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Show VIEWPOINTS A-23 www.parkrecord.com Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, April 8-11, 2017 EDITORIAL Main Street parking plan has lots of bells and whistles, check it out GUEST EDITORIAL Bears Ears preserves multiple uses, enhances livelihoods KIRSTEN JOHANNA ALLEN, KARIN ANDERSON, ALEXIS ASHWORTH, LEE UDALL BENNION, LOUISA BENNION, AMANDA FOUTZ, LISA GEHRKE, HEIDI HARTSHORN, LAURA KAMALA, LINDA G. KEYES, WENDY ZEIGLER Members, Public Lands Policy and Education Committee, Utah Women Unite Truth takes another hit in a new ad campaign, largely funded by the Sutherland Institute (“New Ad Campaign Takes Aim at Rescinding Bears Ears National Monument”, KSL, March 22). The television spots aim to persuade Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to rescind the national monument designation for Bears Ears, suggesting that the monument takes away livelihoods in San Juan County. As supporters of Utah’s public lands and Native communities, we feel compelled to address the propaganda contained in this campaign with facts. The Sutherland Institute campaign claims that local Native Americans do The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER Andy Bernhard Editor Nan Chalat Noaker Staff writers Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Bubba Brown Angelique McNaughton Griffin Adams Contributing writers Tom Clyde Jay Meehan Teri Orr Amy Roberts Steve Phillips Tom Kelly Joe Lair Interns Jessica Curley Emily Billow Copy Editor Frances Moody 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 Lisa Curley Photographer Tanzi Propst Production director April Prosek Production Nadia Dolzhenko Ben Olson Patrick Schulz not support the national monument designation for Bears Ears. This is fundamentally false. In 2015, the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, and Ute Indian Tribe established the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, which proposed national monument protection for Bears Ears. With the backing of their tribal governments, the coalition consistently argued for the monument. They seek to preserve their cultural history and prevent further desecration of these lands at the hands of grave robbers, looters, and vandals. Local Native Americans have spoken loud and clear: they want the monument. Their voices should not be silenced. This new campaign also insinuates that the land will no longer be open to multiple uses. This is again, fundamentally false. All existing leases for grazing and mineral extraction will be honored. Existing pipelines and other infrastructure will be kept intact. Recreation and hunting will still be allowed, and traditional Native practices of plant and herb gathering are expressly protected by the monument’s proclamation. Private land ownership will not be regulated by the monument, and existing uranium extraction sites were intentionally left outside of the monument area to prevent confusion. However, the monument designation does prevent out-of-state, corporate entities from getting their hands on the mining leases they covet. Finally, the campaign claims that the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service do not have the funding to provide additional protections for Bears Ears, and that San Juan County can easily do it on its own. In a stroke of contradiction, this same campaign also points out that San Juan County is the poorest county in the state of Utah. Managing public lands takes money, and a lot of it. In reality, if San Juan County and/or even the state of Utah took control of Bears Ears, it would soon become apparent that there are neither current budgetary appropriations nor additional funds to put towards the management of this land. The ongoing desecration of cultural sites and sacred lands at Bears Ears further shows that San Juan County is unable to protect the area on its own. The best option for management includes the tribes, the Forest Service, and the BLM as outlined in the monument proclamation. Utah has a unique opportunity to honor the wishes of local Native Americans, to attract more recreational income from around the country, and to maintain current private interests. Preserving Bears Ears national monument will lead to even more vibrant local and state economies. For the record Park City has done a magnificent job beautifying its historic downtown core. The new sidewalks, signage and pedestrian crossings, interspersed with public art, have certainly made Main Street more attractive and easier to navigate. But the most effective welcome mat any commercial district can offer may be as simple as an easy-tofind empty parking space. And along Park City’s vaunted main drag, that can be a real challenge. Park City has been wrestling with the parking issue for decades. For a long time it was seen as a seasonal problem -- something to be endured for just a handful of weekends each winter. But as the resorts expanded, local merchants multiplied and both summer and winter traffic piled up, the dearth of parking turned into a year-round complaint. Over time, and amid loud debate, the city built a parking structure, installed parking meters, imposed time limits, expanded the parking structure, added parking apps, etc. Each upgrade, it seemed, ran the gamut from initial complaints to acquiescence and, finally, acceptance. Now they are at it again. The city has hired T2 Systems Incorporated to begin implementing a set of initiatives derived from of an exhaustive two-year long ‘strategic parking management study.’ Locals who frequent Main Street may begin to sense a shift in the parkingscape as soon as this month when technicians begin scouting for appropriate locations to install “revenue control gates,” “parking zone detection” and “license plate recognition” hardware at the China Bridge parking structure. Let the yowling begin. But the city hopes to minimize local concerns by rolling out a proactive public engagement effort. As acknowledged in a recent Park City Council information packet, local officials are keenly aware that the success of Main Street’s commercial district is dependent on satisfying a very diverse set of Main Street constituents -- employees, residents, guests and business owners – each with their own itineraries and “personal needs.” In hopes of learning how best to accommodate each, the city is hosting two community forums. Experts will be on hand to introduce the Old Town Parking Management Plan by explaining some of the new technology that will be used to guide travelers to open parking spaces, the variable, demand-based parking rates and options for carpool and transit incentives. As noted in the city’s three-year, $2.6 million contract with T2Systems Inc., next week’s meetings are just the beginning of what is expected to be an ongoing exchange between the city and stakeholders about how to manage parking in a way that will ensure a vibrant future for Park City’s Main Street commercial district. The forums will be held Wednesday, April 12, from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Park City Library Community Room and Thursday, April 13, from 9-10:30 a.m. at the Park City Park City Library coffee shop. GUEST EDITORIAL Get ready: many worthy causes will be competing for taxpayer support this year BILL PIDWELL Park City Wow, there is a lot of talk of some big bonds coming down the pipeline for our little mountain town. We all have those opportunities that ring true to our ears, and those that make us go, hmm… Thankfully we are a town of deep pockets, so these all may come to fruition, but how much are we really willing to spend? I ask this question in relation to the current push to supplement the $25 million bond for Bonanza Flats. I voted for this bond like I have for every other bond in my 20 years in Park City. I trust that our elected officials have the best interests of our city and county at the forefront of their mind. However, we are now rapidly trying to raise another $13 million from private donors to finish off the purchase of this beautiful piece of land. It makes me wonder, are we draining the well for something that is really our highest priority? Yes, it is beautiful and perfect for hiking, biking and winter activities. I would hate for it to be lost to another private community –- but would that really have the biggest negative impact on our town in comparison to some other things on the table? Think schools? Think recreation? Think Bonanza Park? Think affordable housing? And heaven forbid, think Treasure? A school bond is just around the corner, and a tax levy will replace it if we were to vote it down. This is now long overdue and a vital piece to keeping Park City on the forefront of education in Utah. I commend our school board for making this a reality. A recent letter to the editor suggested removing the ice rink from city control as it wastes money and doesn’t impact many people in Park City. I suspect the number of residents of Summit County that are daily users of Bonanza Flats would pale in comparison to the daily users of the ice rink, probably by a factor of ten or more. A recreation bond is forthcoming and is just as, or even more important to keeping our kids healthy in their respective sports, as it is to keep them healthy in the outdoors. Bonanza Park and affordable housing are two parts of our town that could very well go hand in hand. The city has started investing in these, but a bond might be the only way to really control these two very impactful necessities. And Treasure is coming whether we like it or not. And boy will it have an impact. I see many yard signs saying “Stop Treasure” around town, and while humorous, it is just a silly position to take. We can’t just stop people from doing what they have vested rights to do. However, we sure could “Buy Treasure” and preserve a more local piece of land, preventing a much more impactful development from happening in the hills around our city. I ask that each of you taxpayers and donors prepare for what is coming. I commit to fund my portion of Bonanza Flats, but I also commit to financially plan so that I will be able to support the possible tenfold increase in bond money, taxes, and donations that will be needed for projects with a much larger and more direct impact on our community. If that thought scares you as a resident or elected official, then I suggest you think hard, and make sure that Bonanza Flats is the spot where you and our town will get the most impactful return on our investment. Get all the latest Park Record updates. Asked at Starbucks on Park Ave. Photos by Tanzi Propst How do you know when it’s time to put away your skis or snowboard? Angie & Craig Van Zyl Mountain Creek, Michigan Jeff Louden Park City Fiona Haldane near Glasgow, Scotland Scott & Beth Cummings Park City “When it’s 50 degrees or above.” — Angie “When the snow gets too mushy.” — Craig “’Til there’s no snow that’s skiable...Until the summer spirit overwhelms the winter spirit.” “When it’s all just turnin’ to slush at the bottom... Then, it’s time to give up.” “Four weeks ago ... But with the kids in the ski program and a trip to Sun Valley next week, it’ll be after spring break.” See these photos and more by following The Park Record on Facebook.com/parkrecord and instagram.com/parkrecord |