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Show A-19 Viewpoints. THE PARK RECORD I WED/THURS/FRI, AUGUST 22-24, 2007 EDITORIAL YOU WILL BE VISITED B 6H0STS OF WINERS PAS WHICH, YOU WILL BE THINKING MORE ABOUT SAFETY AND LESS ABOUT EFFICIENCY AND PROFIT! Animal cruelty: no one should be exempt tah ranchers and farmers pride themselves on their agricultural heritage and on their connection to the land and their livestock. If that is the case, they should welcome proposed new legislation that would increase penalties for those convicted of abusing animals. Instead, at today's special session of the Utah Legislature, they will be lobbying for an agricultural exemption from two bills intended to crack down on those who abuse pets and livestock. A new rule dubbed "Henry's Law" is one of a handful of bills being considered on Capitol Hill today and, despite its benign sounding intent, promises to be hotly debated. If adopted, S.B. 1001 would make animal abuse a felony on the first offense and would impose a $5,000 fine on violators. The bill received majority support in the state Senate last January but didn't make it to the floor of the House before the session ended. Critics say the bill, named after a dog that had been severely abused, was intentionally waylaid by a group of representatives who opposed it. Since January, a milder version of S.B, 1001, S.B. 1002 has been introduced that would give offenders a second chance before facing a felony.That bill is sponsored by Sen. Allen U Christensen (R-North Ogden) who represents a substantial part of eastern Summit County. Among those calling for the lesser penalty is Representative Mel Brown (R-Coalville) who also believes ranchers and farmers should be exempt. According to Brown, existing rules governing agriculture are sufficient and the proposed penalties are excessive. He is not alone. A recent televised video clip of a rancher roughing up a bull to get it to move raised an outcry among animal lovers. The criticism was quickly countered by ranchers who said regular pet owners didn't understand livestock. The same reasoning is likely to be played out in today's legislative debate. It is probably true that it takes more leverage to move a bull than a dog, but once authorities determine that animal management has crossed the line into abuse, the penalties should be the same regardless of species. Horse and cattle owners have long demanded more lenient rules for themselves when it comes to animal control. In the past they have opted out of local leash and licensing laws saying work animals deserve special treatment. But, in the eyes of the law, when it comes to animal cruelty, violators shouldn't get a second chance. JOHN KllBOVRWPARK RECORD LETTERS TO THE EDITOR They made women's golf tournament happen Editor: A BIG thank you to all who helped make the Utah State Women's Amateur golf tournament a success. THANKS to the Park City Golf Club who hosted the tournament, Hotel Park City, Legacy Lodge, all the generous sponsors, and all the volunteers who donated their time for this event. THANKS to all the players who participated and endured the rain delay on the last f' day of the tournament. And THANKS to all the media who covered the tournament [« and especially to Adia and Scott for their coverage in the Park Record. Thank you ALL for supporting JJ women's golf in Utah! Clndi Chittenden Susie Williams Beckie Boudreaux i Utah State Women's Amateur Relay For Life has strong finishing kick Editor: The planning committee for Park City's 5th Annual Relay For Life wants to thank the Park City community for helping us not only achieve our goal of raising $50,000 for the American Cancer Society, but surpassing it by more than double. As of the end of the Relay at 6 a.m. on Saturday, August 18, we had raised over $105,000! A huge round of applause go out to a long list of groups and individuals who made this possible: • Teams, volunteers, committee mem'bers, sponsors, silent auction donors, contributors, vendors, entertainers and visitors who contributed and/or participated in the event • Mayor Dana Williams and members of our city management who procured us the incredible venue of the Sports Complex at Quinn's Junction • Stacey Noonan and the Park City Ice Arena for allowing us 10 hours of special ice events • Local media for helping us get the word out there. Most of all, thanks to the cancer survivors and the families and friends of victims who keep us committed to continuing events such as this until we find a cure, and who inspire us to hope. See you at next year's Relay For Life! Susan Morreli Relay For Life Publicity Chair Vacating public land is not in the public interest Editor On August 30th, the City Council and Planning Commission will meet jointly to consider a request by Park City Development Corp. to vacate 8,000 sq ft of '*' platted unbuilt McHenry Ave for the proposed Echo Spur Subdivision on Rossie Hill. This public right-of-way is one of the few open spaces left in our Historic District and has remained undeveloped for all these years due to serious topography and access challenges. I would trust that any consideration by the Council members of vacating undeveloped public land for private real estate development would be undertaken only when there was clear and undisputed benefits for the citizens of our City - such as an exchange for other open space or preservation