| OCR Text |
Show B-1 C-1 COLUMNS, A-22 LEGISLATOR AGAIN WANTS TO RAISE THE ZION CURTAIN The TAD SWANER WAS HERO TO MAN, BEAST AND NATURE Park Record. PARK CITY , UTAH | WWW.PARKRECORD.COM Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, February 6-9, 2016 Serving Summit County since 1880 Competition hits halfpipe at Grand Prix To add an event to our calendar, visit www.parkrecord.com/eventsubmissionform AMERICAN AERIALISTS THRILLED WITH JUMPS ART IS ALIVE IN THE DEAD OF PARK CITY'S WINTER BUSINESS, A-15 Share your event! Vol. 136 | No. 1 50¢ Sundance size handled well, City Hall says Beijing bearings Park City sees festival as working even as founder raises questions By JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record JAKE SHANE/PARK RECORD "The two times I ran for the Legislature I ran because we had good candidates running for council and we didn't have anyone running for the Legislature seats," Wright said. "Even if you don't have a great chance of winning, it's your time to get your ideas out. "I was happy with both of my runs and I continue to stand for progress," Wright said. Anyone vying for public office should have a clear idea of what they want to achieve, Wright said, before delving into his position on issues such as growth, transportation, affordable housing and energy. One of the biggest challenges the county is facing is the negative perception of growth and the issues that come along with that, Wright said. He said there are several general ways of attacking those issues and one is a better transportation system. "The reality is we have a pretty good system and the bus system works pretty well, but it's not to the point where people can use it and really want to use it," Wright said. The next issue is affordable housing and "getting our workers living closer to their jobs," Wright said. He sits on Park City's Blue Ribbon Commission on Housing and says the group is "coming up with ideas and is working on that." "But part of that is the zoning issues and I think the other thing is that it takes some Diane Foster, the Park City manager, had a few unscheduled minutes during the Sundance Film Festival to chat with the festival's founder. Foster and Robert Redford ran into each other at a luncheon celebrating women in leadership. Foster took the opportunity to talk to Redford about this year's festival, telling him it seemed Sundance worked well in 2016. "The festival has been going really well. I appreciate the partnership," Foster said about the brief talk. But Redford told her he was "wondering if it's getting too big," according to Foster. Redford made comments to the media about the size of Sundance, widely seen as the top marketplace of independent films in the U.S. and one of the most important festivals on the world circuit. According to the Associated Press, Redford said he has heard "negative comments about how crowded it is and how difficult it is to get from venue to venue when there's traffic and people in the streets and so forth." He also said the festival crowds and development in Park City grew over the years. Redford said there are choices like ending the festival or making changes such as splitting Sundance into two runs, one in January and one in February, according to the Associated Press. Foster said City Hall does not see Sundance as having become too large. She said officials are aware of the impact on the community, but Sundance is also part of Park City's brand as a tourism destination. She said Sundance organizers have not broached the idea with City Hall of splitting the festival into two segments like Redford described. "It is a really big film festival and we handle it really well," Foster said. Sundance has held the event in Park City since the 1980s, bringing large January crowds as both the festival and Park City boomed in the 1990s and the 2000s. There have long been complaints about traffic and parking shortages during Sundance, but the festival is also the most lucrative event on Park City's calendar. City Hall and festival organizers in 2013 reached an agreement keeping Sundance in Park City until at least 2026. Sundance also keeps its Utah offices in Park City. Park City officials and Sundance organizers annually discuss operational changes to the festival, but a change as dramatic as the one mentioned by Redford would likely require renegotiating the overall deal, if it is someday pursued. Nancy Garrison, a member of a Sundance Utah Advisory Board who lives in the Snyderville Basin, said the 2016 festival was a "fantastic experience." She said the Utah Advisory Board has not discussed a change like the one Redford described, adding that the festival has "evolved dramatically since its early days" and it could Please see Wright, A-2 Please see Sundance, A-2 Matthew Ladley of the U.S. gets big air during a training run in the Eagle Superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort on Wednesday afternoon. American athletes ride into contention on course at PCMR By ADAM SPENCER The Park Record The X Games may get the ESPN coverage and the gigantic crowds, but if you ask the competitors at this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix at Park City Mountain Resort, the Grand Prix events are just as difficult to win. On Saturday at noon, the snowboarders will take their turn in the Eagle Superpipe for the men's and women's three-run finals, wrapping up this year's event. Olympic gold medalist Kelly Clark said fans can expect top-level competition between the riders on Saturday. "I think a lot of people are quick to say the Grand Prix isn't on the same level as X Games," she said. "But when you look at the field of riders, every rider at the X Games is here, too. There's a different look and feel in the media, but as a competitor, the competition level is the same." Saturday will end a long stretch of contests for many riders. Two weekends