OCR Text |
Show Saturday, January 27, 2001 The Park Record A-5 COUNTY EDITOR: Tim Sullivan 649-90 1 4 ext 1 1 2 County Seat COUNTY EC Hitting the road for trails Commissioners will go after funding from block grant program for trails planner u by Tim Sullivan OF THE RECORD STAFF Summit County is getting serious seri-ous about its trails. While the county coun-ty is taking steps in motorized public pub-lic transit, it is also continuing to work on non-motorized transit options, namely trails for joggers, cyclists, skiers, horseback riders, and people needing to get around town. Monday, the County Commission committed to begin searching for ways to help fund a trail-planning specialist for both Summit and Wasatch Counties. Mountainland Association of Governments Executive Director Darrell Cook told commissioners com-missioners that a portion of the $120-130,000 necessary to hire a planner for two years is available through a federal grant, but the two counties would have to come up with the difference, which works but to be $15-20,000 per county. "Non-motorized transit has caught on," said Cook. "And the Summit people say, 'Why not us?'" The answer, he said, has mostly to do with funding. Mount ainlands' board is comprised of mayors and county commissioners in Summit, Wasatch and Utah Counties. So far, said Cook, funding has limited non-motorized transit planning to Utah County, which hired Jim Price to develop and implement trails throughout the county. But now that $50,000 is available through planner. The county could use Restaurant Tax money. But since tourism would account tor only part of the trails' usage, Restaurant Tax revenues could likewise only fund a portion of the project. Other sources could include the county planning department's budget. The trails project could face another obstacle in garnering community com-munity support. Mountainland Resource Conservation and Development's Trish Murphy said she has been working closely with all city councils involved. Murphy said she has seen "some It's not about recreation. It's about east side communities. community planning. " XS-TffS . .. are opposed." -trie SCniTfeni, Murphy said one impor- Summit County Commitsioner said residents have the Community Development Block Grant program, he said, Summit and Wasatch both have a shot at getting the funding they need. The commissioners voiced their support of the challenge. Commissioner Eric Schifferli said he liked the tie-in with Wasatch County, since the counties are largely integrated from a tourist standpoint. Commissioner Patrick Cone pointed out that because its population popula-tion does not exceed 50,000, Summit County is not eligible for help from the Metropolitan Planning Organization. Therefore, said Cone, it would be a good idea for the county to help fund a planner plan-ner itself. Planning Director Kerwin Jensen also said he liked the idea, calling trails "an important part of the planning process." Along with Commissioner Shauna Kerr, Jensen moved the commission along to the next question: how will the county come up with the $15-20,000 each year? The commission speculated about how it might fund a trail expressed concern over trails run ning through their town. But Commissioner Schifferli said he thought this concern might be related relat-ed the Kamas residents' resistance to the changing of their town to a haven for urban recreationists. "If they think the trails will lead to change, they'll fight it. But if they think the change is going to happen, and the trails are the appropriate response, then they'll support it," said Schifferli. "It's not about recreation. It's about community com-munity planning." Kamas Mayor Alan Scales told The Park Record that while he is in favor of a trail system, the City Council isnt. "It would benefit the community to have them," said Scates. " We Please see Commissioners, A-6 Feb. 3, 200 1 2 pm or 7:30 pm THE Eccles Center The George S. & Dolores Dore Eccles Center for the performing arts Park City Performing Arts Foundation presents A Rainforest Odyssey County is chastised for soft sentence H Grieving father says motorist should have been charged with negligent homicide by Tim Sullivan OF THE RECORD STAFF The case of Susannah Topham, the bicyclist killed by a motorist between. Kamas and Park City more than four months ago, is now being reviewed by the Attorney General's Office. Summit County Attorney Bob Adkins sent the files to Salt Lake on Wednesday after the victim's father, Barry Topham, learned that Adkins planned to file a traffic traf-fic violation of improper lane travel against the motorist, a 53-year-old woman. The charge, said Topham, a Class C misdemeanor misde-meanor which carries a maximum penalty of a $750 fine and three months in jail, is far too lenient. Instead, said, Topham, a charge of negligent homicide, a Class A misdemeanor that could carry a $2,500 fine and a year in jail, should be levied against the motorist. "The driver was grossly negligent," negli-gent," Topham told The Park Record. "If this is not negligent homicide, then there is no negligent negli-gent homicide." Topham (Said the driver would have seen his daughter for miles, in the clear fall weather, and suspects sus-pects she was fumbling for a cell phone or something else in the vehicle. He said the driver has not contacted him. "To have the County Attorney not doing anything about this is distressing," said Topham. Adkins defended his choice of charges by saying that the law is clear that not all deaths are homicides. For a homicide to occur, he said, there has to be a criminal intent or a high degree of recklessness. "There was absolutely nothing noth-ing to indicate that the driver intentionally drove the vehicle into Susannah's bicycle," said Adkins. Adkins points to the case of State vs. Larsen, which recently emerged from an appeals court. In that case, a driver made a left-hand left-hand turn into an oncoming vehicle, a move that resulted in a fatal collision. The Salt Lake district court convicted Larsen on a count of negligent homicide, but the appeals court overturned the conviction, based on Larsen's testimony that he didn't see the other vehicle. Adkins said this and other cases tried by the Utah Supreme Court set the precedent for negligent neg-ligent homicide. "I can sympathize with Dr. Topham," said Adkins, but added that a "momentary inadvertence inad-vertence of attention is not criminal crim-inal negligence." "Cases like this fall into the never-never land of the law," said Topham. "Minor things can end up with huge penalties, and when you kill a person, you can get off scot-free." Adkins said he doesn't know when to expect a decision from the Attorney General's office. Ticket vouchers are a $36 value. Park Record. E Vouchers must be exchanged in advance at the nuk m u 'h Egyptian Theatre (435-649-9371)for tickets to the performance of your choice. 1 ' s? KM JMk HANDMADE DOLLS BATH & BODY PRODUCTS BEAUTIFULLY SCENTED CANDLES HANDCRAFTED COLLECTIBLES TREASURES (A HOME lav 10:00 a.nt.-C:O0 o.m.. Saturdays 11:00 m.bi. -s-fifl n 1 795 Sidewinder Drive, Park Gty, Utah Phone (435) 655-3375 4CSf I COPV |