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Show C-1 B-1 FIGURE SKATERS PLAN SWEET PERFORMANCE EDUCATION, A-5 VOTING NOW OPEN! SKI TEAM SPOKESMAN REACHES FINISH LINE COLUMNS, A-8 It’s time for our annual survey of the best of the best in Park City. Visit bit.ly/pcsbest2018 to vote 2018 Park Record. SEVENTH-GRADERS SAY ‘HOLA’ TO LANGUAGE FAIR WHAT IS NOBLE ABOUT TRUMP’S NOBEL? 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 Wed/Thurs/Fri, May 2-4, 2018 Serving Summit County since 1880 Teen named state student of the year | Vol. 138 | No. 25 50¢ A mane reason to visit A Main Street hotel’s assets set for auction Main & Sky, owing back taxes, hopes to reach deal to avoid the sale scheduled later in May JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record CAROLYN WEBBER/PARK RECORD Jorge Luis Tlasmanteco Vasquez, a ninth-grade student at Treasure Mountain Junior High, was recently named Utah’s Student of the Year. He was nominated by several of his current and past teachers. Ninth-grader selected for work ethic and positive nature CAROLYN WEBBER The Park Record In many ways, Jorge Luis Tlasmanteco Vasquez is a typical student in Park City. He is involved in multiple activities inside and outside of school and hopes to succeed in them all. But in other ways, he is extraordinary, which is why he was named Utah’s Student of the Year. Vasquez, a ninth-grade student at Treasure Mountain Junior High, was selected for the award out of more than 100 students nominated statewide. A team of educators and education and business leaders in the state chose him. On May 2, he plans to attend an event in Salt Lake City, during which Utah’s Educator of the Year, Administrator of the Year and Partner in Education will also be recognized. Gov. Gary Herbert is expected to present Vasquez’s award, which will include a $5,000 scholarship from the nonprofit Utah’s Partner in Education Foundation, said Randy Shumway, chair of the foundation. Rick Bleil, a math teacher at Treasure Mountain, and Jeremy Tadros, a social science teacher at the school, were two of the several educators who nominated Vasquez for the award. They both have him in their classes this year. Bleil said Vasquez has an “incredible work ethic” and is “mature beyond his years.” He said that Vasquez works with his teachers and lets them know if he needs help or accommodations, which is a skill many students do not learn until much later down the road. “This is a kid who we will see do pretty impressive things in the future,” Bleil said. Tadros said that Vasquez is a leader many students look up to, especially since he is a member of the student group Latinos in Action. Both Tadros and Bleil agreed that he is positive and always has a smile on his face. But one of the things that stood out Please see Student, A-2 3 sections • 30 pages Classifieds .............................. C-8 Columns ................................. A-8 Crossword .............................. C-4 Editorial.................................. A-9 Education ............................... A-5 Events Calendar ..................... C-6 Legals ................................... C-11 Letters to the Editor ............... A-9 Restaurant Guide.................... B-6 Scene ...................................... C-1 Scoreboard ............................. B-5 Sports ..................................... B-1 Weather .................................. B-2 TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Dixie, a house-trained horse, greets Larue Hanel in her room at Elk Meadows Assisted Living and Memory Care Community in Oakley on Friday afternoon. Dixie and her offspring, mare Casey, greeted residents and nibbled on carrots and celery. The visit was part of a program meant to enhance patients’ quality of life. Assisted-living facility offers the elderly a chance to enjoy time with horses ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON The Park Record Residents at the Elk Meadows Assisted Living and Memory Care Center in Oakley had two very large, four-legged guests pay them a special visit last week. Peoa resident Wyatt Marchant brought his two horses — Casey and Dixie — to visit with the residents inside the facility on Friday. Elk Meadows offers assisted living, memory care and respite stay for seniors. The two horses were led into a large common area surrounded by residents. They fed the horses carrots and celery, and let them nuzzle their hands. Some reminisced about their experiences growing up on a farm, while others quietly enjoyed the animals’ presence. Most of the residents were confined to wheelchairs or suffering from dementia. It was the third time Marchant has brought the animals into the facility. “Horses are just good for the soul and provide feelgood vibes all around,” he said. Animal-assisted activities are becoming increasingly popular as ways to enhance patients’ quality of life, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Group sessions with the animals create opportunities for patients and facility residents to interact with caregivers, family members and volunteers. Additionally, allowing the animals access to individual rooms provides the opportunity for “non-ambulatory patients and patients for whom privacy or dignity issues are a consideration,” the CDC states. Nearly two months ago, Marchant began looking for a place where he could provide horse therapy to patients at area hospitals. However, he said many of the hospitals were not open to the idea. “I contacted, like, four hospitals and they just didn’t know what to do with me,” he said. “They have service dogs and I have heard of miniature horses making visits, but not really service horses.” At around the same time Marchant was looking for a place he could bring his horses, Kyle Peacock, executive director of Elk Meadows, was looking for someone with horses. Peacock said he was working a shift at the facility and visiting with a woman on hospice care when she told