It was a grand opening of sorts Friday night for the remodeled, yet still under construction, Dozier Field, but it wasn’t a party for the Miners football team, who fell 14-7 to Salem Hills.

Park City took an early lead on a first quarter touchdown rush from senior quarterback Josh Hofer, which it held until the final seconds of the first half, when Salem Hills took a fumble 75 yards forward to the end zone. That score put Salem Hills right back in the game, and a late third quarter lengthy touchdown pass was enough for the visitors to hold onto for the win.

“We should have won the game,” Miners Head Coach Dennis Cunningham said. “We didn’t execute. So we have just got to get better.”

Park City is 1-4 and will travel to face Provo at 7 p.m. next Friday.

“It’ll be interesting to see what happens this year,” said Parkite and contractor Alan Hoeksema about the new field. “But we’ll be able to sit in nice new stands. … I’m sure the contractor is really happy about holding the event here tonight.”

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World-class mountain biking has officially returned to Deer Valley Resort, with competitors having arrived for this week’s Fox US Open of Mountain Biking. 

The bikers have been arriving sporadically starting Wednesday, when some were allowed to inspect the NCS competition trail. Others arrived Thursday, when the first two practice sessions were held. 

There will be additional practice sessions before some qualifying and the Best Whip trick competition at 5 p.m. Friday by Deer Valley’s Silver Lake Lodge. The professional finals will start at 3 p.m. Saturday and the youth and amateur races at 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Sunday, respectively.

Bikers are coming in from California and Colorado for the race. They’re excited and saying the practice sessions are going well so far. 

“We just got here this morning,” Aaron Vargas from Los Angeles said Thursday. “It’s super steep, it’s loose and it looks like it’ll be fun for sure.”

Vargas is in Park City for the week with a crew from Trailhead Bike Shop in Alhambra, California. He is ranked fourth in the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series in the category just below professional. A win this weekend would help him in his quest to go pro next year. 

“I have to do well this weekend and hopefully get that podium,” Vargas said. “It would be amazing and make my whole weekend for sure.”

Vargas said the Trailhead team has been loving Park City as well thus far. 

Dianne Shannon is in from Denver supporting her son, also racing the same category as Vargas this weekend. She was enjoying the sunny, warm weather Thursday during the practice sessions. 

“He’s incredibly excited,” Shannon said of her son. “The track is pretty interesting. He likes some of the features and technical pieces.”

Shannon believes Deer Valley will “be a zoo” this weekend. 

Some teams like Salt Lake City’s RaceKraftMTB haven’t had to travel nearly as far. Team head Kris Baughman and his youth bikers are excited for what they’re considering to be a home race this week. 

“Pretty exciting,” Baughman said. “I’m an old-school dude. I helped to build the track here in like 1998 and then helped to build a number of lower mountain tracks. So it’s really cool to see a big race come back here after the big national series died down somewhere around 2009.” 

Baughman said Deer Valley’s team did a great job cutting down trees and widening the new track for this week. He’s glad they’re committed to hosting another world-class event, as they do other times of the year. 

Baughman explained that the track inspections can allow riders to find different lines to attack when biking, if they take the time to carefully examine. 

“It is really meaningful,” Baughman said about strong crowd support this week. “We had a big national round at Solitude in July, so we got to experience a really big crowd. … So we have some experience with that, but this is another level of excitement and hype.”

For further information about the US Open, including a look at the complete schedule for the week, see the event’s website: prodownhillseries.com/event-info/fox-us-open.

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As has become usual this season, the Miners girls soccer team easily dispatched another opponent in Juan Diego Catholic Thursday, winning 6-0. 

A 2-0 lead taken into halftime by Park City allowed the team to play 22 of its players in the win. The Miners saw all six of their goals scored by six different players. Goalscorer Elsa Dellenbach led the team with two assists. 

The win was Park City’s eighth-straight. In this winning streak, the Miners have outscored opponents 49-1. 

