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Show Viewpoints The A-11 Park Record. Wed/Thurs/Fri, March 7-9, 2018 editorial Wanted: candidates committed to faithfully serving constituents n s t - ? s e s o h f I s o f e s s f e guest editorial Westerners shouldn’t give up on riding the rails s e , a kFORREST WHITMAN -Writers on the Range s “I’m never taking another Amtrak ytrain here in the West!” That’s what a .longtime passenger-rail fan told me re-cently. True, it hasn’t been good news lately for our Western passenger-train network. But is his decision not to get lon board typical? - Dining-car conversations on a recent dtrip from Grand Junction, Colorado, to tReno, Nevada, were a lot more positive. -At our table during dinner and break-fast we talked with an artist, a retired -teacher, an NPR news producer and rseveral others. They all loved the train eand were making plans to ride Amtrak again. y The community seating in dining cars has long been a great way to meet and greet our fellow Americans and eforeign tourists, too. Western trains are -especially good for that, since many rpassengers spend the night on board. hTime seems to stretch out. No one bothlers much if the train is late or forced to .halt to let freight cars go by. It’s really a time out of time. On that trip we also met travelers from small towns who depend on Western trains like the Chief, the Zephyr and the Empire Builder. Those towns have lost bus service, and they’re a long way from any airport. A number of people — especially seniors and parents with small kids — depend on the train. Our Western trains even make money. Last year, the California Zephyr made $49.7 million along its route and the Southwest Chief made almost $40 million. So what’s going wrong? Recent train wrecks don’t inspire a lot of confidence. Last Dec. 18, the Seattle to Portland Cascades went into a curve too fast and derailed. Three people died. The crew admits to having missed a warning going into that curve. True, they were new to the run, the first run for Train Number 501. But this was the kind of mistake that old-time train crews didn’t make. The missed warning was old technology — a yellow sign by the tracks, called a slow board, that usually has a speed limit above it. Then, on Feb. 3, the Silver Star barreling south from New York to Miami slammed into a side-tracked CSX freight. That was on a stretch of track controlled by the CSX. Amtrak blamed CSX for the tragedy, which killed the The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER ....................... Andy Bernhard Editor ................................... Bubba Brown Staff Writers ......................Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Angelique McNaughton Ben Ramsey Carolyn Webber Contributing ............................. Tom Clyde Writers Jay Meehan Teri Orr Amy Roberts Tom Kelly Joe Lair Copy Editor ............................ James Hoyt Engagement Editor.........Kira Hoffelmeyer Photographer .........................Tanzi Propst Office Manager ..................... Tiffany Piper Circulation Manager ............. Lacy Brundy Accounting Manager ......... Jennifer Snow ADVERTISING Classifieds/Legals ............. Jennifer Lynch Advertising Director ........... Valerie Spung Advertising Sales ......................... Lori Gull Jodi Hecker Erin Donnelly Lisa Curley Olivia Bergmann Production Director ..................Ben Olson Production .......................... Patrick Schulz Linda Sites conductor and engineer on the Amtrak train. When I worked for railroads, mostly as a brakeman on four lines, the first rule was ironclad: You always “lined for the main (line) and locked her up,” meaning that trains coming full speed on the main line could never by mistake be physically diverted onto a side track. Locked, by the way, meant padlocked. An investigation into the accident is ongoing. There are ways to solve these problems. The president of Amtrak, Richard Anderson, has vowed to create a culture of safety. Robert Sumwalt of the National Transportation Safety Board, who was scathing in his assessment, said that Positive Train Control would have stopped the Cascades train before it went off the tracks. The railroads have been agonizingly slow in paying the millions needed for PTC and Congress, and especially this administration, has been slow to authorize paying for it. Positive Train Control is a lovely thing: An alarm sounds, and if the engineer does not throw on the air — open up the air brakes, so the brake shoes come down —within a few seconds, it does it automatically. It can operate in those “dark” zones so many of our Western trains traverse. It’s a long way between signals on much of the old Santa Fe where the Chief runs. Radio reception to the dispatcher is iffy in the canyons and river bottoms. But what can be done about other problems, like the one that caused the wreck in South Carolina? One cynical friend thinks that the class I freight railroads, which have priority over passenger trains, suffer from constantly revolving management and just don’t care about