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Show VIEWPOINTS A-15 www.parkrecord.com Wed/Thurs/Fri, August 9-11, 2017 EDITORIAL Summit County Fair controversy is a test of our small-town values I LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Good Samaritan helped save a life at Rotary Park Editor: On the last day of July, my brother Phil suffered a heart attack at Rotary Park. He is now recovering, thanks to the good Samaritans who jumped in and helped me with CPR until the medics arrived. I’d also like to thank the police officer who took my bike back to my house and the rental bike back to Cole Sport. I’m proud of my town, where we still take care of each other. Marianne Cone Chaplin Park City Kimball Junction circular duplicates services Editor: Wednesday, I decided to test out the new “Kimball Junction Circular.” I rode my human-powered, carbon-free, bike to Bed, Bath & Beyond. Once there, I was able to wave down a 17-passenger, gaspowered van to take me to Smith’s market. The ride was very enjoyable and roomy, as I was the first and only passenger on the van. The ride from BB&B to Smiths took 4 1/2 minutes. The walk back to get my bike took 3 minutes. Yes, I timed it. The driver was very nice and friendly, although underpaid. At $16 per hour he could not afford to live in Park City. We both struggled with a language barrier. And yet, we worked it out with smiles and hand signals. So, after having experienced this service first hand these are my thoughts. This is a total waste of tax dollars. It does nothing to reduce traffic in Kimball Junction. There are 16 bus stops within the 1 1/2 mile loop between Redstone and the Tanger Outlets. I’m sure that 97 percent of the residents in Summit County can walk one-tenth of a mile to the next bus stop. Park City Transit has a “mobility van” for those with extra needs. The mobility van was right at the BB&B stop after I walked back to get my bike. We have citizens in this county living from check to check. We have a food pantry in town. We have subsidized housing. And yet we are spending tax dollars give people like myself a free ride across the parking lot between stores! Tax dollars are being spent to get shoppers from one Outlet store to the next. We are doing this on top of an already free bus system that covers the exact same route! Really? The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER...........................Andy Bernhard Editor...............................Nan Chalat Noaker Staff Writers .........................Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Bubba Brown Angelique McNaughton Griffin Adams Contributing .................................Tom Clyde Writers Jay Meehan Teri Orr Amy Roberts Steve Phillips Tom Kelly Joe Lair Copy Editor ..........................Frances Moody Photographer ............................ Tanzi Propst Office Manager .......................Tiffany Rivera Circulation Manager ................Lacy Brundy ADVERTISING Classified............................... Jennifer Lynch Advertising Accounting Manager ............Jennifer Snow Advertising Director.............. Valerie Spung Advertising Sales ............................Lori Gull Jodi Hecker Erin Donnelly Lisa Curley Olivia Bergmann Digital Products ......................... Mike Boyko Manager Production Director .................... Ben Olson Production.........................Nadia Dolzhenko Patrick Schulz Linda Sites If the county wants to reduce traffic problems at Malfuntion Junction they should start by fixing the turning lanes. Adding vans, empty or otherwise, to the mix does not reduce traffic. Using accepted traffic measuring methods, the county has added 104 cars to Kimball Junction every day. I seriously believe we have hired someone who is trying to justify their expensive salary and education. I can’t wait to see how those vans and drivers do in the winter snows. Jack Fenton Park City Reader has lost patience with Utah congressmen Dear Senators Hatch, Lee and Representative Bishop: I’ve written you letters (most unanswered) in the past trying to state my policy positions politely and respectfully with reasoned suggestions. Gloves off, time to vent. I believe that Russia’s involvement in our past election and the Trump campaign’s possible collusion with Russia is a major priority. As a veteran of the Cold War involved in military intelligence that targeted the Soviet Union anyone downplaying Russia’s adversarial role in today’s geopolitical universe is extremely naive and short sighted. A recent poll for the Economist stated that, among Republicans, Vladimir Putin has a higher approval rating than Barack Obama. Patriotism’s new low or racism’s new high? Whoever those people are I don’t want them in my foxhole. For anyone to play politics about this threat is unconscionable. Listen to our military leaders and intelligence community and get your head out of the sand. Perhaps the line has been too finely drawn between giving ‘comfort’ to the President or to the enemy. Your position on this matter is disturbing and shameful. Your lack of support for the Paris Climate Accord is also disturbing, as are your related positions on global warming and renewable energy. Your thinking reeks of fossil fuel contamination and all the ‘goodies’ it brings to your campaign coffers. Obviously, you chose not to heed the climate science facts. Beijing will clean up its air before Salt Lake if your views on climate change prevail. Please stop calling the Affordable Care Act ‘Obama Care.’ You don’t call Social Security ‘Roosevelt Care’ and Medicare and Medicaid ‘Johnson Care’. It’s politically transparent and a dog whistle akin to ‘Hillary Care.’ And speaking of Hillary, have you forgotten that the ACA was the Republican alternative to ‘Hillary Care’ in the 90s? Have you forgotten that Mitt Romney as Governor of Massachusetts adopted Hillary Care? All this tinkering at the extremes to an unpopular alternative designed to take away healthcare for millions? Good luck with this re-election albatross if the proposals you support become law. Want to save money and improve healthcare quality? Eliminate private health insurers and provide Medicare for all. Nixon wanted it. The majority of the Western World has some form of it and it works better for them than what we have. Oh, you know someone in Canada who had to wait three months for a knee replacement. Please, spare me! Get on with tax reform, infrastructure enhancements, job training for today and tomorrow’s economy and raising middleincome wages. Stop being the spineless species Republicans have morphed into and try statesmanship for a change. Do the people’s business before fat cat fundraising and running for re-election. Your disregard for working people is symbolic of what’s wrong with government. Your unconditional support of the President is an affront to people who believe that competency, morality and character matter. Unfortunately, you are proof that we get the government we deserve. Your disenchanted constituent, Doug Vilnius Park City t is said that in a small town, you are remembered for the most embarrassing thing you ever did. That’s the downside of the often-extolled virtues of living in a tight-knit community. Never mind kicking the winning field goal in the state football championship or years of volunteer service with the civic club -- if your dog ate the neighbor’s chicken or you were featured in the local newspaper’s police blotter, that’s your everlasting legacy. Put any small town drama under the microscope of today’s social media, and a momentary lapse of judgment can quickly rouse a viral lynch mob. We’ve seen it happen here. This week, a young local musician delivered a painfully off-key rendition of the national anthem at what can only be described as the most quintessential of small-town events – a demolition derby. The misadventure took place Saturday at the Summit County Fair in Coalville and was, inevitably, recorded on a cell phone and uploaded to YouTube. As of Tuesday, it had been viewed 48,867 times. To her credit, the singer, who was born and raised in Summit County, publicly apologized for the performance, assuring critics that it was not meant to be a political statement or intentional parody. Inexperienced at performing in a big arena, she explained that she was thrown off by the sound system’s feedback. Not surprisingly, the commenters are having a heyday, with the uber patriots, in particular, inflating the incident to treasonous proportions. Any number of contemporary rock stars could have warned her about tampering with the National Anthem, especially in times of hypersensitive political partisanship, right? But it was also heartening to see a smattering of support among the vicious internet takedowns. Perhaps those comments were written by someone who remembered watching a son or daughter flub a tune at an elementary school recital, or their own experience freezing up during a business presentation. Regardless of why this particular performance ran off the rails, it is an opportunity to ask ourselves what kind of a small town we want to be. Describing a place as having small-town values can suggest its citizens are unsophisticated and petty or it can conjure up idyllic visions of a place were people are honest and friendly. In their response to Saturday’s snafu, Summit County residents have a chance to demonstrate which one they want their community to be. GUEST EDITORIAL An open letter to Park Record columnist Tom Clyde about picking on women CELESTE RAFFIN Park City Normally I am a fan of your column “More Dogs on Main Street.” I look forward to reading it every Saturday and, sometimes, it is one of the reasons that I continue my subscription to The Park Record. But in your column entitled “The strange case of Jeff Sessions” you blew it. I am referring to the line regarding Nancy Pelosi “77 years old and fresh from her botox treatment.” I am so disappointed. You see Tom, women in this country have a huge problem. We are told from the day we are born to the day we go back into the grave that if we are not beautiful, size two, have a face devoid of wrinkles, the right sized boobs (and they better be perky) and of course perfect white teeth, that we have no value. We are continuously bombarded by this message, from industry, media, society, and sadly even from other women. We are valued based on how we compare to the unattainable standards of beauty of a few very lucky women who have somehow won the genetic lottery. But even they are not immune from criticism and comparison to other women. The best part is that when we try to improve our looks whether by hair coloring, makeup, makeovers, diet and exercise to more extreme measures such botox and plastic surgery we are ridiculed. God forbid that we commit the horrible crime of having birthdays and actually aging. It has become a national pastime to diss prominent women based on their personal appearance and totally ignore their beliefs or actions. And when these women cave and try to improve their looks they get slaughtered again by the press. No wonder women are so crazy! Dana Williams is all about ‘heart’ Editor: It’s a mayoral election in our hometown this year and we have three wellqualified candidates running for Mayor. When it comes to all of the issues presented before us, the three of them seem to be on the same page with some discrepancies on reaching a solution. Such is nature. The decision for me, as a constituent, a friend and a colleague of two of the three, is proving difficult. Park City, Utah is one of the raddest places to live in America if you are into this sort of active, outdoor lifestyle. And with what has happened with City and County government over the last few years has been nothing but extraordinary! Free public transportation, open space purchases, land and business development, and “affordable” housing to name a few. But then there are the struggles that go on with any “small town” which, Park City is far from these days. Traffic, pollution, non-affordable housing, low paying jobs, high