Ranked third in 4A, Park City is working to perfect their craft ahead of October’s playoffs. They have seven regular season games left, including Sept. 24 senior night against Murray. They plan to host the game at the remodeled Dozier Field, which is opening during later construction stages for Friday night’s Miners football game. 

“Last night was a good representation of what we’re capable of,” Miners Head Coach Anthony DiCicco said. “Our depth is certainly a strength of ours. … We have so many players who are a threat on any given day.”

DiCicco said his team has been playing so well rounded he couldn’t come up with an immediate answer when recently asked by a ref who their leading scorer is. That player is junior Ashtyn Holder with nine goals, though Holder is one of five Park City players with five or more goals this season. 

DiCicco said Holder was one of a few junior varsity players last season who got playing time on varsity. He likes to offer such opportunities so these players are ready to step up if needed in the playoffs.

The Miners will have a perfect opportunity to spread the ball around again at 3:30 p.m. Monday when they travel to face Cottonwood. They will face a combination junior varsity and varsity team against Cottonwood, who doesn’t have a junior varsity team this season. Park City defeated Cottonwood 9-0 doing the same thing Aug. 27. 

“It will actually be an entirely different squad than saw them the first time,” DiCicco said. “And so that comes with its own unique challenges: a group that hasn’t together quite as much has to come together on the fly and problem solve, and Cottonwood is not the easiest place to go play. We know we’ll be the better team, we just have to go execute.”

Aside from working in those younger players, DiCicco believes his team can continue to work on breaking other team’s rhythms and finishing in front of the opposing nets down the final stretch of the season. He said they constantly work on these things in practice and in games. DiCicco believes the Miners’ strongest opponent and best challenge can often be themselves in practice. 

With the playoffs having been paired down from 24 to 16 teams this season, there will be less margin for error for Park City. They will need to hit the ground running against what could be more battled tested teams from other parts of Utah. 

“The St. George, Provo and Northern regions are regions where you get teams that maybe don’t have records that are as good as ours but are very much battle tested because of the quality of some of the opposition that they’re seeing throughout the regular season,” DiCicco said. “One thing about this group that’s been true over these last several years is that they are up for it. They don’t take teams lightly, and their focus is on themselves and being the best version of ourselves that we can be.”

DiCicco said crowd support has been strong thus far at their home games in Quinn’s Junction. They’d certainly appreciate further support as they work toward playoffs. 

For a complete look at the Miners’ schedule or for further information about the team, see their MaxPreps page: maxpreps.com/ut/park-city/park-city-miners/soccer/girls.

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Miners

The Miners girls volleyball team took down East on Thursday by three sets to none. Park City dominated sets one and two, winning them 25-9 and 25-10, respectively, and squeaked out set three 25-23. The Miners are 6-4 and will next face Highland at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on the road.

The Miners girls tennis team defeated Jordan Thursday by five matches to none. Park City scored wins at three singles and two doubles spots. The Miners are 3-3 and will next take on Judge Memorial Catholic at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on the road. 

Wasatch High School

The Wasatch girls soccer team fell to Provo 2-1 Thursday. The Wasps scored the game’s only first-half goal, then conceded two goals in the second half. Wasatch is 8-4 and will next take on Mountain View at 7 p.m. Tuesday at home.

The Wasatch girls volleyball team fell to Skyridge Thursday by three sets to none. The Wasps lost set one 25-14, set two 25-8 and set three 25-21. Wasatch is 7-5 and will next face Summit Academy at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at home.

The Wasatch girls tennis team fell to Timpanogos Wednesday by seven matches to none. The Wasps lost four singles and three doubles matches. Wasatch is 7-7 in dual matches and will face Uintah at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at home. 

Deer Creek High School

The Deer Creek girls soccer team fell to Mountain View 6-2 Thursday. The Riverhawks scored both of their two goals in the second half of the loss. Deer Creek is 2-9 and will  next face Timpanogos at 7 p.m. Tuesday at home.