of open space within the development parcel for public use, and even perhaps, in times of fiscal need, the sale of public land at fair market value. This subdivision proposal does not, in my judgment, offer any benefit to the City or its Citizens that would justify vacating public property. The developer's offer to build a short extension of Shorty's Stairs above Ontario Ave. in exchange for the vacated land does not begin to approach fair and equitable consideration and would serve no one other than the residents of Echo Spur. It would appear that the only party benefiting from such an exchange White Pine has been there for us twice. They are the best. Alice K. Puleo Park City Your generosity is appreciated Editor: Thank you to Park City Women's Golf Association and the Community for their support of the 21st annual Women's Invitational Golf Tournament benefiting Image Reborn Foundation and breast cancer research! A HUGE thank you goes out to the Park City Women's Golf Association, and the 2007 Invitational Committee for making such a generous donation to Image Reborn Foundation. Our portion of the would be the developer. •• • • '• ' proceeds from the tournam en twill be used Last month a petition, signed by 122 to expand our program and add additional Park City homeowners, was submitted to retreats for women who have been diagthe Planning Commission urging the City nosed with breast cancer, with an added Council to preserve the McHenry Ave. emphasis on special retreats for younger open space and to instruct the Planning women, ages 20-39, who are suffering from Commission to work with the Applicant to this disease. find alternatives to the current proposal Also many thanks to Sheila Tucker for that are more harmonious with the topog- coordinating the volunteers from the raphy of the parcel and consisted with the University Health Care Redstone Center, character of the surrounding neighbor- the volunteers from Image Reborn, the hood. Park City Golf Club, and the sponsors, all I would hope that our elected officials of whom helped to make this event such a will give this issue their most serious con- success. sideration. The many women we can continue to serve by providing healing retreats, at no charge to participants, are the ultimate Bill Tew recipients of all your hard work. On behalf Park City of the survivors, the Board of Directors and me, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your devotion to the cause. When the porcupine struck, White Pine was there Editor: In response to Robert Dickson's suggestion that the local veterinarians create an after-hours on-call team to provide 24/7 animal medical services: perhaps he is not going to the best veterinarian. We moved here in 2000 and have been using White Pine veterinarians. Most of our visits have been routine, but last November, the evening before Thanksgiving, our Alaskan Malamute had a 10:30 p.m. rendezvous with a HUGE porcupine. We called White Pine and within 10 minutes the vet on duty called us back and said he would meet us at White Pine in 15 minutes. We arrived in 10 minutes, the clinic was lit up and Rick Sickelsmith was waiting for us at the door. We retrieved our dog on Friday - the porcupine had done extensive damage - with the warning that more quills might surface, as they had been injected very deep. Sure enuf, Sunday morning at 6 a.m. dogger wakes us up pawing at his mouth. We could see more quills pushing out, but there was nothing we could do. He wouldn't hold still, and we are not surgeons. Another call to White Pine. The vet on duty met us at the door and Parley was off for another round of anesthesia and quill removal. I can't imagine driving to Salt Lake City with a frantic 120pound dog with a facefull of porcupine quills. Record welcomes letters to the editor on any subject. We ask that the letters adhere to the following guidelines:They must include the address and telephone number of author. No letter will be published under an assumed name. (They must not contain libelous material. Writers are limited to one letter every 28 idayjL Letters should not be longer than 300 words (guest editorials, 550 words) and should if possible, be typed. We reserve the right to edit letters if they are too long or if they contain statements we consider unnecessarily offensive or obscene. In addition, th(ank you letters are limited to six businesses and/or individuals with regar^jo 1 businesses and event sponsors. editor@parkrecord.com Sincerely, Benjamin Mixson Park City Habitat gala was a team effort We're not contagious The Park Record Online Poll Cast your vote at www.parkrecord.com Is it OK 2 txt @ ski? Can a teen survive a whole class period without text messaging a friend? Should cell phones be banned at school or are they an essential part of a kid's kit? Total Votes = 23 1 need throughout our community through your support and love. Thank you so much to all in attendance, our sponsors, and volunteers! Best regards, Julie Bernhard Executive Director Habitat for Humanity Summit & Wasatch Counties The Park Record Staff PUBUSHER Andy Bemhard Editor Nan Chalat-Noaker Staff writers Jay Hamburger Pat Parkinson Joe Lair 90 Ar^iSSf ^.