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Show VIEWPOINTS A-21 www.parkrecord.com Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, April 22-25, 2017 EDITORIAL Earth Day 2017: Activism is more important now than ever O LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Late Jazz Festival founder deserves recognition Editor: Park City owes a debt of gratitude to Lew Fine, who recently died, at the age of 90, for his prominent involvement in community service organizations. But especially as inspiration and principal creator of the Park City International Jazz Festival, a singularly popular summer event that, during its existence, attracted not only star-quality musicians, but remarkably large, enthusiastically entertained audiences. A jazz epicure, Lew, after establishing himself and his family here, increasingly foresaw Park City’s potential for duplicating festivals that had earned celebrated repute around this country showcasing and consequently preserving America’s own music. Resolved finally, having tested the idea with others, that the concept had a chance, he tirelessly initiated contacts, enterprised sponsorships, designed program ideas, enlisting encouragement all the while. And at its dawning, the Park City festival, centered at Deer Valley’s outdoor amphitheater, became triumphant, an annual spectator mag- 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 nate until the 2008 Great Recession discouraged sponsors, precipitating its demise. But the influence lives on. As with equivalent attention-capturing spectacles — 2002 Winter Olympics events, Sundance Film Festival, Miners’ Day celebration, also the recently revived Autumn Aloft hot air balloon festival — the Park City International Jazz Festival significantly helped foster this town’s now widely known reputation as a location where both residing and visiting co-exist in mutually shared appreciation, a stunning recovery from its once forlorn abandonment. A visionary in community leadership, Lew Fine deserves grateful recognition for devoting his time, labor and talents to amplified restoration of a robust Park City vitality, cultural as well as material. ne of the most popular movie stars at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was a grayhaired, 69-year-old politician whose last blockbuster was released more than a decade ago. But former Vice President Al Gore proved he could still stir up a passionate response in Park City. In January, his follow up to the surprise 2006 hit “An Inconvenient Truth” premiered on the festival’s opening night and earned a standing ovation. While his first film sounded a dire alarm, “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” due to be released in theaters this summer, offers a more hopeful picture. While outlining the critical environmental challenges that remain, it highlights the giant strides that have been made around the world. But while the tone of Gore’s sequel is intended to be optimistic, the mood at the Eccles Center was somber. As fate would have it, the film premiered on the eve of president Donald Trump’s inauguration. During his campaign for the presidency, Trump made his intentions abundantly clear -- to roll back environmental regulations and dismantle the EPA. After his unlikely win, it seems that Gore’s ceaseless efforts to cement America’s reputation as a leader in the fight against climate change may be doomed. But in the Q&A after the film, Gore was unbowed GUEST EDITORIAL Park City Youth Play Learn Dream through Youth Sports Alliance Programs HEATHER SIMS Harry E. Fuller Jr. Park City Youth Sports Alliance Director of Youth Programs Student offers a new transportation plan Editor: I think we need public transportation. I know that we have a bus and it pretty much takes you everywhere in Park City. But it’s just too slow. The public transportation I think we need is a train. I was brainstorming and if you start it at the Jeremy Ranch Park-n-ride and put it going along the road; it goes under the highway and goes to Redstone and stops to pick up people there. Then it goes to the Parley’s Park Elementary area and stops to pick up people. Then goes to Canyons to drop anyone off there that wants to go skiing. Then it goes into town to Park City Mountain Resort. Everyone gets off there and uses the buses to get wherever they want from there. It might cost a lot of money, but I believe it will be completely worth it. It will be great for the rapidly growing city that we live in. Ryan Jeffrey Park City student and exhorted his fans to remain faithful to the cause. On this Earth Day, many Parkites are expected to be following that advice. A Science March has been planned as an antidote to Trump’s attacks on funding for scientific research. Speakers will talk about climate change and there will be a fund raiser to support the community’s recycling efforts. Of course, local efforts to create a more sustainable community won’t end when the sun goes down Saturday night. Parkites are committed to continuing their environmental initiatives regardless of the Trump administration’s misguided policies. Federal bureaucrats may be blind to the evidence of climate change but we are not. Last week, two moose ambled right down the middle of Main Street, a sight that was greeted by a crowd of delighted onlookers. But on closer inspection, wildlife experts revealed that the moose, like others around the country, are in trouble. Their mangy coats and skeletal frames, caused by an infestation of ticks, are yet