The Deer Creek girls volleyball team fell Thursday to Maple Mountain by three sets to none. The Riverahawks lost the first set 25-16, the second 25-10 and the third 25-21. Deer Creek is 1-12 and will take on Orem at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at home. 

South Summit High School

The South Summit football team defeated South Sevier last Friday 43-7. Quarterback Ian Mair led the Wildcats with three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing) in the win. South Summit is 3-1 heading into the San Juan game at 7 p.m. this Friday. The Wildcats fell to San Juan in last season’s state title game. 

The South Summit girls soccer team took down rival North Summit 5-1 Thursday. The Wildcats scored three goals in the first half and two in the second half of the win. South Summit is 4-5 and will next take on American Leadership Academy at 4 p.m. Monday at home.

The South Summit girls volleyball team fell to Union Thursday by three sets to none. The Wildcats dropped the first set 25-12, the second 25-14 and the third 25-11. South Summit is 4-8 and will next face Millard at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at home.

North Summit High School

The North Summit football team dominated Parowan last Friday 45-0. Quarterback Cru Richins led the Braves with three touchdowns (two passing and one receiving) in the win. North Summit is 3-1 and will take on Kanab at 7 p.m. this Friday on the road. 

The North Summit girls soccer team fell to rival South Summit 5-1 Thursday. The Braves are 1-6 and will next face St. Joseph at 4 p.m. Tuesday at home.

The North Summit girls volleyball team fell to North Sanpete Thursday by three sets to two. The Braves won the second and fourth sets in the loss. North Summit is 10-2 and will face Gunnison Valley at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on the road. 

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And the 2026 Myles Rademan Spirit of Hospitality Award goes to … Randy Barton!

Barton, best known as manager of the Egyptian Theatre, was honored with the Park City Chamber/Bureau’s annual award at its meeting last week. In Barton’s words, however, it’s a “recognition,” not an award.

“I don’t accept on behalf of myself, but on behalf of all the folks who love arts and culture,” Barton said.

He added that he appreciated that the award was not competitive in what can be a very competitive town.

Since moving to Park City in 1975, Barton founded the iconic late-night fast food chain Sconecutter, organized a cow ballet, hosted a drive-time radio show, saved the Egyptian Theatre from financial ruin and, most recently, was seen riding a camel through Main Street at the Miners Day parade.

“I was always involved with the Egyptian Theatre from the day that it was renamed the Egyptian in 1981,” Barton said. “I was never in charge but always there.” 

As a member of the Park City Players, Barton was involved at the theater as an actor and worked concessions at the Sundance Film Festival. 

Over the next few decades, Barton’s involvement around town ranged from television to concert promotion to radio. His TV show, “Park City Faces,” spotlighted the people and personality of Park City every weeknight live for nearly a decade. 

“It was really fun to do that show during the Olympics,” Barton said. 

For two weeks, the program filmed from Main Street instead of the usual studio, and Barton interviewed a horse. 

“I just love that we hosted the world,” Barton said, “and speaking of hospitality, we did such a marvelous job of it.”

After a stint on television, Barton moved to radio.

KPCW ran “The Local View” for four hours a day, five days a week for 20 years. During his time on the radio, Barton was known to make what he called “outlandish” statements. Outlandish, maybe. Radiantly positive, definitely. 

Barton said he would advise people to get out and learn to drive in the snow instead of being afraid of storms. During traffic jams, he’d tell listeners to embrace it, relax and enjoy the music. 

Barton was organizing a concert series in Salt Lake City in the ’90s and wanted to bring the same energy to Park City. In 1997, he started Mountain Town Stages. That evolved into Mountain Town Music, which programs, produces and fosters live music performances in the area. 

“Radio, theater, television, all kinds of at the same time as doing music and concerts. That was kind of my deal,” Barton said.