„ * Dan Bischoff e Frank Fisher Contributing writers Tom Clyde Teri Orr Jay Meehan Joan Jaeobson Silvia Leavltt Linda Jager Lisa Nyren Steve Phillips Editor's assistant Tracte Fails Copy editor David Hampshire ADVERTISING Classified advertising Bridget Morgan Editor: Friday night's Habitat for Humanity Building Dreams Gala for Summit and Wasatch Counties was a major success on Donna Creighton all levels. We had a surprisingly strong Executive Director turnout for an end of the summer event Image Reborn Foundation and raised even more donations than Park City, Utah expected. Thank you to the Miller-Adrians for providing an elegant yet inviting atmosphere for the event. It was a lovely evening of socializing with friends old and new. I considered each guest a personal friend. Your presence meant a great deal to me. A special heartfelt thank you to all who Editor: As I took my Saturday morning stroll to attended. Pulling off an event of such magnitude is the Main Street Post office and newsstand at the Bus Station I picked up a Park never easy. Hats off to Christina Miller and Record. Once home I opened the paper to Debbie Dorius, Habitat board members another article regarding a debate about and co-chairs of the event, for accomplishlow-income housing. Earlier in the week I ing an event that was refreshing and creread a letter to the editor, completely mis- ative. Thanks so much for making the taken and full of false grasps at truth, evening special for everyone. Plus, gala committee members Annette Baker, Joan regarding issues of affordable housing. When I applied to the units on lower Edwards, and Crystal Orgill were key conDeer Valley Drive I was informed that I tributors in making the event a success as must live (and work) in Park City, the unit well. will appreciate only 3% annually, and will Our incredibly supportive community only be resold to qualified applicants. If I came together once again to make this chose to purchase a piece of property in event a great one! Habitat for Humanity order to flip it for profit I must have gone for Summit & Wasatch Counties is able to provide affordable housing for families in :ThePark I elsewhere. If there is concern regarding the effect of these units on the surrounding area please look across the street where 3bedroom units are currently hovering around 1.5 million and rising steadily. This debate is not restricted to Park City. In a recent Mother Jones article similar cases are popping up all around the country. Thjs is a real issue and the merits of the argument are frequently turned into emotional hysteria by our favorite Not-InMy-Backyard personalities. The current housing market and the market instability it is causing nationally should be a sign to educated people that housing has grown too expensive too quickly, is not sustainable at this rate, and forward-thinking organizations who choose to address these issues should be applauded for their ability to address reality for their entire community ... not just those who are over-leveraged and depend on the value of their homes to increase. My complex is filled with well-educated, 100% Caucasian, nice and clean people. Next time you're taking a ski lesson, considering which bottle of Cabernet will go well with your entree, or generally talking with anyone who works in this town, beware, it may be one of the people living in the Urban Ghetto provided by Park City. Thank you for your attention. If school is for learning then cell phones are part of the deal. Kids have to figure out for themselves and when to use them appropriately. 4 Votes 17% Cell phones should stay in the students' lockers to be used during recesses and for emergencies. 12 Votes 52% 1 All personal electronic devices should be banned at school. They are becoming a pervasive distraction. 7 Votes 31% Office manager Circulation manager Accounting manager Advertising director Advertising sales Christin Hicks Peppi Green Lacy Brundy Kristi Ruppert Valerie Doming Wendy Halliday Teresa Chavez Annie Macdonald Lori Gull Steve Aldous Jennifer Musial Nicole Graham Arwa Jundi Nikki Norton Editorial production Photographers Scott Sine Sarah Ause Production director Matt Gordon Production Scott Schlenker Becky Larsen Ann Marie Kloogh Tawnya Cazier Casey Sowul Joshua Greenberg Sara Ely Seth Cahil PRESS ROOM General Manager Head Pressman Pressman Pre-press Controller Office Staff Bill Olsen Don Femey Jimmy Elkins Mike Hall Valerie Warte Sandy Trost Mail Room Ethel Bradford Distribution Marilyn Case Ray Scoggins Mike Fischer Antonio Contreras Cartoonist John Kilbourn Contents of the The Park Record are copyright © 2007, Diversified Suburban" Newspapers. All rights reserved. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written consent of the managing editor or publisher. The Park Record (USPS 378-730) (ISSN 0745-9483) is published twice weekly by Diversified Suburban Newspapers, 1670 Bonanza Dr., Park City, Utah. Periodicals Postage paid at Park City, Utah. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Park Record, Box 3688, Park City, Utah 84060. Entered as second class matter. May 25, 1977 at the post office in Park City, Utah 84060, under the Act of March 3, 1897. Subscription rates are: 1 year, $37, 6 mos., $25 (inside Summit County); 1 year, $70, 6 mos. $45 (outside Summit County). Subscriptions are transferable; $5 cancellation fee. Phone (435) 649-9014 or fax (435) 649-4942. Published every Wednesday and Saturday. Home delivery subscriptions in Summit County include delivery of the Sunday edition of The Salt Lake Tribune. There are no other service options available. |