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Show C-1 B-1 CANYONS VILLAGE FIRED UP FOR NEW YEAR’S BUSINESS, A-9 RESTAURANT GUIDE Check out our Restaurant Guide on page A-21. See more at bit.ly/eatpc THE YEAR SAW TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY IN SPORTS COLUMNS, A-22 Park Record. MAKE DOLLARS AND SENSE OUT OF 2017 NEWS ITEMS TOM CLYDE SAYS SNOWMAKERS DESERVE A COOKIE The PA R K C I T Y, U TA H W W W. PA R K R E C O R D . C O M Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, December 30, 2017-January 2, 2018 Serving Summit County since 1880 Danger of slides seen as extreme | The climb to 2018 Vol. 137 | No. 94 50¢ PCMR owner carves toward a development Vail Resorts could sell land that years ago was granted rights for a major project JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record COURTESY OF UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER Craig Gordon, a forecaster with the Utah Avalanche Center, stands near the remnants of a snowmobile-triggered avalanche in the Double Hill North Bowl of the Uinta Mountains on Wednesday. The avalanche was 700 feet wide and about 4 feet deep. Forecasters say there could be avalanches in the backcountry ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON The Park Record While the powder in backcountry terrain still looks white and fluffy several days after the Christmas weekend storms, forecasters with the Utah Avalanche Center are warning recreators to exercise extreme caution in areas that are prone to avalanche activity. Last week, several avalanches were reported in the Central Wasatch Mountains and in the Uintas, according to Craig Gordon, a forecaster with the Utah Avalanche Center. He said there were several close calls, but no accidents were reported. An avalanche that was 18 feet deep and about 200 feet wide was reported along the Park City ridgeline on Thursday. It was unclear whether it was a natural or triggered slide. A snowmobile-triggered avalanche was observed in the Double Hill North Bowl region of the Uintas on Wednesday. It was 700 feet wide and about 4 feet deep. “Most of the slides have been triggered remotely, low on the slope and adjacent slopes, and that’s what makes our set up so tricky right now,” Gordon said. “It is a super active time. The Christmas Eve storm has really been the first storm and first significant amount of snow and water, so really the problem in our snowpack lies in the lack of snow and the unusually dry beginning of December.” The snow setup for most of the state and, especially, Northern Utah has been particularly problematic because the snow that was on the ground grew weak and sugary, Gordon said. The storm over Christmas weekend exacerbated the issue because it put a stronger layer of snow on top of a weaker layer. “A lot of this revolves around a rain crust that formed in Thanksgiving,” he said. “The sugary snow on top of that provides something for avalanches to Please see Danger, A-2 3 sections • 48 pages Business ................................. A-9 Classifieds ............................ C-12 Columns ............................... A-22 Crossword .............................. C-4 Editorial................................ A-23 Events Calendar ..................... C-6 Legals ................................... C-15 Letters to the Editor ............. A-23 Restaurant Guide.................. A-21 Scene ...................................... C-1 Scoreboard ............................. B-5 Sports ..................................... B-1 Weather .................................. B-2 TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Noah Chao, who is 8, reaches for a foothold before slipping underneath a makeshift limbo bar during The Mine Bouldering Gym’s winter camp Thursday morning. The gym’s head coach, Dayton Henriksen, left, used a brush for the kids to climb beneath. The morning session of the camp meets Wednesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. Principal opponents to redo of schoolhouse file appeal They do not want a full-scale hotel to open at the former location of classrooms ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON The Park Record Two applications were filed with the Summit County Planning and Building Department last week to appeal the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission’s decision to grant a permit for a hotel project at the former Colby School property on S.R. 224. Members of the Park West Preservation Coalition, which represents several property owners in Park West Village, and Joe Wrona, an attorney representing resident Andrew Levy, filed two separate applications on Dec. 22 to appeal the planning panel’s decision. The project will now go before the County Council for a decision. The Planning Commission approved an application for a 15-room hotel, 5,000-square foot restaurant, and yoga and fitness studios at the site east of S.R. 224 on Dec. 12. More than 50 people attended the meeting, with most opposing the project. The vote was 6-1, with Chuck Klingenstein dissenting. Planning Commissioners Canice Harte, Bea Peck, Joel Fine, Malena Stevens, Ryan Dickey and Thomas Cooke agreed to approve the application. “Frankly, we ultimately, even a year ago, felt that the Planning Commission had lost their focus and had just become too involved with perhaps their personal desire to see a project like this be developed somewhere in the Park City area,” Wrona said. “For the most part, they just began ignoring the reality of the zoning and entitlement restrictions that are in place on