ago, Mammoth, California, hosted a Grand Prix. Then, last weekend, the athletes went to Aspen for X Games. Despite the grueling travel and competition schedule, Clark said she feels like she's in a nice rhythm. "The last few weeks have actually been the best practice we've had all season," she said. "The backto-back-to-back contests have been good practice because we've been getting a lot of runs in." For Saturday's finals in Park City, Clark qualified fourth, meaning she'll be the third rider to go in the women's competition. After winning an Olympic gold medal in Park City's superpipe in 2002, Clark said she's always excited for the opportunity to return for an event. "It definitely is a special place to me," she said. "I've been here over the years with the U.S. team at countless events. I have amazing memories and it was an incredible privilege Please see Competition, A-2 3 sections • 48 pages Business...............................A-15 Classifieds ........................... C-12 Columns .............................. A-22 Crossword ........................... C-4 Editorial............................... A-23 Events Calendar .................. C-6 Legals .................................. C-15 Letters to the Editor ............ A-23 Movies................................. C-4 Restaurant Guide................. A-21 Scene .................................. C-1 Scoreboard ......................... B-5 Sports .................................. B-1 Weather ............................... B-2 JAKE SHANE/PARK RECORD A group of students, teachers and municipal delegates from Beijing, including Ding Hong, Zhang Xiaoyu, Xia Peng, Hao Yiran, Xia Yu, Zhang Tianyu, Sun Huanchen, Shao Yuxue, Zhou Wuyue, Xie Xichen, Li Danshi, Tan Xiao and Fan Xiaoxiong, visited Park City this week as part of the U.S.China High School Student Exchange program. According to Val Chin, co-chair of the U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association, the group visited Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort. They also met with Park City Mayor Jack Thomas and former Mayor Dana Williams. The group visited Arches National Park and met with legislators at the Statehouse in Salt Lake City. Chin said the program, which is in its 23rd year and sent a group of Park City High School students to Beijing in October, broadens the horizons of students and gives them a mutual understanding of the American and Chinese cultures. The Wright man for the job? Democratic leader considers mounting County Council campaign this year By ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON The Park Record With his fourth term as the Summit County Democratic chair soon coming to an end, Glenn Wright says he is contemplating a bid for one of several Summit County Council seats that will be on the ballot in November. Wright, 67 years old and a Prospector resident, said he will not serve again as chairman and believes it might be an appropriate time to vie for one of the three four-year seats that will be up for election. "I am seriously considering it myself. I'm not 100 percent sure I am going to run yet, but no one is until the filing date," Wright said. If he decides to throw his hat in the ring, it wouldn't be Wright's first pursuit of public office. He unsuccessfully campaigned for the District 53 seat in the House of Representatives in 2010, losing to Mel Brown, and in District 54 in 2014, losing to Kraig Powell. However, Wright was upbeat about his defeats during a recent interview with The Park Record. Avalanche victim recalled as an adventurer Wanship man relished his time in mountains, family remembers By ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON The Park Record When Brian Jones and his sister were thumbing through photos recently taken during a family gathering at his house, they noticed that none contained their brother, Stephen, who was also there. "My sister didn't have any pictures of him because he kept disappearing and would slip downstairs where all the kids were playing," Jones said in an interview with The Park Record. "He would just go down there to goof-off and tease them. "It's a strange memory to have of him not being there because he was, but he was playing," Jones said, before quickly adding that it's how his older brother was: "always playing and always teasing." A life lost in the backcountry The body of Stephen Jones, of Wanship, was discovered Tuesday in the backcountry outside the boundary of Park City Mountain Resort in an area known as Shale Shot, near Murdock Peak. Stephen had been missing since Sunday after his family reported that he failed to return home from a day of skiing. His truck was found still parked in the Cabriolet parking lot at Canyons Village. Summit County Search and Rescue volunteers, aided by Park City Mountain Resort ski patrol, AirMed and Life Flight crews, spent more than a day combing the area where his cell phone had last pinged. Despite a strong-showing of volunteers, authorities declined their assistance due to the hazardous weather and terrain. COURTESY OF BRIAN JONES The body of Stephen Jones of Wanship was discovered Tuesday by Summit County Search and Rescue volunteers. He died in an avalanche at 50 years old. Family and friends described him as an avid backcountry skier. Stephen was found under three feet of snow during a probe-line search after a rescue beacon picked up the signal from his avalanche beacon. According VISITOR GUIDE The family portrait of Uncle Butch Cassidy to the Summit County Sheriff's Office, an avalanche about 60-feet wide and Please see Man, A-10 The Summit County Library Kamas Branch, 110 N. Main St., will host author Bill Berenson, author of "Butch Cassidy, My Uncle: A Family Portrait," on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 4:30 p.m. Berenson will talk about his book. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.thesummitcountylibrary.org. |
