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Show SPORTS, B-2 IT WAS HER DESTINY TO BECOME THE DIRECTOR OF THE PARK CITY FILM SERIES SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR VIA THE INTERNET AT: PARKRECORD.COM/WRITEALEnER A PARKITE DOESN'T HAVE TO LEAVE HIS HOME MOUNTAIN TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP COLUMNS, A - 1 4 MEEHAT* THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM UKE.SLOAN ANYMORE . ; ; BUSINESS, A - 7 WANT A ROOM FOR PRESIDENTS DAY? IT MIGHT BE TOO LATE The PARK CITY, UTAH Park Record. W W W . P A R K R E C 0 R D . C O M Serving Summit County since 1880 Wed/Thurs/Fri, February 16-18, 2011 VOL.131* NO. 3 500 for the Swaner Bank unveils plans for the Claim Jumper Help with field trips, tours and land restoration Apartments, event space and a restaurant-nightclub could be put into historic building Volunteer Time for a trolley ride BY JAY HAMBURGER BY SCOTT IWASAKI Of the Record staff Of the Record staff The Swaner Preserve is comprised of 1,200 acres of land that was set aside in 1993 to protect open space and natural beauty and. provide a wildlife habitat. 1\vo years ago, the preserve opened a an EcoCenter, which is known as one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in Utah, and has a LEED (Leadership in Energy Environmental Design) platinum rating, said Savannah Wake, the Swaner Preserve's education program and volunteer coordinator. "The building itself a great learning example of how to build and live green," Wake told The Park Record. The mission of the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter is to preserve the land; educate the community and nurture the ecosystem. To do that, the organizations offer hosts school field trips building tours and land restoration sessions, all of which rely on volunteers. "One thing that is different than other organizations is that a lot of our volunteer opportunities are project based," Wake said. "They're not necessarily on-going, but take place once a year for three days or two weeks." Those who want to volunteer for the education programs will work mainly with the field trips, she said. "The bulk of them take place in February, March or May," Wake said. "Volunteers would sign up for one or how many field trips they want." The field trips run from two to two-and-a-half hours, she said. "The volunteer will host an activity station where the children stop and learn about wetlands, animal tracking and other different topics." There are usually up to 50 students on a field trip at a time, Wake said. "In the winter we offer snowshoe field trips and the spring we offer wetlands field trips," she said. "Both experiences are tied in to the students' core curricula they are learning in their classrooms." GRAYSON WZSVPARK RECORD Richard Barber, a driver for Park City Transit, steers the Main Street trolley up the street Tuesday morning. The Main Street trolley runs up and down the street from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. each day, starting at the Old Town transit center on Swede Alley every 15 minutes. Rides are free. Two dead in crash Friends speak out about the victims in the aftermath of accident outside Park City BY PATRICK PARKINSON Of the Record staff Angel Varreto said he was in a dance club in Salt Lake Saturday night when he received a phone call from his father. His dad told him his best friend had just died in a traffic crash a few miles outside Park City. Varreto said Kamas resident Jose Pineda, 23, was like a brother. The 21-year-old spoke to The Park Record in a telephone interview Tuesday. "My dad asked me, "Where are you?' Then he asked if I was with Jose," Varreto said. "I said, 'No.' Then he said that Jose had an accident." Varreto said he broke down in tears upon hearing the news. "I cried all the way back to Park City," Varreto said. "Jose was my best friend." The accident involved three vehicles and occurred on State Road 248 Saturday at about 8:30 p.m. Pineda was roughly five miles east of Park City when the Nissan Maxima he was driving west was struck head-on by an eastbound GMC Sierra driven by Orem resident Rick Ryan Hill, 35. Pineda and Hill died at the scene of the accident. Varreto said Pineda had only lived in the United States for a few years. He met Pineda about three years ago after Pineda moved to America from Mexico. The two worked as painters in the Park City area and played together on a soccer team in the Snyderville Basin. "He came all the way from Kamas to play in Park City," Varreto said. "He liked it here." Pineda lived in the Basin before he moved to Kamas a few months ago. Seconds after Hill collided with Pineda the truck slammed into a Honda Civic driven by Kamas resident Johnny Morales, 26. Morales' former sister-in-law said