the property. “I’m fairly certain the commission’s decision will be overturned,” he added. In 2014, the former Colby School/Snowed Inn property was acquired by Emma Worsley and Julie McBroom. Summit County originally approved the Snowed Inn and related uses as a Class II development in August of 1985. The 1998 Development Code allowed for a change of use in the existing building from a hotel to a school and it operated as a school until 2008. A representative for the developers did not respond to the Park Record’s multiple Please see Basin, A-2 Vail Resorts, the Colorado-based owner of Park City Mountain Resort, recently took an early but important step as it considers options for major development at the base of PCMR. The company said in a statement requested by The Park Record it has started a search for a developer. Vail Resorts has enlisted a commercial real estate firm called CBRE Group, Inc. and a second firm called IMI Worldwide Properties to assist. Kristin Kenney Williams, the vice president of mountain community affairs for Vail Resorts, said CBRE Group, Inc. and IMI Worldwide Properties will “seek qualified developers interested in purchasing the land parcels and partnering with us to carry out a vision for the base area.” “That vision for an enhanced base area includes city and community priorities: more parking, traffic and transit improvements, employee housing and significant tax revenue generation for the school district and the city,” Williams said. It was not immediately clear what sort of timeline Vail Resorts will pursue. It has been aggressive since acquiring PCMR in 2014, merging the property with the former Canyons Resort via a gondola and making a series of other upgrades. The development of the base of PCMR, located along Lowell Avenue and Empire Avenue, would be among the most ambitious projects in Park City, likely encompassing residences, commercial square footage, parking and transit improvements. The previous owners of the resort in the 1990s secured an overall approval from City Hall for development at the base area. The Marriott’s MountainSide and the Legacy Lodge, long since built, were two elements of the 1990s approval. The broader approval, though, also includes development rights attached to the main PCMR parking lot, the lower lot and the parking area sometimes referred to as the Silver King lot. Vail Resorts said the land totals just more than 10 acres. “Vail Resorts has shifted away from being a developer and is focused on our core – operations of our resorts and base areas,” Kenney Williams said. “Instead of developing prime parcels of Vail Resorts’ land ourselves, we’re looking for third parties who can lend their expertise in development by working with our communities and local governments. We have a vested interest in ensuring that projects enhance the entire resort community and carefully consider our guests and Please see Project, A-2 Mayor’s term marked by tension, triumphs Jack Thomas readies to retire after work on land, social equity JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record Jack Thomas in early January will retire as the mayor of Park City perhaps lacking the activist streak of his predecessor in the office, Dana Williams, or the exuberance of his incoming successor, Andy Beerman. Thomas, who did not seek re-election in November, will leave office after one term that pushed the community forward in dramatic ways nonetheless. His efforts stretched from high-altitude land to low-income families, pressing a wide-ranging agenda at the Marsac Building that both built on the work of previous administrations and prepared the community for future ones. “I’m not flamboyant. I wasn’t a strong speaker. I’ve gotten better,” Thomas said in an interview as he prepared to leave office. “I’m a contemplative, holistic thinker.” Thomas, 72 and a Park Meadows resident who has lived in Park City for 25 years, unexpectedly rose to power after a career as an architect. He was a member of the Park City Planning Commission. Thomas won the 2013 mayoral campaign after having never served in elected office. He bested Beerman, who was a City Councilor at the time, in a result that surprised many. Thomas was sworn into office in early 2014 amid Park City’s strengthening emergence from the recession and as community tensions continued about a lawsuit that ultimately led to the sale of Park City Mountain Resort to Vail Resorts and the subsequent merger of PCMR and Canyons Resort into a single property. The economic expansion and the merger of the resorts became two of the crucial issues of the Thomas administration. Although both of them held great financial promise for many who live in Park City, the booming economy and the PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO Mayor Jack Thomas retires in early January after one term in office. An architect, resort merger also were seen as import- he rose from the ranks of the Park City Planning Commission after having never ant factors as affordability became more served in elected office. The Thomas administration made progress on issues like Please see The mayor, A-2 open space and social equity even as many Parkites worried about wider changes in the community. VISITOR GUIDE Organization hopes to reel in a crowd for fly-tying demonstration High Country Fly Fishers will present Ken Brough, owner of the Eagle Lodge, at 6 p.m. on Jan. 3, at Red Rock Brewery’s Red Rock Junction. The meeting, which will feature fly-tying demonstrations, is free and open to the public. More: www.highcountryflyfishers.com. |