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Show Viewpoints The Park Record. As racers approach, Park City continues to pedal forward T Where are the animal police? Editor: With money being spent to build a bridge for animals to use as means of crossing I-80, is there going to be animal police directing them to use their new crosswalk? Andre Palai Jeremy Ranch An e-speed limit Editor: I read Joe Assenheim’s guest editorial on E-Bikes with great interest as he articulated many of the behaviors and hazards I’ve observed as a Prospector resident adjacent to the Rail Trail. Many of the risks he identified could be mitigated significantly if the bikes’ software was modified to cut off the electric assist once the bike reached a speed of 7 or 8 mph. The rider would still have the “assist” for hills, but if they want to go faster, they would have to use their muscles like everyone else on these trails, whether they are walking or riding. Let’s preserve the people friendly environment of these trails for both the ecyclists and pedestrians that use them responsibly. sMark Duenser Park City a Become a leader I aEditor: m The date for the submission of your application to become a member of Leadership Park City Class XXV is nrapidly approaching – August 24. You may apply here - https://www.applyhegro.com/Leadership2018. y This is a truly popular program that is primarily paid for by the city governyment, the Chamber/Visitors Bureau and .Summit County, among others. Last nyear, over 100 people applied for membership for a class of 30. Therefore, if you have not been accepted in the past, happly again! It took me 2 applications (I probably slipped in…). Some people are accepted on their 3rd try. Many .times, it depends on the diversity of the class. The diversity of the class is important because you hear other members’ sugggested solutions to problems that may ychange your feelings about some topics nsince you experience their perspective. … n t , k t k e k d y e , é g Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, August 11-14, 2018 editorial letters to the editor e A-21 The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER ....................... Andy Bernhard Editor ................................... Bubba Brown Staff Writers ......................Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Angelique McNaughton Ben Ramsey Carolyn Webber Alder Contributing ............................. Tom Clyde Writers Jay Meehan Teri Orr Amy Roberts Tom Kelly Joe Lair Copy Editor ............................ James Hoyt 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 ................... Jodi Hecker Erin Donnelly Lindsay Lane Sharon Bush Production Director ..................Ben Olson Production .......................... Patrick Schulz Additionally, you learn first hand from the Summit County Council and the Park City Council about their current priorities. I was a member of Class XX (truly the Best Class! – Well, others may disagree…). Our class project was both daunting and truly exciting – we wrote and published “High – 5 Park City”. It is a book about Park City, written for K – 2 students. Many of us read the book in schools that were then distributed to the students. This training provides some great Leadership in Park City training and is for all ages. Older people, like me, Even have important takeaways from the training – so you are Not Too Old! The friendships developed in Leadership Park City begin with the roots of your class and then branch out to members of other classes. Truly worth the time you invest in the class and they in you! As Nike says…”Just Do It!” Bill Humbert Park City Money for music Editor: I am writing in response to this summer’s Park Record article, “Nearly $900,000 awarded to more than 20 Summit County nonprofit organizations,” after having the tremendous pleasure of attending concerts - each an intimate and spectacular music event put on by the Beethoven Festival Park City this summer. The article details the fact that the Summit County Council slashed the funding provided to the Park City Chamber Music Society, which puts on the Festival’s Park City summer concerts, many of which are free to the public. I am deeply disappointed by the fact that the Council chose to award to the Society a mere 0.2% of the funding distributed, particularly when the concerts put on by the Festival, a standout institution of the Park City music scene, now celebrating its 35th year, are enjoyed by such a diverse audience of Park City residents, as well as many visitors to our town. My hope is that the Council will reconsider its funding decision next year, and will recognize the wide array of benefits the Park City Chamber Music Society offers our community. The Society should absolutely receive significantly more funding, and, for anyone who would like to better understand just how amazing the Festival concerts are, I would encourage you to attend the FINAL summer concert at City Park this coming Monday the 13th, at 6:15pm. Admission is completely FREE, allowing access for all, but, for those who are able, I would encourage you to lend your support and donate generously! Kerry MacNamara Park City 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 he Tour of Utah racers over the weekend will ride through the Wasatch Range region, ending the grueling trek Sunday on Main Street after climbs that test the physical fitness even of world-class athletes and descents that are harrowing even to the elite riders. Some recreational cyclists undoubtedly pored over the Tour of Utah map, picking a section of the route to ride on their own to learn if they have the mettle of the athletes who will triumphantly enter Park City over the weekend. But one does not have to possess the lungs or quadriceps of a Tour of Utah racer to pedal through Park City. As the competitors and spectators arrive in Park City, they will quickly understand the community is a spectacular setting for the event and, more importantly, the sport. Government officials at the municipal, county and state levels, coupled with activists, can be credited with the significant advances over time. The Rail Trail, a jewel of the area’s cycling offerings, is part of the state park system while the Utah Department of Transportation has, over time, accepted bicycling as a means to move through the area by providing lanes for pedaling people. The County Courthouse, too, has expanded trails and bicycling routes. City Hall’s commitment is unquestionable. The thinking is, more people will choose to pedal through the Park City area instead of pressing the gas pedal if there are safe, convenient bicycling routes. Leaders and activists contend bicycling cuts automobile traffic, thus benefiting the environment through a reduction in emissions, in addition to the cardiovascular benefits. The results have been, admittedly, sometimes difficult to distinguish. Vehicle traffic has grown worse even as the trails and bicycling routes have expanded. And the traffic increases have led to broadened environmental