In 2009, Barton added “Saved the Egyptian Theatre” to his resume. 

“Everybody tells me, you know, ‘You saved the theater. Without you, it wouldn’t be there,’” Barton recalled. “I say, ‘Yeah, but I’m one of many, going all the way back to the 1800s, of people that would rise up and save the theater.’”

As Barton tells it, in the spring of 2009, the theater had closed and canceled all productions because it was out of money. The board of directors had in mind a schedule full of community theater programming, but Barton had a different vision. 

“I told them that was a bad decision for the community and (to) give me 90 days to show you what it should be,” he said. 

Barton luckily negotiated a contract at the beginning of the 90 days; the board tried to fire him three times during that period.

By the end of the three months, Barton had built a model of the theatre that still stands today.

“That is, something on stage every week, building a Pharaoh Club for the support of the theater and making the Egyptian the centerpiece of social life in Park City and a real gathering place,” he said. 

As Barton accepted his recognition, he proudly described the theater as “historic, authentic, intimate, genuine, social and, because of me, slightly irreverent.”

There are many opinions about what makes Park City unique. Is it the skiing, the history, the proximity to Main Street or the culture?

“(Arts and culture) has always been a part of Park City from the very beginning, and it is always what makes Park City a real town,” Barton said. “People talk about going to other ski areas, and what they love about Park City is it is real because of the dining, the arts, the culture, the history.”

If it were up to Barton, Park City would market itself as a “stationary cruise ship.”

“We have all the things that you would go on a cruise for: entertainment, shows, great food,” he said. “Base (the city) on that model. If somebody’s here, they’re going to be entertained.”

Barton is quick to share business strategies, and as a father of three, he’s well-versed in giving life advice.

“You know, I tell my kids and others, be careful with what you decide to do because you just might end up doing that and nothing else for the rest of your life,” Barton said. “I’ve done more than the arts. I’ve done business and I’m a runner. I’m a golfer. I have great joys. Best is being a parent, always.”

He enjoys what he calls “goof-off golfing,” a discipline of the sport where points aren’t counted and improvement isn’t the goal. Unlike his openness toward business matters, his favorite golf course is top secret.

Barton was recognized with a hospitality award, so why all the talk of entertaining? Entertainment and hospitality are one and the same, he said. Barton was born in Hollywood, after all.

“When you say that you’re entertaining tonight, that doesn’t have to mean that you’re dancing or on stage with a mic,” Barton said. “(When) you’re entertaining people, you’re bringing them into your home and showing them a nice time. Hosting is the same thing.”

According to Barton, entertaining and hosting go hand in hand with kindness and openness. 

“The divisiveness of the world is based on a lack of hospitality and ‘I will welcome anybody’ attitude,” he said.

As he accepted the Chamber/Bureau’s recognition, Barton reminisced about the days when he was new in town and faced with the common question: “So, how long have you been here?”

Barton said he feels like he’s on the other side of that question after 50 years in Park City. 

“People want you to talk about what makes you mad or upset, what you hate about the town,” he said. “But I love this town more every year.”

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Park City marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with a solemn ceremony that honored those who perished, recalled the heroism of first responders and noted the lingering health concerns of those who were there in the aftermath.

The Friday-morning ceremony, held outside the Park Avenue police station, started under overcast skies befitting the date and with a soft rain falling.

Area emergency agencies were well represented, and there were scattered members of the public in attendance. At least three members of the Park City Council — Tana Toly, Bill Ciraco and Molly Miller — were present, as was Park City Manager Adam Lenhard. Dana Williams, a former three-term mayor whose first campaign unfolded against the backdrop of Sept. 11 in the fall of 2001, was also in attendance.

The Park City Fire District brought two engines to the event, parked along the side of S.R. 224. The ladder of one of the engines, displaying a large American flag, was extended high into the air above the road.

