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Show Box ZbZ'i SLC, UX 84110 Fifteen Cents Number Forty Volume Three Wednesday, June 21, 1978 Not Happy About It Farwig Q Despite a financially successful, snow-filled season, Rene Farwig's first year as Park City's ski school director was his last. "I have resigned. It was a mutual agreement, but I don't feel very happy about it," said the Spanish-born Spanish-born former ski racer, "It was a management concept disagreement." Farwig said he could not pinpoint exactly what the disagreement was, but referred instead to a past ski school director. "Stein Eriksen was here for many years and he was fired. He had 25 1 i Ray Johnson years experience but" there was criticism that he spent too much time on the mountain. I ran two ski areas and have 17 years experience running ski schools, but I also failed. I don't know what they want." Farwig said his confusion stemmed in part from the fact that the ski school experienced its most profitable season under his direction. "We made more gross and net this year than ever before. I defended my position by asking, "Are we running an emotional family affair or a business?' I simply don't feel I fit into their point of view. My concept for achieving a quality ski school is to work with objectives. I don't work with politics." ecord V . mi Sfe ft. : R City Council Approval A record $1,602,516 city budget, which Mayor Jack Green said was tailored to help catch up with "50 years of neglect," was adopted by the City Council Thursday night. Despite being the largest ever for Park City, the 1979 budget includes a three mill property tax decrease. This marks the third consecutive year the city mill levy has been cut, an action made possible by growth related increases in impact fee and building permit fee revenues and by federal grants. "We can cut taxes because of a $1 million grant for water and street improvements and because impact fees and building permit fees have been greater than expected," Green told a small gathering at the council meeting. Referring to the large capital improvements allocation, most notably not-ably in the streets department, the mayor said the city is "trying to catch up" with "50 years of neglect." uits Ski Schoo Farwig's experience in ski area leadership followed a successful career as a ski racer that brought him many accolades, including a gold medal at the Polish University Games where he was the sole member of the Bolivian National Ski Team. During his racing years he trained with the American, Japanese, French, Austrian and German teams and absorbed many skills and techniques from each country. Following Fol-lowing his racing years, he was the director of the Bogus Basin, Idaho, ski school, director of marketing, then general manager, with the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Corporation, and, just prior to coming to Park City, general manager of the Grand Targhee resort in Wyoming. As his first priority, Farwig said he worked closely with the instructors to create a ski school dedicated to offering the student high quality service. His next objective was to have a profitable ski school. When asked how the ski school had failed under his direction, if not financially, Farwig said: "One of the complaints was there were too many large classes taught. Our school taught 24,000 students in 5,000 classes this season. Out of those 5,000 classes, only 82 had more than 14 students in it. About 30 to 40 of those classes were taught over the Christmas Christ-mas holidays." " Reaction to the new ski school director among instructors varied last season from staunch support to a few who permanently hung up their familiar blue uniforms. Farwig took the average and said he had "partial rapport" with the ranks of the ski school. "It's always difficult when a ski school changes managers," Farwig noted. "I was very impersonal and businesslike in the beginning. I hired back the 120 instructors that had been with the resort, but I made it clear they must prove their' quality. Ninety-nine percent of the full time instructors passed the test. My popularity was only fair with the part-timers because I was trying to grow with a full time school and eliminate a part-time school." The former ski school director said he felt he had no allies among the Budget Receives "We are wise in allocating so much to capitol improvement projects we so sorely need," he remarked. Proposition 13 Green stressed the significance of Proposition 13, California's tax limitation limita-tion legislation which recently was passed by a wide margin. "Since Proposition 13 became part of American history every legislative body in America has gotten the message," Green remarked. He said the ramifications would be felt in the "next couple of years" in the form of "drastic cuts in services." The mayor noted that a tax limitation movement is underway in Utah and said the city's new budget "reflects California's message to the nation." He told the audience that it is the council's intent to "cut whenever possible." Growth Responsible It is growth that has made tax cuts possible without a decrease in city services, according to the mayor. Temperatures will be slightly cooler this weekend. Chance of showers Friday, otherwise fair. High temperatures will be in the 70s with lows in the 40s. resort managers and claimed he was not given any indication during the season that there was trouble ahead. "My objective was to be the best ski school in the country. To do that you need long-range plans and objectives. The management here has none that I'm aware of. The ski school director needs to be knowledgeable, yet I was not involved in their master planning." plan-ning." Farwig said he plans to spend the rest of the summer in Park City while he looks for another position in the states or Europe, hopefully in management, though not necessarily as a ski school director. "I thought being back in ski school would give me satisfaction, and there was an opening here," Farwig said. "But if I don't fit in, there must be a divorce. Maybe they need a low key guy. I don't know what they want, that's what's so sad." Park City Ski Corporation president Ray Johnson was equally in the dark as to what was missing in the relationship between the ski school director and the resort management. "It's a very nebulous thing, something you can't quite put your finger on," Johnson said. "I don't know what was not accomplished in the ski school this year it's an intangible thing. Generally, there was nothing specific, but I guess you could just say he didn't fit in with our concept of management." Johnson did substantiate that the ski school profited last season, as did the whole