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Show VIEWPOINTS A-15 Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, October 11-14, 2014 Wed/Thurs/Fri, April 29-May 1, 2015 www.parkrecord.com EDITORIAL Never mind the dust and noise on Main Street this spring N LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Don't be rude, let other cars pass '14-'15 season passes should cover summer Editor: In response to Jeff Hommel's letter regarding road rage on April 22nd. Jeff I'm sorry you caused such a problem as to make this person react so violently. There should never be a reaction this extreme even when thoughtless inconsiderate people act so selfishly. This is a case where two fools met, and you were one of them. impeding the flow of traffic by blocking the left lane. ignoring the state statute that says you are obligated to give way to faster vehicles regardless of their speed. (Vehicle code: 41-6a-704.2,3.) In reality had you been considerate and aware of the drivers around you and obeyed the law this person would have passed by you without a second thought. How many drivers have you done this to? Did you ever wonder why people passing you give you dirty looks? The driver that pulled a gun on you was a problem, a real problem. But you were the cause of it. The roads are full of people like you. One doesn't have to drive far to see someone doing the same thing you did to all of the other drivers out there like Jeff. Learn from his mistake. If you're in the left lane with someone close behind you, pull into the right lane if it's clear and let them pass. Learn to be considerate. To whom It may concern at Vail Corp., I am disappointed that Vail Corp. is only including Park City/Canyons Summer lift privileges when buying ‘15-'16 season's pass, rather than including it with the ‘14-'15 season's pass. Powder Corp always included summer lift usage with the current year's pass... I understand that Vail is a much larger corporation. It just feels like a big, corporate decision based on revenue rather than what's better for your customers/ guests/locals. All of your marketing states that your improvements and decisions are based on the guest's experience. It doesn't feel like a "thank you" to your season pass holders for our financial investment in the past season, but a marketing statement: "if you want to use the mountain lifts, you must buy the next season's pass" (very early I might add). Please reconsider this policy. It would be viewed by the local community as an authentic ‘good will ‘ gesture, in keeping with one of the great benefits that POWDR CORP. gave all season pass holders. Bill Dark Park City Parkites need to get active on climate change Water Fest is a great way to educate Dear Editor, Thank you to all the presenters and volunteers who made the 16th Annual Water Festival possible on Thursday, April 16th. Recycle Utah welcomed more than 542 fourth graders from all Park City elementary schools as well as Park City Day School, Soaring Wings, Soldier Hollow and North Summit Elementary. The day included 22 presenters on topics related to water, from Snowpack and Wetlands to Pollution, Conservation and Wildlife. Protecting and conserving our precious water resources begins with education, and the Water Festival is a fun and engaging means of educating our fourth graders about the water issues. This event was made possible by Recycle Utah's collaboration with Vail Resort's EpicPromise. Tori Sowul Outreach Coordinator, Recycle Utah The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER Andy Bernhard Editor Nan Chalat Noaker Staff writers Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Adam Spencer Bubba Brown Angelique McNaughton Contributing writers Tom Clyde Jay Meehan Teri Orr Amy Roberts Steve Phillips Tom Kelly Joe Lair Copy editor Alan Maguire ADVERTISING Classified advertising Jennifer Lynch Office manager Tiffany Rivera Circulation manager Lacy Brundy Accounting manager Jennifer Snow Advertising director Valerie Spung Advertising sales Lori Gull Jodi Hecker Erin Donnelly Sara Pearson Lisa Curley Photographer Christopher Reeves Production director Lisa Powell Production Ben Olson Nadia Dolzhenko April Hendrix Jennifer Gardner Park City Editor: I was pleased to see Rabbi Judy Weiss' letter "Faith in the time of climate change" (April 16), in which she called on readers to respond to the moral imperative to address climate change. She reflected on Jay Meehan's op-ed that stressed the challenge of opposing those whose economic interests demand our continued dependence on fossil fuels. In contrast to these businesses, Park City has economic interests that are threatened by climate change. This past warm, dry winter is consistent with the trends of a warming climate and is a harbinger of the future. The more greenhouse gasses that civilization pumps into the atmosphere, the more warming and less snow we can expect. Less snow equals fewer skiers equals fewer jobs. While all individuals can respond to this moral and economic challenge by lowering their own consumption of fossil fuels, we need broad systemic change to address a problem of this scale. This is why the non-partisan, grass roots Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) is seeking a market-based solution that can be enacted by Congress and adopted by all nations. There are active CCL groups in Salt Lake City and Logan. Please contact us, get involved, and create Citizens' Climate Lobby-Park City. Interested readers can visit our website (http://citizensclimatelobby.org) and/or email us (saltlakecity@citizensclimatelobby.org). David Folland, M.D. Volunteer