The ceremony included protocol such as raising and lowering the American and Utah flags to half-staff outside the police station. There were moments of silence. Vaifoa Lealaitafea, a Police Department lieutenant, performed the national anthem. The event was similar to earlier ones marking Sept. 11 anniversaries. Speakers talked of never forgetting what occurred that day.

Snyderville Basin resident Scott Zink, a retired New York City Police Department sergeant who responded to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, was in the crowd and said afterward he was pleased with the ceremony.

“The event changed our country. It changed the world,” he said, describing that he does not want Sept. 11 to fade from memory. “If you forget history, it’s bound to repeat.”

Police Chief Wade Carpenter delivered stirring remarks, speaking to the crowd about the heroism that day.

“Twenty-five years ago, on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, our nation was shaken to its core. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were acts of unimaginable cruelty, yet they revealed extraordinary courage and resilience of the American spirit,” he said.

Carpenter added: “In New York City, the towers burned and the streets filled with smoke and fear. Hundreds of firefighters, police officers and emergency medical personnel ran toward danger. They climbed the stairwells in the twin towers guided only by the duty of unshakable commitment to save lives. Many never made it back. Their sacrifice is etched in history of our nation and in the hearts of every American who witnessed their selfless bravery.”

He spoke about the illnesses some first responders at the scene have suffered in the years since Sept. 11, saying there are frequent death notifications filed involving people who suffered illnesses afterward.

“We also honor the citizens lost, families left behind and spouses, children and parents — the loved ones — who will forever be changed. Their strength over the last 25 years is a continuation of the courage we saw that day,” Carpenter said.

The police chief recalled Americans coming together after the attacks.

“As the years continue to pass, fewer people will have personal memory of that day. That makes our responsibility to remember all the greater. We owe the people that lost their lives. We owe the first responders who gave everything. And we owe the generations to come after us,” Carpenter said. “So, today, we take a moment to remember. We remember the lives lost. We remember the families who carry this loss. We remember the first responders who ran toward danger. We remember the strength we found in one another. We remember a nation came together in grief. We remember the men and women who answered the call to serve our country in the years to follow. Let us teach the next generation the stories of these heroes so that their courage echoes far beyond our time.”

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In 2022, Park City was amid a debate about a development proposal in the area of Quinn’s Junction known as Studio Crossing.

The project, when it was under review at the Marsac Building and later approved, had a large number of housing units set aside for the workforce. It was a proposal that was seen as advancing Park City leaders’ efforts to create housing options for rank-and-file workers who would otherwise be priced out of the community’s resort-driven real estate and rental markets.

Jennifer Wesselhoff, the president and CEO of the Park City Chamber/Bureau, was one of the figures who provided input to the Park City Planning Commission during the Studio Crossing discussions. Her written input was broad in nature and not exclusively centered on Studio Crossing, but it was nonetheless an impassioned argument in favor of workforce housing.

“The high price of Park City housing is woven into every aspect of our lives to harmful effect, pricing out service workers and up-and-coming Parkites, and our seniors, whose options have been drastically reduced,” Wesselhoff said in the submittal, written on Chamber/Bureau letterhead.

She added: “Businesses’ ability to hire and retain employees is increasingly negatively impacted by the lack of affordable housing,” and workers in Park City “often have no choice but to commute long distances to find housing.”

Four years later, the Chamber/Bureau recently provided another round of input about a different development proposal, this one involving the Park City municipal government as part of a partnership with a Chicago-area firm.

The project is proposed on municipal acreage stretching inward from the southwest corner of the intersection of Bonanza Drive and Kearns Boulevard. It is designed with 88 units of income-restricted rentals as well as rentals without income restrictions and other elements. Wesselhoff signed the correspondence endorsing the proposal on behalf of the Chamber/Bureau board of directors amid the ongoing Planning Commission review.