rents, climate change and migrant workers are all at the forefront of most of our issues. But there is also one issue that stands out for me that nobody is talking about: ego. Park City has been recognized with numerous accolades: Best Small Town, First fully electric Bike Share Program, Best place to live, Greatest Snow on Earth (Sorry, somewhere in Canada has us on that) and so many other chest thumping, make momma proud moments that it really has become, a huge issue. We don’t want big name brands on Main Street but have sold out to so many in the name of profit. We want small-town charm but then hold events bringing in 40,000 people almost every freaking weekend. We want to remain humble but try to be the first in everything and shout it loud. We also don’t want to be egregious but then propose In this country, a woman’s personal appearance has become the major factor in determining her destiny. It affects her career advancement, relationships, and social and economic status. It is the benchmark of how she is perceived in this country. The press doesn’t care about a woman’s accomplishments, her ideas, or her beliefs, but rather how she looks in her suit. Should she really have worn white? I am so tired of America’s fixation on personal appearance. I want to know about our politicians’ actions. What did they do yesterday and today, and what do they have planned for tomorrow. I do not like Donald Trump, but I want to know what he is doing and how these actions might affect our country, not if he resembles a Cheeto. Your comment about Nancy Pelosi is no different and equally as bad as President Trump’s horrible statements about bleeding from facelifts, or parody of a journalist’s nervous disorder. It is mean, bullying, off the point, and completely unacceptable. And the incessant bullying from the media is shooting us all in the foot because it is keeping talented intelligent women and men out of public office who could be wonderful but stay away because they simply can’t bear the idea of the constant public scrutiny regarding their personal appearance. We get the relationships that we ask for and whether or not we like someone’s ideas we have to respect them for having the incredible courage of conviction that it takes to run for public office in this country. If we want our leaders to act with courtesy and respect we best treat them that way as well. Yes, be vigilant, question and criticize their words, policies, and actions, but leave personal appearance out of it. Come on Tom, you are much better than this. spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to use Tesla cars for micro transit. Park City is awesome, there is no doubt about it and what has been accomplished since I moved here in March of 2006 has been amazing to watch, except for all of the second-home monstrosities that have been built soaking up so many valuable resources but hey, let’s try for an energy conservation program award of $5 million dollars by building more of these while not changing our wasteful habits. We all want this amazing stuff and we all want to live a privileged lifestyle. What I would like to see from a leader is someone who stands up for the common man, the lower-class man and the minority. I want a leader who will take the time to talk with you at the commonman level instead of having to be in the good ol’ boys club. I want someone who is an activist, a fighter and a person who leads with the heart and not their ego because it’s not about head. It’s not about ego. And it’s not about image. It’s about heart. And that is why I support Dana Williams for Mayor of Park City. Alex Stoy, M.S., local business owner Park City Newpark neighborhood besieged by bikes Editor: The Newpark Townhome Association, located in Kimball Junction, met this past weekend. One of the issues brought up at our meeting was an almost unanimous concern about the increased trail traffic and the excessive speed of cyclists using the public trail system that meanders through our residential area. Let me say that again, “a residential area.” We love the trail. It is a wonderful multi-use asset. But the recent increase in traffic and the excessive speeds of bi- cyclists coming through our residential area generated our safety concerns. It is just a matter of time before a pet, a child or an adult is involved in a major accident. My wife and I have a small, older dog and other than early morning or late nights it is no longer safe to walk her on the trail. We are not quick enough to get out of the way of the high-speed cyclists. Bicyclists need to understand that this is a residential area; we are not a Tour de France racetrack. There are other areas of the trail more amenable to high-speed racing. They are racing around blind corners and travel faster than the automobile traffic on our neighborhood streets. Most local leisure bikes travel at reasonable speeds and have bells. Most speed cyclists do not have bells and they wouldn’t have time to use them anyway. The response from our board was that the trail does not belong to us. We also brought it up with the Newpark Homeowners Association representative who felt we should express our concerns to the appropriate city and county organizations. One suggestion was to install speed bumps, but I do not think that they are appropriate and can be a hazard to the bikers. I would like to recommend the following: 1) Divide the trail down the middle with half for a bike lane and half for a walking lane, 2) Paint each side with symbols for bikes and walkers and 3) Install signs at both entrances to our residential areas (Fox Point and Newpark) and at blind curves; notifying cyclists to maintain a reasonable speed of no more than 10 mph and to be alert for pedestrians and pets. As a Family Medicine physician, my motto is “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I sincerely hope the appropriate city and county agencies will take notice of our concerns and take action BEFORE someone gets seriously injured. Dr. Jeffrey M. Edmondson, M.D. Park City |