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Show Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, April 25-28, 2020 A-3 The Park Record City Beat Look for me online at PropertyShopParkCity CITY EDITOR: JAY HAMBURGER 649–9014 EXT. 15711 | Citynews@parkrecord.com FaceBook Instagram Arts festival still scheduled R E A L E S TAT E I N S I G H T S . I N T H I S T I M E O F N E E D , W E ’ R E H E R E T O H E L P. As we all navigate through these unprecedented times, we remain a community looking to help one another when possible. I am offering my assistance to our Park City residents who might be high-risk individuals, families who are out of work, children who rely on school meals, etc. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any needs. I am here to help! M I C H A E L H AT Z G L O B A L R E A L E S TAT E A D V I S O R +1 4 3 5 9 0 1 - 0 7 2 1 w w w . M i c h a e l H a t z . R E A LT O R ©2020 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principals of the Fair Housing Act. If your property is currently represented by a real estate broker, this is not an attempt to solicit your listing. PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO The Park City Kimball Arts Festival, an annual summertime event, remains scheduled even as other special events in the summer have announced cancellations based on concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus. A Kimball Art Center representative says late May is the likely deadline for a decision about holding the event. Contingencies considered if the dates scrapped JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record The Park City Kimball Arts Festival, a special event that draws some of the largest crowds of the year, remains on the calendar for 2020 even as the organizers of other events that were scheduled for the summer have canceled amid the efforts to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. The not-for-profit Kimball Art Center, which uses the festival as a crucial fundraiser, said this week the dates remain intact. The event is scheduled from July 31 until Aug. 2, a Friday to Sunday. The arts festival takes place on Main Street with the road closed to traffic in favor of artist booths, food vendors and entertainers. The Kimball Art Center acknowledged the event is dependent on the public health circumstances. If restrictions remain in place prohibiting large gatherings, the event could not be held. Amy Roberts, a spokesperson for the Kimball Art Center, said discussions are ongoing with officials at City Hall, the County Courthouse and the state government. She said the Kimball Art Center is considering the possibility of contingency dates should the July 31-Aug. 2 schedule be scrapped. The contingency dates would be in the fall. Detailed dates were not available. Roberts said the Kimball Art Center needs to make a decision the “sooner the better” and said late May is the likely deadline for one. She said decisions by health officials that would prohibit the event would supersede those made by the Kimball Art Center itself. Roberts said the organizers remain “cautiously optimistic” about the event in 2020. The arts festival even after decades remains one of the signature events on the Park City calendar, drawing large crowds of Parkites, people from elsewhere in Utah and those from outside the state. They spend the weekend perusing the artist booths, listening to performers and dining against the backdrop of Main Street. The 2020 edition of the arts festival had been expected to be especially intriguing with the organizers earlier approaching City Hall with several significant proposed changes to the operations. The Kimball Art Center wanted to eliminate the $15 admission charge and increase the number of artist booths in an effort to recoup some of the revenues lost by eliminating the admission charge. The footprint under that concept would have extended artist booths on 9th Street in the direction of Deer Valley Drive. The Kimball Art Center engaged Mayor Andy Beerman and the Park City Council in discussions about the proposed change to the footprint late in 2019, but a decision was not made. Roberts, though, said the Kimball Art Center is no longer pursuing the extension of the artist booths and intends to charge for admission. She said the spread of the sickness influenced the decision against pursuing the operational changes. Park City officials had been expected to address the impact on municipal services such as transit since an increase in attendance would be anticipated if the admission charge is eliminated. The sides offered wildly divergent projections regarding potential attendance increases, with City Hall saying the jump could be extreme and the Kimball Art Center forecasting a modest rise. The arts festival is one of the later events of the summer, providing a slightly extended timeline for discussions about holding the 2020 event. It will almost certainly be a closely watched decision, though, given the arts festival’s standing as one of the city’s top special events. The arts festival in 2019 generated an economic impact of nearly $26.4 million, a jump of 13.1% from the