“Without workforce housing, Park City will become less authentic, potentially losing our community character, losing the grit and tenacity that enabled us to evolve from a mining town to the vibrant recreational community we are now,” it said.

The Chamber/Bureau is a highly influential institution in the tourism industry, marketing Park City nationally and internationally as a year-round destination. It works to attract an array of visitors — skiers, conventioneers, arts enthusiasts, athletes and others. The organization, though, has sometimes been seen as narrowly focused on tourism generation at the expense of issues commonplace to the workforce in that sector. Boosting visitation has long been the overarching role of the Chamber/Bureau, but Wesselhoff has in some ways seemed to advocate for the workforce that is critical to the functioning of many aspects of the tourism industry.

“The Chamber exists to advocate for a healthy local economy and a thriving community, and you can’t have either without a workforce that can afford to live here. When we advocate, we’re representing the businesses that are struggling to hire and retain employees — the restaurants, the hotels, the shops, the ski instructors, the healthcare workers. Their voices don’t always make it into the public comment record, because they’re working. So part of our role is to make sure decision-makers hear from the business community,” Wesselhoff said in a prepared response to a Park Record inquiry about the Chamber/Bureau input regarding housing.

Wesselhoff said the Chamber/Bureau sometimes acts on topics aligning with the organization’s legislative policy agenda.

“In other cases, we take specific issues to the Board and get their direct feedback, and (ultimately) they can decide to take a position. For Bonanza Park, the item was discussed at a board meeting and it was voted to take a position,” Wesselhoff said. “The Board looked at the location — near transit, schools, grocery stores, a central intersection. They considered the open space commitment, which is nearly 70% of the site and considered the history of this parcel specifically: it was purchased with transient room tax dollars, with a commitment to create something that benefits both visitors and the community. So, our statement reflects all of that.”

Wesselhoff, meanwhile, addressed what she sees as the success of the Chamber/Bureau efforts in support of housing.

“I think we’ve been effective at making the case clearly, and I’m proud of that. What’s harder — and this is true for everyone in this conversation, not just the Chamber — is shifting the broader community dynamic around housing,” she said. “Park City has seen project after project face intense neighborhood opposition. I think there’s genuine community support for affordable housing in the abstract. The challenge is translating that support into specific projects at specific locations. That’s a longer conversation, and we’re committed to being part of it.”

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The Bonanza Park development partnership on Wednesday outlined some details of the commercial aspects of the proposal, providing a building-by-building breakdown of the possibilities for the ground floors.

The partnership, involving the Park City municipal government and a Chicago-area firm called Brinshore Development LLC continued the talks with the Park City Planning Commission at a meeting at the Marsac Building. It is unclear when the panel will be prepared to cast a vote, but the meeting covered a range of issues that will be important to the eventual vote. The Planning Commission did not hold a hearing on Wednesday, likely contributing to a smaller crowd compared to some recent meetings.

The partnership showed a slide that provided information about the plans for the spaces on the ground floors of the buildings. It was among the highlights of the meeting, as the partnership attached square footages to the spaces. Brinshore Development LLC said afterward the numbers could be tweaked.

The slide, though, offered at least a preview of the possibilities. The breakdown includes:

• Building 1 has 4,300 square feet of childcare space and 2,188 square feet in a leasing office.
• Building 2 has 7,160 square feet of art studios.
• Building 3 has 3,689 square feet of fitness-studio space, which would be open to the public.
• Building 4 has a retail lease covering 2,140 square feet and a cafe lease with 2,200 square feet.
• Building 5 has 5,516 square feet of retail lease that could be divided into two.
• Building 6 has a restaurant lease of 2,100 square feet and a retail lease of 2,592 square feet. The retail space could be divided into two.
• Building 7 has an art pavilion of 2,563 square feet.

The proposal largely locates the buildings on the perimeter of the approximately 5 acres, which stretch inward from the southwest corner of the intersection of Bonanza Drive and Kearns Boulevard. The buildings would surround other aspects of the proposal, like an amphitheater, a commons, a fitness lawn and groves. Two of the acres are described as open space.