co-leader, Citizens' Climate Lobby-Salt Lake City A dog park that would be easy to build Dear Editor; As the town debates about locations for a dog park for residents, I am wondering if one of our current open space areas could be considered. The area I'm referring to is the section between the Olympic loop-di-loop statue off Hwy. 224 and Meadows Drive. The area is great for quite a few reasons: • The city already owns it and it is designated for open space. • It is almost completely fenced already. • There is a nice path that meanders ever mind the dust, the noise and parking spots that are fenced off on Swede Alley. A nice day, or evening, can still be had on Main Street. As the offseason wears on, Parkites should not ignore Main Street shops, restaurants and nightlife just because there may be some inconveniences. City Hall has started its upgrades for the year on or close to Main Street, an annual exercise meant to ensure the popular destination keeps up with the competition. The work this year is anticipated to be extensive. Steps away from Main Street, on Swede Alley, the City Hall plaza is under construction in the shadow of the Marsac Building. It is the centerpiece of the work plan for 2015. There will also be sidewalk and infrastructure improvements, landscaping installations and streetlight upgrades. All told, the price tag is anticipated to be nearly $1.6 million this year. There are also private-sector projects underway on Main Street or nearby, creating a construction-zone feel that stretches up much of the street and over to Swede Alley. The work is worthwhile. Main Street, still seen as an iconic part of the Park City tourism experience, has ben- efitted from the upgrades that were done earlier. It already is a more pleasant spot than it was just a few years ago. And Parkites should be excited about the City Hall plaza. It will hopefully turn into a place for a respite a block off Main Street. City Hall's investment in Main Street comes at a time when the private sector has also poured money into properties on the street. The Parkite, most notably, is a major upgrade from the building it replaced, the Main Street Mall, even if the construction was trying on nearby businesses. For their part, the stores, restaurants and nightclubs on Main Street seem to understand that the improvements will ultimately benefit them. There has not been organized displeasure with the work thus far, traffic seems to be flowing without much problem and people have been seen in the businesses. There is also plenty of parking left outside the construction zones to accommodate crowds. Park City officials scheduled much of the work during the spring and early summer, which are usually downtimes for tourism. Let's hope the busiest part of the summer season, starting around Independence Day, begins like a firecracker. GUEST EDITORIAL Baltimore should make all of us look inward MICHAEL WITTE Park City Baltimore, right now, is in a state of almost total collapse of "law and order". It is scary: the emotions regarding police vs. community have sooo outstripped reality, and it is only going to get worse. People, the media, all of us tend to view this literally-- that is, as an event-stimulated set of actions/responses by a host of participants with varying agendas. Stimulus-Response. That is what is reported and that is what the media analysis is. We might view all of this as "unbelievable" and "outrageous". Not acceptable from our view. Time for "kickin' butt and takin' names". Yes? I can relate…however… The real, untold and unspeakable, analysis is that we have created a dysfunctional and completely fraudulent System that is no longer trusted by a growing number-- some say a majority-- of its constituents. If dissected and judged for its principles and goals, and its utter lack of results, it runs counter to everything we hold dear. We are all starting to see, gradually, as all of us privileged white people need to do, that our System is falling far short of what we should reasonably expect in terms of reflecting our ideals as Americans. It is a beggar's cup none of us want to taste, if we care about our brothers and sisters, and our own dignity. Are there true and awful thugs among us? Without question, swarming all around! Are there con-artists, frauds, thieves, and all forms of human disappointments around us? Are there crooked cops? Are there crooked politicians and CEOs at every and all levels? Yes, Yes, Yes. That is no surprise and it is nothing new. So, what do we do-- what do you and me do in the face of through it. • Benches are already located along the trail for dog owners to sit and chat. • There is plenty of room for dogs to run happily in the fields. With the addition of a few gates, the area could be a dog heaven. In addition, the city would just have to add a spur of sidewalk around the outside of the area for those who want to avoid the leash-free zone, (bikers, runners, parents pushing strollers, etc.). There is plenty of parking both near the loop-di-loop statue and on Meadows Drive. And it is still within the city limits which would decrease the amount of drive time and carbon emissions from owners wanting to access the park. There may be a few days when the hay is being harvested when dogs would be banned from the park, but can you imagine the great vole hunting when the gates are reopened?! Kirsten Henry Fox Park City The Kimball thanks Vail for its support Dear Editor, I am writing on behalf of the Kimball Art Center to thank one of our most enthusiastic educational program supporters -- Vail Resorts. Through the EpicPromise community give