previous year. The spending included lodging, meals, the sale of artworks at the event, entertainment and other unspecified purchases. The arts festival, it appears, would be an important event for the community if it is held, regardless of whether the dates are in the summer or in the fall. There have been high-profile cancellations of summertime events in recent weeks as organizers weigh the concerns about the novel coronavirus. The Tour of Utah bicycling race, which was scheduled to reach Park City and surrounding Summit County in August as the bicyclists pedaled toward a finish line on Main Street, was canceled in early April. The Park Silly Sunday Market, held on Sundays in the summer and fall, was canceled this week. Some of the other major events that remain on the calendar include the Independence Day celebrations in July and large youth baseball and softball tournaments later that month. There are also numerous concerts and smaller events slated for the summer. Business during the summer-tourism season trails the ski season by a wide margin, but the numbers have increased over time to make the warm-weather months a gainful stretch for the community. Parking zones suspended Drop-and-load indefinitely halted on Main Street VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY Snyderville Basin Open Space Advisory Committee (BOSAC) The Summit County Manager is seeking individuals to fill seven vacancies on the BOSAC Committee. Specifically, we are seeking members from each of the following groups: • Representative of the Snyderville Basin special recreation district • Real estate appraiser • Professional real estate agent • Local business representative • An at large community representative • Representative from the Summit County Weed Board • Representative from Mountain Trails Foundation The committee advises and provides input to the County Manager and the County Council regarding the creation, preservation, and identification of open space within the Snyderville Basin. The committee meets on the third Thursday morning of every month, or as needed. Interested applicants must submit your online application at: http://www.summitcounty.org/321/Volunteer-Boards For further information contact: Nancy Hooton at 435-336-3042. Deadline for applications is 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 6, 2020. We are open and taking all precautions for COVID-19 20% off labor during the month of April Specializing in the repair and maintenance of Audi, BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes, Porsche, Subaru, VW, Volvo And All Other Makes and Models Pick up and delivery service available Conveniently located in the heart of Park City behind Ritual Chocolate Over 30 Years Experience: Serving Park City Since 1989 Follow us on ( 2 8 8 6 ) 435-649-AUTO FAX: 435-649-2846 Mon-Fri: 8-530 1155 Iron Horse Dr • Park City JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record Park City officials suspended the controversial drop-and-load parking program in the Main Street core amid the steep decline in business as the novel coronavirus spread, and City Hall said this week there is no timeline for further talks about whether it will return. The drop-and-load zones debuted in late 2019, as the holidays approached, and were designed to reduce the amount of congestion and improve safety. A vehicle needed to have a City Hall-issued permit to use a drop-and-load zone, which allowed a driver to briefly stop to pick someone up or drop them off. The permits were available to anyone, but the transportation and lodging industries appeared to be the heaviest users. Jonathan Weidenhamer, who manages City Hall’s economic development programs, said the program has been suspended indefinitely. There is not a timeline for additional talks about the zones, he said, indicating other issues in the Main Street core, JAY HAMBURGER/PARK RECORD Park City covered drop-and-load parking signs in the Main Street core as part of the suspension of the controversial program. The indefinite suspension started amid the spread of the novel coronavirus. such as the paid-parking system, are expected to be addressed prior to the future of the drop-andload zones. The drop-and-load zones drew attention at their launch as numerous violations were logged with heavy enforcement. Some vehicles without the proper permit were towed from the zones in clear view of the Main Street crowds. The Historic Park City Alliance, the group that represents the interests of businesses along Main Street or just off the street, briefly addressed the drop-and-load zones in its plan for emerging from the decline spurred by the pandemic. The group calls for the elimination of the use of the drop-and-load zones in what it labels the recovery phase, the final of three phases outlined in the plan. There will be broad discussions about the economic recovery in coming months, with some of the talks focused on Main Street. Any talks about drop-and-load zones would likely be held in conjunction with other matters related to transportation and parking in the Main Street core. 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 Se Habla Espanol |