The overall proposal includes:

• 88 units of income-restricted rentals.
• 18 rentals without income restrictions.
• More than 30,000 square feet for a variety of tenants, such as retailers, restaurants, cafes and art spaces for not-for-profit organizations.
• A childcare location.

The municipal government owns the land and tapped Brinshore Development LLC as a partner. Park City leaders see the proposal as an important element of the municipal government’s housing efforts, which are seen as having benefits like increasing socioeconomic diversity and reducing commuter traffic.

There is organized opposition to the proposal, with some pressing Park City leaders to instead create park space at the location. Testimony in support of the proposal at earlier meetings of the Planning Commission has broached topics like creating housing opportunities for those otherwise priced out of Park City’s resort-driven real estate and rental markets. Critics have countered with concerns about traffic increases and the designs.

The development team and the Planning Commission spent limited time on Wednesday addressing the commercial elements of the proposal. The development team, as an example, mentioned the commercial tenants could be open from the morning to the evening. That, the Planning Commission was told, could spread out the traffic headed to and from the commercial spaces through the day.

The development team, meanwhile, showed a slide that explained the desired mix of tenants that would be housed in the commercial spaces. Some of the points, as written, included:

• “Targeting tenants whose busy times are staggered throughout the day.”
• “Services, wellness, retail, food, and fitness spreads variability with access/demand.”
• “Appropriate mix helps reduce car visits by having patrons visiting multiple businesses on one trip.”
• “Targeting different tenants from surrounding developments encourages non-motorized transit between neighborhood properties.”

Another slide shown to the Planning Commission called for creating a “Third Space — places that aren’t home or work, but a welcoming, flexible environment where the community naturally gathers.” It listed possibilities like a brewery or taproom, a restaurant or cafe, a bicycle and outdoor store, and a fitness studio.

The slides that were displayed on Wednesday followed another batch of information about the commercial possibilities provided by the partnership as the meeting approached. Some of the earlier information was similar to what was shown at the meeting, including a statement saying: “The site design, leasing plan, and the programming and activation are designed to work together as placemaking to create a ‘Third Place’ for community gathering. The Third Place planning concept is meant to build community by providing a safe place to connect that is not home or work (or online). A Third Place is where locals can meetup, engage in activities, communicate, and be recognized as familiar neighbors, creating a sense of community and belonging.”

It is not clear when the Planning Commission will be prepared to cast a vote. There were comments on Wednesday from panelists about the proposal being consistent, at least broadly, with the municipal General Plan, an overarching document that guides growth in the community.

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There could someday be a promenade along busy Bonanza Drive as it extends southward from the Kearns Boulevard intersection.

And there may be a variety of businesses located in the promenade should a development proposal involving the Park City municipal government be approved. The proposal includes 88 units of income-restricted housing as well as commercial businesses and green space.

As discussions continue about the proposal, a partnership involving the municipal government and Brinshore Development, LLC has provided a description of the commercial possibilities.

The partnership, in a written response ahead of a Sept. 9 meeting, addressed questions and comments raised by the Park City Planning Commission during an earlier discussion. The response outlined the thinking behind the commercial spaces, including the sorts of businesses that may ultimately be located within a Bonanza Park development.

The business mix, according to the response, would include a restaurant, a coffee shop, retail spaces, a gym and a daycare location that would operate as a nonprofit. There would also be an “arts workshop and not for profit arts studio spaces,” the response says. The presence of arts spaces is notable after an earlier concept for the land — an arts and culture district anchored by the Kimball Art Center and the Utah offices of the Sundance Institute — was scrapped.

“The retail spaces aligned along the Bonanza frontage and multiuse pathway will create the Bonanza Promenade with a line of storefronts activating the street frontage and encouraging pedestrian activity,” the response says.

