Wed/Thurs/Fri, August 5-7, 2020 The Park Record W AY WE WERE A local voice, 40 years on Green Tips We love green grass, but at what cost? Many personalities have made KPCW successful MARY CLOSSER BARBARA BRETZ Park City Museum researcher KPCW’s broadcasting of news, weather and music is thanks to many different voices. Randy Barton, current host of “The Local View” since 2005, joined as a volunteer in 1986. He recalls Blair Feulner and Susan Finegan were the heart and soul of the station along with a force of rowdy volunteers. Few constraints were placed on the volunteer Air Force, other than legal restrictions relating to obscenity, editorialization and libel. “I have fine memories of program directors trying to ‘reign in’ the volunteer DJs. There were some real characters on the air,” Barton said. “There wasn’t much in terms of staff and most work was done by 3 p.m. daily. Lots of changing faces over the years.” Some of those early voices were known for a particular genre: Summit County Treasurer Bob Williams and his classical music, Police Chief Frank Bell playing folk tunes, and rock ‘n’ roll with “the Rattler” — a.k.a. Beth Fratkin. And some of those voices have been heard for 40 years now. Bill “Mr. Bill” Edwards has been on air with KPCW bringing us classic rock via LP records, CDs, tapes and mp3 files since the second month of operation. Fratkin started volunteering a few months after KPCW signed on the air. “I was always into radio and when I arrived here to find a local radio station, I was over the moon,” PARK CITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM, KPCW COLLECTION KPCW members, including Dan Wilcox at center and Glenn Steigmeyer on the right, doing a “live remote” on the back patio of the old Park City Ski Area lodge. she said. “For a few years I did a Friday midnight, or whenever, show from the old bunker in the Memorial building. We had two turntables and a mic in a spot about as big as a closet. The control board looked like the dashboard of a ’64 Chevy with maybe five pots or dials that brought the inputs in. There was also a reel-to-reel tape machine that was mostly used to edit the news and for production.” Former Program Director Don Gomes also encouraged board members, like Syd Reed, to have on-air presence. “He convinced me — pregnant with my second child — to go on the air with something I was familiar with,” Reed said. “So from 1980 to 1982 I had a cooking show, ‘T.T. Tillie’s Gourmet Tips,’ with quick, easy recipe ideas. I made the tapes in the studio at the projection room at the Memorial building or at home while the kids were sleeping. The DJs played them at noon and 6 p.m.” Barton recalls the early station observed “hospitality” at times during the shows — and invited folks to come and hang out. That open-door policy is another way KPCW was operated by locals for locals. “Programming was eclectic but always driven by local, local, local,” emphasized Barton. “Music programming has changed from ‘anything goes’ in the beginning to our current playlist.” In addition to providing music, and local personality-driven programs, KPCW was also dedicated to informing its audience with local news interviews and updates from day A-7 one. Station founder Feulner established a reputation for being a tough, but fair interviewer. During the morning local news, city officials and community leaders would answer Feulner’s questions live on the air. In September 1990, Leslie Thatcher joined the station as a reporter. She continues Feulner’s interviewing legacy on “The Local News Hour” every weekday. Rick Brough joined KPCW from The Park Record in the late ’80s, and has covered local planning commissions and County Council meetings for the past 30 years. The station has also been an NPR affiliate for decades, carrying “Morning Edition” and NPR headlines at the top of every hour, but the local voices are what continue to drive KPCW. Recycle Utah Circles and cycles have always intrigued me — through nature, fashion, real estate and more. Perhaps our lust for lush, green grass may also become a cycle? The desire started in the 17th century with cultivated ground cover of chamomile and thyme in France and England. Hooved “lawnmowers” of sheep and cattle naturally fertilized and cropped the lawns for medieval castles. Transitioning to the 19th century, it was only wealthy landowners who could afford human labor to scythe and weed the green, expansive spaces. It was George Washington and Thomas Jefferson who tried to emulate the English country estates by bringing it to their own — soon to be emulated by many in our country as a sign of wealth. The lawnmower was invented in 1830 and the first American golf course, a Scottish import, appeared in 1888 in New York. It wasn’t until after WWII that monocultured green grass became a fixture of developing suburbs — the American Dream. Now less of a status symbol and more of a landscape aesthetic, suburbanization intensified the need for lawn maintenance involving more fertilizers, pesticides and precious water — changing the ecology of the lawn. Grass is the most grown crop in the United States. A manicured lawn indicates homeownership, neighborly acceptance and makes us feel good. Lawns require equipment, time, knowledge, chemicals, money and water. However, is the American Dream starting to change? Are we trending towards more ecological and financially efficient natural plants and grasses, veggie gardens and diverse landscapes? Are we starting to wake up to a drought-tolerant and practical reality? Perhaps we can return as a cycle to drought tolerant grasses, groundcovers, sheep, goats and other natural lawn mowers? Recycle Utah, your community nonprofit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit its website for more information — recycleutah.org. Zion investigates park vandalism ASSOCIATED PRESS SPRINGDALE — Zion National Park rangers are seeking information about vandalism at the park after several blue squares were found painted on the sandstone, authorities said Friday. Most of the paint was removed, but park staff often cannot restore vandalized sites to their former condition, said park spokesman Jeff Axel. Any vandalism to the parks is illegal, and repairing damaged sites can be costly and time consuming. The squares are believed to be part of a masonry or art project, Axel said. They were found in the northwest corner of the park, about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) south of the Wildcat Trailhead. Park rangers are seeking any information that can help identify those responsible. RETURN TO SCHOOL WITH PEACE OF MIND PSA offers a safe learning environment in line with CDC protocols to ensure uninterrupted learning opportunities for students grades 7 - 12. Peace of mind means limited, managed attendance, social distancing, ongoing sanitizing and scheduling to accommodate your child’s unique needs. • year-round schooling • individualized graduation pathway • flexible, structured and highly supportive learning environment • offering over 150 courses including AP, honors, and concurrent enrollment • scheduling to accommodate your extra curricular passion • NCAA accredited picabostreetacademy.com 435-714-1408 info@psa-edu.com 1762B Prospector Ave Get the top local news stories delivered directly to your inbox with a new weekly email update from The Park Record! Sign up now at bit.ly/prrecordroundup NOTICE OF PROPOSED TAX INCREASE The following taxing entities are proposing to increase property tax revenue within SUMMIT COUNTY. Data is based on the taxing entity’s average value shown below. The same value is used for both residential and commercial property. Concerned citizens are invited to attend the public hearings listed. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT THE INDIVIDUAL ENTITIES AT THE NUMBERS SHOWN BELOW. This list is for informational purposes only and should not be relied on to determine a taxpayer’s property tax liability. For specific property tax liability information the taxpayer should review their “Notice of Valuation and Tax Change”.