resort -and. .town. ,. -following the snow drought of the previous year. "Rene is a very personable man and a very experienced person," Johnson continued. "We had a lot of conversations conversa-tions about different problems. I thought there were no major problems, prob-lems, but maybe he didn't let me know. I guess he felt he could work them out 'himself." "He may have been over qualified," Johnson speculated. He said Farwig may have felt that, with his experience as a ski area general manager and ski school director, he could have been used more extensively exten-sively at the Park City area, Johnson said, however, that there was not an opening available that would embrace all of Farwig's areas of expertise. "Growth and development are making the city a viable entity," Green said. "We must continue to look for controlled growth to give our citizens the services they deserve." "But we must also be aware of Proposition 13's impact on the Utah Legislature," he continued. He said a current movement to have sales tax revenues distributed on the basis of population rather than on point of origin would mean an increase in local taxes. Escalating Budget The 1979 budget represents a six-fold increase from just four years Continued on Page 9 Mayor Green: Catching up with 50 years of neglect. ((IIP II Y 'tmmmmmm n Rene Farwig has resigned his ski school post. "I suspect he just didn't feel comfortable here." Johnson said. "And he ended up saying he would resign. We feel Rene is a very-personable very-personable and talented man, but when something like this comes up, it's best to accept it." Johnson said interviews for a new sk' school director are currently being coi;.i,etetf ' and - said he hopes a INSIDE I Ruggers Win f Page 6 "if IBItMMIIItMltMIMttIIIMaf tlttlt jWMIWilMWMMi IHIIMIIimi I ' I ! : l-i : 'Young At Art' il Pa9e? WiHn o W Tin iiMtii Page 11 jl IK 4 - J decision will be made by mid-July. "It's not easy for us to change ski school directors any more than it's easy to come here fresh and fit in," Johnson commented. "1 know I have my foibles, and maybe I'm hard to work for. But I feel whoever we do get will benefit from what we've learned.". , . County Commissioners Listen -To Both Sides: Silver Springs Debate Proponents and opponents of the controversial Silver Springs development proposed for Snyderville presented their arguments to the Summit County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, June 13 in Coalville. Snyderville resident Ike Koleman, who has spearheaded a drive to thwart the 1,277-unit development planned for 1,400 acres, read a letter to the commission listing nine major . reasons why the project's master plan should be rejected. Koleman is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the four -year county commission seat and will face Lloyd Stevens in a primary this September. Supporting Koleman was a contingent of residents from Snyderville and Summit Park. Members of the group said they were not opposed to all development but that they were against the Silver Springs plan. Two of the women present expressed fear that the development would affect their well-water well-water but an attorney for the developers said the Silver Springs water would come froma different drainage. After Koleman made his statement, the commission asked if Partnership Investments, Inc., developers of Silver Springs, wanted to respond. Referring mainly to an environmental environ-mental impact statement prepared for the project, Van Martin, a planner with J.J. Johnson and Associates, and Partnership Investments attorney Rinehart Peshell answered Koleman. Koleman contended the projected population presented by the developers for Silver Springs is too low. Placing the average Summit County household at 3.83 persons, Koleman said the population would be . 4,891, not the 2,130 projected by the developers. The PI representatives responded that condominiums in the project would be occupied only 18 to 23 percent of the time and they used national household averages. Admitting that such projections are "calculated guesses," Martin said Monday, "Our guess is probably more accurate than his." , Koleman asserted . that property taxes collected from the Silver Springs development would not cov er Treasure Hills Agreement Reached An agreement calling for the annexation of the 40-acre Treasure Hills development site when adequate waler is provided was passed narrowly by the Park City Council Thursday night. The 17-point agreement between the city and the North Park City Development Company states the city's "intention and desire to annex" the Treasure Hills property when 80-acre-feet of "unencumbered" water is physically secured. At that point, North Park City would transfer to the city rights to 80 acre-feet of Weber Basin Water Conservancy District water. The agreement passed by a 3-2 margin, with Councilmen Bob Wells, Dick Shoff and Steve Dering voting for the proposal and Eleanor Bennett and Richard Martinez voting against. "Until the water is in the line... I can't see what good this agreement is," Martinez told the council. "I'm not in favor of any more annexation," Bennett said. Turned Down Previously The Treasure Hills property, located northwest of Park Meadows 3, was denied annexation a year ago due to water concerns. The developers then went to the county seeking approval for a residential development planned for the area; NPC partner Alan Thomson said the county refused to act oii the proposal after City Treasurer Bruce Decker Continued on Page 8 the cost of government services required. Martin said Silver Springs is the first development to agree to a county-imposed seven mill tax to cover such services. According to the planner, the property tax revenues generated would supply nine times the amount needed to service the 13.4 miles of roads planned for Silver Springs. Ike Koleman o I The developers countered Koleman's contention of insufficient water with claims that storage capabilities had not been considered. His assertion that state officials have termed the use of ground water as "probably not feasible" was met with the response that these officials have said only that water sports in the development may have to be limited, Koleman advocated that 10 percent of the project site be donated for public use. The developers responded that over half the area would be untouched open space; that 15 acres are designated for active recreation; and that 10.4 acres will be donated to the Park City School District. "Is another Park Meadows extending from Kimball Junction to Park West on either side of Highway 224 inevitable?" Koleman asked, calling for "some balance between man and nature." Continued on Page 9 |