The retailers would open up to the road as well as the central green space, it says.

The southern end would be anchored by a restaurant, while the northern end anchor would be a coffee shop and deli.

The response outlines that the lease rates of the retail spaces would “be at market rate so as not to subsidize or unfairly compete with adjacent developments.” That statement will likely be of note to commercial properties in the vicinity of the land since subsidized lease rates could be more attractive than the rates attached to nearby buildings.

The approximately 5 acres, stretching inward from the southwest corner of the intersection of Bonanza Drive and Kearns Boulevard, are located close to commercial properties in Prospector and the Iron Horse district. There would also be a rental rate for not-for-profit arts studios that would be lower than the rates charged to retailers, it says.

The response also includes two passages explaining the vision for a strategy for leasing the commercial spaces. The passages:

• “The leasing strategy is to create a rich mix of local services, provided by both new and existing local businesses, to create a Third Place community gathering place that supports both the arts and the local community. Our leasing agent will focus on recruiting local businesses that serve the neighborhood and residential tenants.”
• “The site design, leasing plan, and the programming and activation are designed to work together as placemaking to create a ‘Third Place’ for community gathering. The Third Place planning concept is meant to build community by providing a safe place to connect that is not home or work (or online). A Third Place is where locals can meetup, engage in activities, communicate, and be recognized as familiar neighbors, creating a sense of community and belonging.”

The proposal includes:

• 88 units of income-restricted rentals.
• 18 rentals without income restrictions.
• More than 30,000 square feet for a variety of tenants, such as retailers, restaurants, cafes and art spaces for not-for-profit organizations.
• A childcare location.
• 2 acres of open space.

The Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss the proposal again at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Marsac Building. More information about the meeting is available on the municipal website, parkcity.gov. The direct link is: parkcity.gov/?event=102.

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A 24-year-old man has been ordered to leave the United States after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a Park City High School student.

Third District Judge Richard Mrazik sentenced Conrrado Ahuexoteco to 48 months of probation after he pleaded guilty to third-degree forcible sexual abuse, according to court documents. He also ordered Ahuexoteco, who was in the United States illegally, to leave the country.

A misdemeanor charge for obstruction of justice was dropped in return for the plea, and Mrazik signed a continuous protective order preventing Ahuexoteco from contacting the teenage girl he assaulted.

The girl, who was a Park City High School student at the time of the assault, reported the incident two days after it happened in late February, according to court documents. She agreed to a medical examination, and nurses noted her body had signs of injuries. The girl also showed investigators an Instagram account she’d found that appeared to belong to Ahuexoteco.

The girl told detectives that she went to her friend’s house near the school and was in bed, watching videos on her phone, while her friend took a shower. Ahuexoteco, who was referred to in court documents as the friend’s 24-year-old ex-boyfriend, also came to the house and asked the girl if he could watch videos with her.

He then proceeded to get into bed and touched her inappropriately despite the girl repeatedly telling him to stop.

The Park City Police Department interviewed two other minors who were at the home when the incident happened. Both said they saw Ahuexoteco in the bed with the girl. They told detectives they didn’t see the assault happen, but the girl told them about it afterward.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for Ahuexoteco’s DNA and went to his residence, but Ahuexoteco said his name was Jose and provided officers with a different unit number than the one he lived in when confronted.

The unit number he provided was on the other side of the apartment complex, but detectives watched Ahuexoteco walk into a unit with a different number than the one he’d just described. The unit he entered was the apartment they believed Ahuexoteco lived in based on his car registration.

Officers arrested and interviewed Ahuexoteco, who claimed to have met the girl two or three times. However, he insisted he “never really talked” to her and denied that he was the friend’s ex-boyfriend.

Ahuexoteco has been held in the Summit County Jail without bail since his arrest. Court documents did not indicate how the Summit County Attorney’s Office will ensure Ahuexoteco leaves the country to comply with his sentencing.

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