concerns, including the possibility of smoggy air in what should be a community of blue skies. That, in turn, prompts worries about respiratory and heart health. The people of the Park City area will line sections of the Tour of Utah course this weekend, with large crowds expected on Main Street for the finish on Sunday. It would be nice if many of the spectators ride their own bicycles to the race, a trek that would hardly be as grueling as the one the racers will complete on Sunday but one that would display the mettle of a community culturally committed to bicycling as a sport and a means of transportation. guest editorial Take it from a survivor: prepare for fire MELISSA MARSTED Park City I am writing this about two hours after I heard fire engine after fire engine roaring and racing up the street parallel to my street in Pinebrook-Park City. On the night of the Santa Barbara Tea Fire I have no recollection of hearing sirens. I always wondered why, but to this day, the sounds trigger horrible panic attacks in my brain and in my body. It is not the stuff I lost but having a safe place to call home for me, my two sons and our three pets and having to move multiple times during a four-year period while we negotiated with the insurance company. The final policy payout did not arrive until nearly four years later and by that time the additional living expense line item had expired. During that time period rental prices in Santa Barbara were skyrocketing. It was clear I was not going to be able to stay. Will the triggers ever go away? Nationwide fires, floods, evacuations, deaths, losses…never ending. Then we have to remind ourselves that we can grieve from the life that once was and rise from these losses…from the ashes, from the debris and create a new life – not necessarily better. You might see me crying unexpectedly. Tears stream down my cheeks until I am sure I am safe; that my sons are safe and my friends. I feel others’ losses as if they are my own. I am an empty-nester and alone more often than not and have tried to respond to these triggers instead of react but it is a never-ending battle. It will be ten years in November since I had an hour to evacuate from the Tea Fire which consumed my house and its contents within twenty minutes of leaving as witnessed by a neighbor who stayed behind. I looked at the fire today and immediately starting packing while occasionally checking on the fire until moments later I heard the first fire engine head back down. The smoke plumbs were no longer rising up. I later learned a construction trailer had caught fire. I write this to urge you, as Summit County residents, with the fires nationally and the recent Tollgate Fire to do what you can to prepare your house to evacuate and to check your homeowners’ insurance. Do you have renters’ insurance? Do you know your policy? Do you know if you have Extended Replacement Cost? Do you know what you would get for the structure and the contents. Do you know what you would get for having to rent while you are rebuilding or replacing your home? What are things you own that are irreplaceable. Think ahead. Plan. Prepare and do it now so you don’t have regrets. The good news is that I was able to buy here five years ago. My passions as a runner, skier and author of children’s books about the national parks have coalesced during this time of healing and finding joy again here in Park City. Through determination we can and we will rise from the ashes when life takes a turn. guest editorial School board hosting public hearing to hear from community members on taxation THE PARK CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION: ANDREW CAPLAN, PRESIDENT, JJ EHLERS, VICE PRESIDENT, PETRA BUTLER, MEMBER, ERIN GRADY, MEMBER, ANNE PETERS, MEMBER The mission of Park City School District is to inspire and support all students equitably to achieve their academic and social potential. As a Board of Education, we have been elected to represent the interests of our collective community -- we have heard and appreciate the community’s desire to create an educational culture that is focused on the whole child. We make decisions based on keeping our students safe, supported, engaged, challenged, and healthy. With the new school year beginning in less than two weeks, we are thrilled that all teacher positions are filled. The biggest benefit we offer new teachers is a competitive salary, the highest in the state. At the same time, we increased compensation for returning teachers, support staff, and administrators to encourage them to stay long-term. Our strength is in our people. We are fortunate to have outstanding staff who genuinely care about students and aspire every school year to help students achieve their potential. Employee compensation and benefits comprise nearly 80 percent of our expenditures. The gap between higher expenditures and neutral revenues is growing. Because local property taxes make up more than 90 percent of our income we knew we recognized we needed to increase taxes. The last time we raised taxes was 2014. We firmly believe that access to a quality education is a foundation to the strength of our community, and we know our community wants to invest in education. Our FY19 budget reflects several critical needs. Besides hiring and retaining excellent personnel, safety and security is also a priority for us. We have added interventionist (sic) at each elementary school to work with struggling students. And we have hired an additional assistant principal at Ecker Hill Middle, Treasure Mountain Junior High, and Park City High. This year, approximately $5 million in property taxes will be sent in equalization funding to the state to be distributed to revenue strapped districts such as Alpine, Davis, Nebo, and Jordan. We are the only district in Utah that collects more money than we are authorized to receive. Last year, we sent $3 million back to the state for equalization. Recent legislation now requires that we send an additional $2 million back to the state. In an effort to provide an equitable education for all our students, the district will now cover the cost of academic student fees. That’s nearly $700,000 in fees, which parents have paid for in past years. Some community members have expressed concern about the compensation package for our new superintendent. We are incredible (sic) fortunate to have hired an experienced, student-centered and future-focused leader. The proposed tax increase does not include her salary or housing benefits. That is already covered under our existing budget. We realize tax increases are never easy. We have been judicious in approving this budget and have spent many months reviewing data that supports the goals of our Strategic Plan. Our Truth-in-Taxation hearing is set for Tuesday, Aug. 14, at 6 p.m. at the District Office, and is your chance to voice your opinion before the tax increase is finalized. Thank you for your continued support of education. We are all partners in ensuring our children achieve their highest academic and social potential. |