another warning sign of climate change. The ailing moose, the receding snowpack, smog and worries about water quality are scientific proof that our environment is at a critical turning point. If our state and federal elected officials can’t acknowledge that, it is time for them to go. On any given Friday, the final bell rings at Ecker Hill Middle School (EHMS) at 1:40 p.m. A few minutes later, nearly 800 students pour out of classrooms heading to school buses, parents’ cars or the city bus stop. More than 10 percent of the student body chooses the final option. They hop on city transit heading to the Redstone Shopping Center where for the next three or four hours, nearly 80 sixth- and seventh-graders roam unsupervised through shops and parking lots. These are ‘good’ kids. These are ‘our’ kids. Early release Fridays at EHMS have long been a concern of parents, school administrators, counselors and our community. After school options for this age-group are very limited and frequently unsupervised. Last year, however, with start-up funding provided by a grant from Vail Resort’s Epic Promise Foundation, the Youth Sports Alliance (YSA) took on this issue by developing a new program called ACTiV8. Building on its successful Get Out & Play (GO&P) elementary school program, YSA focused on offering activities for Ecker students to foster overall child well-being with emphasis placed on supporting healthy lifestyles. What started as conceptual conversations among Shannon Bahrke, a three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic medal winner in Moguls, Heather Darling, a nurse practitioner focusing on lifestyle medicine, and YSA staff, evolved into roundtables that included Sam Salinas, Ecker Hill Vice Principal, and school counselors. By April 2016 a mixture of non-profits, public and private businesses, along with school and YSA staff sat down to figure out how to provide this vulnerable age group with safe, supervised activities on Friday afternoons. Tween-agers have different needs — and wants — than their younger, elementary school siblings. Motivating middle schoolers to participate can be tough. Often, they are distracted by social media and what is on their phone screens. Giving middle schoolers ownership of their after-school program was a key component. ACTiV8 offerings were developed through brainstorming sessions with middle school students representing different demographics and peer groups. The outcome was courses specifically crafted for this age group including Teen Iron Chef with Intermountain Healthcare, MOVE Conditioning by CrossFit Park City and Adventure Fitness with Basin Recreation. Three activities are offered each month with students having the option to choose one. ACTiV8 focuses on developing eight lifestyle qualities: Accountability, Confidence, Equality, Inspiration, Kindness, Leadership, Respect, and Versatility. Students are given a “community passport” after their first session and are responsible for obtaining signatures from instructors after each activity. Upon completing eight activities (one of which must include CPR), students receive a Park City ACTiV8 Award. The CPR requirement (Accountability) allows students to earn money as babysitters or from other organizations around town. To date we’ve had 218 registrations and awarded 33 scholarships. This year, EHMS students still have four more activities to choose from: Team building at UOP, Mountain biking with Basin Recreation, Skullcandy Skateboard camp and CPR with PC Marc. Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, ACTiV8 expands to Treasure Mountain Junior High to provide programming for the eighth- and ninth-graders. Again, offerings were developed in conjunction with students and reflect more mature interests such as rowing, biathlon and action photography. The YSA motto is play, learn, dream! And, thanks to a unique community collaboration that includes 16 non-profit organizations, businesses and schools, more Park City kids get to live it. No need to run out to the store, The Park Record delivers! Mail or Home delivery within Summit County Mail delivery outside of Summit County 1 Year $48 2 Year $90 1 Year $72 2 Year $130 For the record Home delivery within Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Wasatch Counties Call us today and ask for Lacy to start your subscription 435-649-9014 1 Year $72 2 Year $130 Photos by Tanzi Propst Asked at Hugo Coffee What are you doing to help take care of the environment? Greg Schlegel Park City “I run an energy efficiency company. We improve the efficiency of buildings and industrial processes by saving electricity, carbon, gas, etc.” Brandi Connolly Park City “Recycle, taking things to the recycling center like glass, cardboard, other things We try and teach our kids to respect the Earth, too, and to get them out in nature.” Hoby Darling Park City “[Our kids are] pushing us to really go do the right things. And, at the end of the day, all those little things add up. It’s that generational excitement.” Ellen Young Park City “I have cast-iron pans, all glass cookware, reusable bags, all wooden utensils, reusable towels. There’s no paper or plastic in our kitchen. We use beeswax paper instead of Saran wrap or foil. Sean Kinsman Salt Lake City “My mom’s an environmental lawyer, so growing up, it was just how we did things. Most of the stuff I don’t even think about doing. I just do it.” See these photos and more by following The Park Record on Facebook.com/parkrecord and instagram.com/parkrecord |