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Show C-1 B-1 DANCE OVER TO THE EGYPTIAN THEATRE EDUCATION, A-15 SCHOOL DISTRICT READIES THE TEXT OF BOND MESSAGE The Easter Pages Learn of Easters in foreign lands and of fun, festive ideas for the holiday. See pages A-10 and A-11. PARK CITY WILL STICK AROUND AS NO. 1 COLUMNS, A-20 JAY MEEHAN ONCE HAD BONE TO PICK WITH MINING LEGEND Park Record. PARK CITY , UTAH | WWW.PARKRECORD.COM Wed/Thurs/Fri, April 12-14, 2017 Serving Summit County since 1880 Vol. 137 | No. 19 50¢ Miners holster Cowboys Bonanza Flats contribution is considered TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD The Park City Public Utilities Department is preparing for the possibility of flooding during the spring runoff. The department had filled approximately 2,000 sandbags by early in the week. From right: Public Utilities Department workers Casey Coleman, Giovanni Payan, Jared Smith, Nick Theiss and Kurt Thomas tie sandbags and stack them on a palette on the grounds of the Public Works Building on Iron Horse Drive on Tuesday. Sandbags readied for runoff The snowpack remains high, flooding possible By JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record The high-elevation snowpack in Park City remains well above average for mid-April, prompting City Hall officials to make sandbags available to guard against the possibility of flooding later in the spring. The National Weather Service reported on Monday the snowpack at a measuring station at an elevation of 9,200 feet in Thaynes Canyon was at 136 percent of a typical year. The number was a little bit below the percentage in 2011 and 2005, two other winters with significant snowfall, said Brian McInerney, a National Weather Service hydrologist who closely tracks snowpack. McInerney said there is a possibility of damaging floods in the Park City area if cold, wet weather were to return for the spring. He said the runoff in the Park City area usually does not peak until late May or early June, leaving more than a month before the threat of flooding is significantly reduced. The snowpack peak in 2005 was not hit until the middle of May and, in 2011, the snowpack peak was not reached until the third week of May, he said. The snowpack peak and the peak of the runoff are closely related. “We’ve got enough snow to produce high flows coming out of the mountains this year,” he said, expecting, though, there will not be damaging flooding in the Park City area as a result of melting snow. McInerney said flooding inside Park City would more likely be caused by a heavy rainstorm during the snowmelt peak or if debris blocks the stream flow during the runoff, sending water over the banks. McInerney said there have been five consecutive years of spring runoff that was below averPlease see Sandbags, A-2 3 sections • 42 pages Classifieds ........................... C-9 Columns .............................. A-20 Crossword ........................... C-4 Editorial............................... A-21 Education ............................ A-15 Events Calendar .................. C-6 Legals .................................. C-11 Letters to the Editor ............ A-21 Movies................................. C-4 Restaurant Guide................. A-19 Scene .................................. C-1 Scoreboard ......................... B-5 Sports .................................. B-1 Weather ............................... B-2 Wasatch County weighs a small but symbolic role in purchase By JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Park City High School senior Camden Woll moves the ball for the Miners during a game against Grantsville at Dozier Field on Friday afternoon. The Miners easily beat the Cowboys, 8-0. See more on page B-2. A healthy hire finalized Staffer tasked with enhancing mental health services fort that was created by these agencies. “It is a little bit of weight on the shoulders, but it is one that is really not super heavy because we know what the outcome could be,” he said. The Health Department, along with various agencies, elected leaders and school district offiBy ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON cials, is making significant strides to begin implementing the strategic directives that The Park Record were identified from the survey. Aaron Newman says he hopes The directives, officials hope, will his new position with the Summit help close the gaps in the commuCounty Health Department as the nity’s mental health and substance mental health and substance abuse abuse services. coordinator won’t ultimately be Health Department Director Rich needed. Bullough said Newman’s position The Summit County Health Dewas needed because the Health partment created his job to help Department lacked the personnel facilitate partnerships between to effectively tackle the issue. mental health and substance abuse “Aaron is going to be a treagencies after receiving the results mendous resource for the Summit of November’s community mental County Mental Wellness Alliance health survey. moving forward,” Bullough said in Newman, a 10-year Snyderville a press release. “He has vast expeBasin resident, started on Monday rience with all of the skills, we bein the temporary, 12-month posi- TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD lieve, are required to succeed in this The Summit County Health tion. challenging position. We’re thrilled “There has already been a coali- Department has hired Aaron that he has an interest in working tion of people coming together and Newman as the new mental with us to address these important they have been having these ongo- health