members

The post Letter, June 4-7: Gratitude for success of Gin & Phonics appeared first on Park Record.

The Park Silly Sunday Market in the spring of 2020, the early weeks of the novel coronavirus pandemic, canceled the annual summer and fall festivities that year.

The event returned to Main Street in 2021 with a scaled-back setup. Even with fewer booths, the Silly Market with near certainty played a role in the economic boom Park City enjoyed in the summer and fall that year.

The Silly Market begins its second season of the coronavirus era on Sunday with the complete complement of options. The vendor numbers will be at full capacity again for the first time since 2019. There will be food, entertainment and the eclectic mix of arts and crafts that the Silly Market has become known for over the years.

Parkites should welcome the full Silly Market back to the community this year by making their way to Main Street, if not on opening day on Sunday, then later in the season.

The Silly Market long ago established itself as a draw. The reasons for the success include the al fresco ambiance, the range of goods for sale, price points that are attractive to a variety of income levels and the opportunity to spend a day with friends browsing the booths or taking in a concert.

The people of Park City, meanwhile, should be prepared for the crowds that will likely arrive for the Silly Market this summer. The soaring gas prices, and inflation in general, will make Sunday day trips to Park City even more popular than usual for people along the Wasatch Front since the community offers an escape so close to them.

Park City officials should be ready to provide municipal services with the understanding there is the possibility of crowds larger than might otherwise be anticipated on Sundays. None of the interested parties – including City Hall, the Silly Market, Old Town residents and tourism boosters – would benefit if Park City is overrun with unanticipated crowds headed to the Silly Market on Sundays, particularly so soon after a ski season that stressed the infrastructure of the community.

Everyone should hope that is not the case starting on Sunday. Park City instead has a chance to be silly again, and display a full brim smile on Main Street.

The post Record editorial: Welcome back Silly Market with a full brim smile appeared first on Park Record.