he suffered serious injuries to his neck and back. A medical helicopter flew Morales to a hospital in Salt Lake City. Francis resident Kim Blazquez said she met Morales about three years ago around the time she married his brother. Since then the couple have divorced but Blazquez and Morales have stayed close. She said Morales did not lose consciousness after the vehicles collided. "Physically, he looks a lot better than I expectPlease see TWo, A-2 Councilman says USSA would receive tax break if legislation is approved BY PATRICK PARKINSON Of the Record staff K 3 SECTIONS • 40 PAGES , Xlawifieda .Columns K,Editorial Events Calendar Legal* Letters to the Editor Movies Restaurant Guide Sports Scene Weather A A-7 C-9 A-14 A-15 C-6 C-11 ..A-15 Board like the wind GRAYSON WEST/PARK RECORD Kevin Dobson, left, of Park City takes advantage of the wind Tuesday morning while snowkrting near The Home Depot Patton Murray, a friend of his, catches the wind as well. C-4. t ,..C-7 ; B-1 C-1 B-2 iSMedlaNews Group NEWSPAPER Please see Renovation, A-2 Bill may influence dispute Please see Volunteers, A-2 > Business A Park City architect representing the ownership of the Claim Jumper building on Main Street last week filed papers at City Hall in anticipation of a major renovation of the historic building, a signal that the vacant property could someday reclaim its status as one of Park City's grandest historic buildings. Jonathan DeGray, the architect, submitted paperwork requesting officials review the designs against City Hall's strict Old Town guidelines. A team of staffers is scheduled to review the designs during a Wednesday meeting. The Planning Department said alterations on the outside would include changes to the look of the windows and masonry work. In a one-page letter to the Planning Department, DeGray provides a brief description of the plans for the Claim Jumper, 573 Main St. The letter said the blueprints envision the lower level becoming a restaurant or a nightclub. The main floor would become a lobby and space for special events. DeGray said in the letter. Two apartments would be built in the upper two levels, according to.the letter. Each apartment would occupy one floor, he said in the letter. In an interview, DeGray said the apartment on the third level could be as large as 2,800 square feet while the one on the second level could spread through 1,000 square feet. Meanwhile, an application was submitted to clear up underlying lot lines at the site, a common request in Old Town. The Park City FJahning Commission is scheduled to address the ,ot lines on Feb. 23. followed by the Park City Ogfincil. I "They're preliminary. Right now, we're trying K, figure out what we can do," said Billy Reed, a developer who represents the Claim Jumper ownership. He said the changes to the outside of the building would be minimal under the plans. The plans will likely be welcomed by various interest groups in Park City, with the Main Street businesses hoping the building opens again and Old Town enthusiasts anticipating the re-*emergence of a highly visible historic building. The Claim Jumper, one of the largest buildings on Main Street, sat abandoned for some time as the Arizona developer that owned the building considered redeveloping the property. 8 The dispute began more than a year ago when it was time for the United States Ski and Snowboard Association to pay its tax bill. At issue was whether USSA, a taxexempt non-profit organization, was required to pay property tax on the group's roughly $22 million headquarters at Quinn's Junction. Now the dispute might be resolved through legislation. What would Ansel think of two ordinary guys? 9493700001 7 I Non-profit groups in Utah that own property used for educational, charitable or religious purposes receive property tax exemptions from the state. USSA officials claimed one of the primary missions of their Center of Excellence is educating amateur athletes. But county officials claimed that to qualify for the property tax exemption the USSA needed to show that the organization's headquarters at Quinn's Junction are used exclusively for education. Members of the Summit County Council determined that education was not the exclusive use of the building and denied USSA's request. "We didn't understand how what they do is exclusively educational in the vague way that it is defined in the case law," Summit County Councilman Chris Robinson said. "It's not clear." Last year, ski team officials appealed the Please see Bill, A-2 Don Marlow and Seili I'itzcr, aulhors of "Yosemiic Our Way'* will share why landscape photography is challenging and prove even two ordinary guvs can bring home the elusive "money shot.' The I wo will be al Dolly's Rookslore. 510 Main Street, on Fndav. Fell. IS. al 1 p.m. |