back program, Vail Resorts has given over $7 million to more than 250 nonprofit community partners. As one of these lucky beneficiaries in 2014 the Kimball Art Center has been able to serve over 7,200 K-12 students through our largest free educational outreach program, Academic Resources for Teachers and Students (A.R.T.S.). The support we have received from EpicPromise has enabled the Kimball Art Center to provide unique and essential visual art education to almost 30 schools and 3,700 students (and counting!) across Utah since November 2014 alone. all of this? We all need to stand back, listen, and go inside ourselves. Deep inside. Can we make this better, with our hands, our hearts. our time and our money? Do we dare to acquire a personal understanding of how terrifying it is to be on the streets without food, money, employment or hope? Unable to feed and clothe our children? Sick, unable to afford healthcare, maybe dying and without options? No dignity, no bed, no help, no hope, no family, no friends? Do we dare to confront what we do not wish to see, and what our System refuses to address? Only the names of the victims and the government agencies change, but the travesty remains, which is our treatment of our racial minorities, our veterans, our disabled, our sick, our poor and our elderly. It is no wonder that this institutionalized callousness is reflected in our justice system at all levels; it is no wonder that we have Ferguson, and Baltimore. Can we learn to act instead of react? Can we use our enormous talents to give? Can we learn to be present enough to see the problems and address them, while we can? You can step up. Do this where you live. Build bridges. Give time. Do not think, for a moment, that you can turn back time and somehow the shiftiest all around us will go away. Move forward. Make love to the world, and in that act you will finally learn to love yourself. That is your salvation. You, and your choices and actions, are our salvation. Mostly, just act. Through one act at a time, make the world better. Let those acts rise like enormous waves that sweep away and utterly destroy self- doubt, pessimism, fear, anger, loneliness and regret. And, in the rising crest of those waves, at the very apex of love's promise, let them flow onto the soft sands of love's reward. That is what life is about. Make a difference. Love. Through programs such as A.R.T.S. the KAC is able to help fill the gap left by cuts in public school arts classes. This impactful program provides children who would not otherwise receive art education the opportunity to learn about art concepts, artists, and the creative process, as well as apply what they've learned to other subject areas. Part of what makes Vail Resorts a great partner to the Kimball Art Center is the value they place on community giving, being a positive community partner, and their willingness to allocate time, funding, and resources from big on-mountain improvements to a project such as A.R.T.S. The Kimball Art Center is committed to engaging individuals of all ages in diverse and inspiring experiences through education, exhibitions, and events. We are grateful for partners like Vail Resorts that truly work to help support community missions such as ours. Sincerely, Robin Marrouche Kimball Art Center Executive Director Deadline for Accord input is Friday This Friday is the last day you can make a public comment to The Mountain Accord. The MA is a fast motion machine to connect Park City to Salt Lake City by trains and tunnels through Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. The environmental impacts to wildlife, recreation, and water supplies in these precious mountains will be devastating. Everything about the MA is geared to perpetuate its process, from vote taking, to comments, to studies. It's all done with the intention of proceeding to its desired goals. The estimated cost is $6 billion and these numbers always increase. Utah ranks 51st in education funding behind all other states including Puerto Rico. Only 5% of Utah residents ski. These trains and tunnels serve only to increase development and economic interests on the Sale Lake side of the Wasatch Mountains. They do not help our traffic and growth problems here in Park City, they only make it worse. This is not money spent wisely. The economic interests on the Salt Lake side of the mountains think they need to connect to Park City to justify such a ludicrous idea. There is considerable political and economic pressure being applied to many members of the MA, including our elected officials, to stay at the table, which also comes at considerable expense. The preferred alternative should be the ZION National Park Model: natural gas powered shuttles with restricted auto traffic. Let's get the trains and tunnels off the table and focus on protecting the Wastatch Mountains. Rich Wyman Park City LETTERS POLICY The Park Record welcomes letters to the editor on any subject. We ask that the letters adhere to the following guidelines. They must include the home (street) address and telephone number of the author. No letter will be published under an assumed name. Letters must not contain libelous material. Letters should be no longer than about 300 words (about 600 words for guest editorials) and should, if possible, be typed. We reserve the right to edit letters if they are too long or if they contain statements that are unnecessarily offensive or obscene. Writers are limited to one letter every seven days. Letters thanking event sponsors can list no more than 6 individuals and/or businesses. Send your letter to: editor@parkrecord.com |