and substance abuse issues.” coordinator. Newman will ing conversations now for several Newman has spent more than 15 be responsible for coordinatmonths,” Newman said. “It is not ing the county’s efforts to years working in crisis response just myself or a few people coming enhance services. at universities across the country, to the table. This is a community ef- Wasatch County on Wednesday is expected to consider whether to contribute funds to the acquisition of Bonanza Flats, potential financial participation that seemed unlikely a month ago but eventually could come to symbolize the broad efforts to protect the land from development. A member of the Wasatch County Council, Danny Goode of Heber City, requested a discussion about Bonanza Flats. The County Council is scheduled to debate a contribution on Wednesday, but it was not clear whether a decision will be made at the meeting. Goode said in an interview on Monday he envisions the potential of Wasatch County participation at between $10,000 and $50,000. He intends to broach the dollar figures at the meeting. He will propose the funding be earmarked from Wasatch County reserves. “It seems to fit with our vision . . . to keep our rural and agricultural character,” Goode said, pointing to a vision for Wasatch County that calls for protecting the quality of life and the rural setting of the county. The range between $10,000 and $50,000 would represent a small portion of the funds needed for the $38 million acquisition, but a contribution from Wasatch County would likely be seen as having wider importance than the dollar figure itself. The 1,350 acres are located in Wasatch County, and it was not clear how leaders there would react to a conservation acquisition of land long coveted by developers. There was concern that Wasatch County would be leery of a conservation acquisition since land held as dedicated open space is taken off the property-tax rolls. Seventy percent of the land in Wasatch County is already under public ownership, according to officials there. “We should participate when we have the ability and opportunity,” Goode said. Wasatch County has never acquired land through an outright conservation acquisition. Officials instead have secured acreage as open space by negotiating with landowners through the development-approval process. Wasatch County has said the acquisition of Bonanza Flats for conservation purposes will eventually cost the coffers there $6 million in annual property taxes as a result of the land not being developed. There have been ideas over the years to create a golfand-ski project on the land, which is located downhill from Guardsman Pass. Park City in January reached a $38 million agreement to acquire Bonanza Flats from the owner, a firm called Redus, LLC. Voters in Park City in November authorized $25 million for the acquisition. Supporters of the acquisition are attempting to close the fund- Please see A healthy, A-2 Please see Land funds, A-2 Campaign approaches A zest for cooking Park City offers info about eligibility for the City Hall contests By JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record City Hall is preparing for Campaign 2017 nearly two months before it begins. Park City has posted preliminary information about the election on the municipal website, offering some details as well as an election-themed interview with a member of the Park City Council whose seat is not on the ballot this year. The election does not officially start until the opening of the filing window, when someone is able to file candidate paperwork at City Hall. The filing window runs from June 1 until June 7. There is usually an increasing amount of chatter about candidates in the weeks before the opening of the filing window, and in many cases some candidates have already publicized their intentions prior to the opening of the window. The mayor’s office and the two City Council seats held by Cindy Matsumoto and Tim Henney are on the ballot. Mayor Jack Thomas and Matsumoto have not publicized their intentions while Henney has said he will most likely seek re-election. Henney has said there is a possibility he would campaign the mayor’s office if the incumbent does not seek re-election. The campaign information was posted on the municipal website as part of City Hall’s newsletter for April. It offers information and comments from Michelle Kellogg, who is the election official at City Hall, and first-term City Councilor Becca Gerber. Kellogg provides some of the mechanics of a City Hall election, including an important rundown of eligibility. To seek elected office inside Park City, someone needs to be a U.S. citizen, a registered voter inside Park City and a Park City resident since at least Nov. 7, 2016. The information also notes that someone should determine whether they live inside the Park City limits before they TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Melanie and Aaron Davis laugh as they zest lemons for a chicken marinade during Mindful Cuisine’s “Early Spring Dinner” class Saturday evening. A group of six learned new cooking techniques such as making soup and slicing herbs. They baked a tart for dessert. Please see Campaign, A-2 VISITOR GUIDE Canyons Village has the grüv as spring arrives Spring Grüv will present the 21st annual pond skimming contest at noon on Saturday, April 15, at Canyons. The Pond Skimming Contest is Park City’s most popular party and is the true indicator that spring has arrived. Contestants must dress in costume (the funkier the better) as they attempt to cross a 100-foot pond on skis or a snowboard. More: www.parkcitymountain.com. |