passenger trains. I can’t bring myself to be that cynical. A bit of hope is that federal help may be on the way with PTC funding. Yet that is highly questionable in this administration. My buddy who refuses to ride Western trains is, I hope, not typical. Now is the time to ride and to support those groups fighting to keep them running. Joining the National Association of Railroad Passengers is a place to start. If you live in Colorado consider our local group, ColoRail. I hope few will be too frightened by the bad news to forgo the pleasure of a train trip. I am convinced that no other way of travel ever reveals how much of our region is vast, undeveloped and beautiful. Letters Policy The Park Record welcomes letters to the editor on any subject. We ask that the letters adhere to the following guidelines. They must include the home (street) address and telephone number of the author. No letter will be published under an assumed name. Letters must not contain libelous material. Letters should be no longer than about 300 words (about 600 words for guest editorials) and should, if possible, be typed. We reserve the right to edit letters if they are too long or if they contain statements that are unnecessarily offensive or obscene. Writers are limited to one letter every seven days. Letters thanking event sponsors can list no more than 6 individuals and/or businesses. Send your letter to: editor@parkrecord.com t’s time for Summit County residents with a passion for public service to step up. The filing window to run for offices in this year’s election is set to open Friday morning and run through next Thursday. There will be a number of influential positions on the ballot, and our communities are depending on qualified residents heeding the call to service. The openings that have the most influence on Summit County include four seats in the Utah State Legislature, two spots on the County Council, four positions at the County Courthouse (attorney, auditor, clerk and sheriff) and seven school board seats throughout the county. It’s often said that the results of local elections shape communities far more dramatically than national or even statewide ones. That’s true. The people we elect this fall to those positions will have the power to do things like craft laws at the State Capitol Building, determine how tax dollars are used in Summit County, oversee one of the county’s two major law enforcement agencies and influence the education of our children. They’re the kind of responsibilities we should entrust only to people with integrity and who are committed to representing their constituents to the best of their ability. In Summit County, we’ve been fortunate to see those kinds of candidates rise to the top far more often than not, and we’re looking to another crop of high-minded folks to step up this time around. But people running for office aren’t the only ones who have an important duty. As prospective candidates weigh their futures, residents need to fulfill an obligation of their own. In addition to voting and participating in party caucuses and conventions, constituents must push their candidates as election season unfolds. Given the responsibility candidates are seeking, campaigns should be challenging. We should demand our would-be leaders spend the coming months engaged in vigorous debate about their visions for bettering our communities and ensure they clearly define the values they’ll stand up for if elected. It’s the best way for voters to learn who will faithfully represent their interests. People who have what it takes to lead won’t shy away from the task. Here’s to hoping plenty of them make their way to the County Courthouse in the coming days and prove it. Residents seeking to run for office must file in person at the Summit County Clerk’s Office at the County Courthouse in Coalville. The filing window is set to open Friday at 8 a.m. and close the following Thursday, March 15, at 5 p.m. For more information about what’s required to become a candidate, visit co.summit.ut.us/290/Candidates or call the Summit County Clerk at 435-336-3203. letters to the editor Don’t take food from the mouths of babes Editor: Who would have thought you would need to defend feeding a hungry child? The President’s budget proposes deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, previously known as food stamps). Here in Utah, over 80% of SNAP recipients are families with children. Although most of these children’s parents are employed, these low-income families (especially those with very young children) are having difficulty keeping up with the cost of housing, child care, and medical bills. Currently, 1 in 3 preschool children receive help from SNAP. We know from decades of research that children who receive SNAP benefits do better in math and reading in elementary school and will go on to have better long-term health. More cuts to the SNAP program will take food from the mouth of babes. Debbie Baskin Salt Lake City What is the cost of our wars? Editor: Where is Don Rumsfeld when we so desparately need some of his “metrics” on