him about growing up on farm. He added, “She desperately missed her horses.” Peacock said he talked with the woman’s family members, but they didn’t think she was well enough to be outdoors. “I started calling people like, ‘What can I do about horses?’” he said. “And then literally two days later Wyatt (Marchant) showed up at the front desk saying he has house-trained horses and wanted to bring them in to visit with the community.” When the horses visit, Peacock said, it “really lights up” the residents, especially those who grew up on farms and surrounded by animals. “With Alzheimer’s and dementia, your previous memories are the ones that show up the best,” he said. “Short-term memory usually goes first. For example, this one woman grew up on a ranch and grew up around horses, so whenever they come to visit she is calm for the rest of the week. It just brings her back and creates the biggest smile on her face for days.” After the residents spent nearly an hour feeding the horses, Marchant led Dixie and Casey down the facility’s hallways to meet with the woman who sparked Peacock’s desire to bring them in. The horses were taken to the room of Larue Hanel. With the help of staff, the two horses were crowded into the tiny room and led straight to the bed where Six properties tied to Main & Sky, a hotel along Main Street, are scheduled to be sold later in May in a County Courthouse sale of parcels with unpaid property-tax bills, a rare case in the post-recession era involving such a high-profile Park City property. Main & Sky, still widely referred to by the former name Sky Lodge, occupies a sought-after corner at the intersection of Main Street and Heber Avenue. A firm known as Argentum Sky LLC owns the six properties. According to the Summit County Auditor’s Office, $419,765.74 was owed on April 24. The total includes $353,259.57 in unpaid property taxes, $56,174.67 in interest, $8,831.50 in penalties and $1,500 in fees. Summit County Auditor Michael Howard said property taxes have not been paid on the parcels since 2012. An attorney representing Argentum Sky LLC said the six properties are commercial spaces and no residential interests are involved. In a report drafted for the Summit County Council, Howard details proposals for a payment schedule crafted by his office and the Argentum Sky LLC side. The County Courthouse’s proposal calls for the owner of the properties to pay the taxes, interest and the penalties by 10 a.m. on May 17. Doing so would remove the properties from the sale later that day. An alternative offered by the County Courthouse calls for the taxes, interest and penalties to be paid on an installment plan of $22,000 each month starting in August with a balloon payment in the final month. The Argentum Sky LLC side provided a counteroffer for repayment. One of the firm’s proposals calls for it to pay $353,259.57 to cover the unpaid property taxes at once. The proposal requests the County Courthouse waive the interest and penalties. The other one involves paying the back taxes and interest at a rate of $22,000 per month starting in August with a balloon payment at the end. The second proposal requests the penalties be waived. The county auditor in an interview outlined that unpaid property taxes have broad impacts on public entities that rely on the revenue. Property taxes paid within Park City are distributed to entities like City Hall, the County Courthouse and the Park City School District. He said there could be budget shortfalls as a result of unpaid property taxes. Howard said his office treats property owners the same, indicating paying taxes is a “shared public good.” “Do I like having to do this? No, I don’t,” he said. State records identify Kenneth Abdalla as the manager of Argentum Sky LLC. He has been active in Main Street real estate in the years since the recession. Joe Wrona, an attorney who represents the Argentum Sky LLC side, addressed the Main & Sky issue in a Please see A mane, A-2 Please see Auction, A-2 Democrats gather in November springboard Party says convention momentum will stretch toward Election Day ANGELIQUE MCNAUGHTON The Park Record Summit County’s Democratic Party Chair Cheryl Butler was inspired by what she sees as a diverse and strong slate of Democratic candidates who attended the Utah State Democratic Convention over the weekend in Salt Lake City. “What we saw, just makes me feel good,” she said. “We had a lot of women and young people running. It was fun for me to see.” Utah’s Democrats created momentum at the state convention, Butler said, with those in attendance placing a sig- nificant amount of emphasis on highlighting core Democratic values, such as protecting individual human rights and the environment. “There was this idea present that we need to stand up and make sure our Democratic voters are energized and organized,” she said. “The nature of the game is making sure people are mobilized to return those ballots and get to the polls. If Democrats turn out and vote, we will win.” Nearly 1,000 delegates, including at least 100 from Summit and Wasatch counties, attended the convention on Saturday, Butler said. The Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress and Utah’s state legislative seats, as well as members of the Democratic National Committee, addressed party members at the event during the individual caucuses. Please see Party, A-2 PHOTO BY NAN CHALAT NOAKER Meaghan Miller, candidate for Utah House District 54, and Chris Neville, candidate for Utah House District 53, appear at the Utah Democratic Party Convention at the Salt Palace on Saturday. Both are challenging Republican incumbents. VISITOR GUIDE Make time for story time at the Summit County Library A new free evening story time will be held at 5 p.m. every Thursday at the Summit County Library Kimball Junction Branch. Kids can join Ms. Kirsten for picture books, puppets, dancing and all kinds of library story time fun. More: www.thesummitcountylibrary.org. |