our wars? Not the known unknowns or untruths of WMD’s but some reality, maybe some known knowns. What has been accomplished? Anything? How much has it cost? How many people have died? I’m sure we’d be hearing plenty of boasting if any of the answers were good. Nick Wright Park City Preservation should focus on local space Editor: Last week’s PR headlined a nonnews article outlining an un-appointed person’s informal proposal that we erect a tiny-home tenement on our municipal golf course. Why does such a minor blip incite anxiety? Why are we even discussing this? There is reasonable fear that Park City’s Old-Town-centric leadership might consider such a perverse plan, as they eye our open space for tax-payer subsidized affordable housing. Last year they passed a preservation easement for Library Field (Old Town’s dog park) and then promoted an enormous bond to protect remote acreage, even as our school bond failed. It’s clear, despite a seeming willingness to max out municipal credit, that budgetary choices must be made. Yet, priorities seem amiss: Let’s preserve, for perpetuity, what LOCAL green space exists. Address public transit, then cooperate with county to build affordable housing that sensibly connects to that network. While affordable housing is a noble objective, all 800 units do not have to be exclusively in the center, and preservation of what little open space remains is the only way we “keep Park City, Park City”. Who among our leaders will step up and instigate a preservation easement that protects the recreational space beyond Old Town’s borders? Certainly, the families of Thaynes Canyon, Park Meadows, and Prospector merit the same protection as Old Town’s dogs. Krista Dana Thaynes Canyon Housing idea should not be pursued Editor: The idea of taking part or all of the PC Golf Course for affordable housing could be the most “LUDICROUS” idea I have heard from any Politician or would be Politician since I moved to PC some six years ago! It is now abundantly clear why Josh Hobson was not elected to the PC Council nor appointed to the Council! I am all in favor of affordable housing in PC. Taking one of the last “green areas” of any size, for this effort, just does not fit with what PC is all about! This is a city that uses the out of doors, uses the golf facility to the point where it is hard to get a tee time in the summer, and uses that area extensively for cross country skiing in the winter! We strive for tourists in PC and this is one of the attractions that many people come to use, one of the finest Golf Courses in the area! PC has a large land bank. I think Council has to get over the idea that affordable housing can only be in the heart of the city. They need to get realistic and get on with this effort by engaging with private enterprise and making land available on the edges of the city to build affordable housing. Let us all remember, all of these efforts are spending TAX PAYER MONEY, and sooner or later, owners are going to rebel at how that money is spent! Chuck Haggerty Park City WSS benefactor will be missed Editor: James A. Parke passed away quietly in his South Carolina home with his wife Marilyn by his side on February 21, 2018. He was 72. Since the Winter Sports School opened its doors as a charter school in 2014, Jim was not only the new School’s first major benefactor, but also to this day, its single largest donor. While supporting the School in many ways, Jim declined any public recognition or Board of Trustee position. His main goal was the School’s success. Jim Parke retired from the General Electric Corp. in 2005 where he was Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of General Electric Capital Services as well as Senior Vice President of the parent corporation. An avid skier, Jim maintained a home in Park City for many years prior to his retirement, but after 2005, Jim spent winters at his home in Deer Valley. In the summer of 2013, early in the school’s initiative to become a public charter school, a trustee of the Winter Sports School introduced Jim to Head of School, Dave Kaufman. Jim was impressed with his leadership, the unique educational opportunity offered by the School, and its mission to provide winter sports athletes an environment in which they could pursue their dreams of athletic excellence while being assured of a first-class college preparatory curriculum. Several days later, Jim stood with Dave and several trustees in the shell of a building, which had just been purchased and uttered the words that launched the new Winter Sports School: “How can I help?” Dave and the Board were heartened that momentous day by the knowledge that they had the support of a person who believed resolutely in the School’s mission. The Winter Sports School, its trustees, its new Head of School, Tess Miner-Farra, and its entire community of students, faculty, parents and alumni will be forever grateful to Jim Parke, the caring and thoughtful gentleman who, at a major crossroads in the School’s history, simply said: “How can I help?” Bud Canaday Winter Sports School trustee |