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Phone: 435–649–9014 Fax: 435–649–4942 Email: circulation@parkrecord.com Published every Wednesday and Saturday Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, November 10-13, 2018 From the classroom A Treasure deal critic to the boardroom predicts rising costs Former teacher wins seat on Park City Board of Education CAROLYN WEBBER ALDER The Park Record Kara Hendrickson is the newest member of the Park City Board of Education. Hendrickson, a former teacher in the district, earned more than twice the number of votes than her opponent Vicky Fitlow in the District 4 race. Hendrickson won 69.7 percent of the vote to Fitlow’s 30.3, according to updated preliminary results released Friday by the Summit County Clerk’s Office. She will be replacing Board member J.J. Ehlers. Board members Anne Peters and Erin Grady were both unopposed in Districts 1 and 5, respectively. Hendrickson ran for a seat on the Board because she wanted to bring a teacher’s voice to the district’s critical decisions, because she said that perspective is often absent. The Board is currently determining its master plan, including future facilities and school amenities. Hendrickson stressed her experience throughout her campaign, which was highlighted on her posters with the phrase “30 year parent, 30 year educator.” For the last 16 years of her working career, Hendrickson taught at Jeremy Ranch Elementary School. Her children attended the district from kindergarten through senior year. Hendrickson also campaigned on a need for more “transparency” in the Board, especially as it relates to budget and curriculum decisions. For example, Continued from A-1 Buyout approved Officials crafted the financing for the deal through an especially detailed review of the budget in the spring and summer as they shifted monies toward the Treasure deal in a bid to reduce the dollar figure that would be attached to the ballot measure. Beerman also noted the strong showing on Tuesday. He alluded to the opposition movement that worried about a range of issues, including the impact of a successful ballot measure on the affordability of Park City and the $64 million price tag. “Anytime you come up to something big like this, you get the doubters that come out. What it proved to me is that we don’t have to pit things against each other, our priorities in this community,” Beerman said. “We can have open space, we can have housing, we can have equity. We can address multiple challenges at the same time.” City Hall projects the property-tax increase approved through Tuesday’s successful vote will be $194 annually on an $800,000 residence classified as a primary home. The increase is predicted to be $353 each year on a vacation home or a commercial property. The bond will be repaid over a term of 15 annual payments. The acquisition will block a major development that was envisioned in the 1980s approval. The approval involved the Treasure land and nearby parcels. Other pieces of ground that were part of the 1980s approval were developed over the years, but the bulk of the rights were attached to the Treasure land itself. Direct Importer of the World’s Finest Rugs A t t h e H i s t o r i c Vi l l a T h e a t r e 3092 So. Highland Dr., Salt Lake City (801)484-6364 888.445.RUGS (7847) Mon.-Sat. 10 am to 6 pm the addition of various new programs in the past put too much stress on teachers, she said, and she hopes they are more involved in future changes to curriculum. She said she is “really excited” to be a part of the Board. “I couldn’t be happier, because we have a lot of work to do. I think it will benefit the Board so much to have an education perspective,” she said. Fitlow said voters appeared to hold onto the fact that Hendrickson was a former teacher and that she could bring a different point of view. “I wish her well,” she said. “I am proud of the campaign I ran and grateful to the many voters who supported me.” She said she plans on staying involved with the community going forward. In South Summit Board of Education’s District 4 race, incumbent Steve Hardman topped Hoyt Atkinson with 51.7 percent of votes to 48.3 percent. The other incumbent, Debra Blazzard, beat out Stacy Maxfield, with 53.8 percent of votes to 46.2 percent in the District 5 race. Blazzard said she thought it would be a close race because both candidates are involved in the community, but she is happy with the outcome. “I am excited to move forward and continue on with where we are at and what needs to be done to get a bond passed in 2019,” she said. The bond that failed last year was the main talking point of the South Summit race, as candidates stressed the skills they would bring to get a bond to pass. Hardman was not available for comment. The two races in North Summit School District were uncontested. The Sweeney family secured the 1980s approval and a firm called Park City II, LLC years later acquired a 50 percent stake, forming the Treasure partnership. The partnership spent years in discussions with the Park City Planning Commission about a development of upward of 1 million square feet. Critics seized on issues like the traffic Treasure was projected to generate on streets like Lowell Avenue and Empire Avenue, the height of the buildings and the excavation that would be needed on such a highly visible hillside. Only the 1990s-era discussions that resulted in the development built as Empire Pass were more contentious in Park City’s modern era. As the talks dragged out for longer than a decade, there were attempts to craft a conservation deal of some sort, perhaps by shifting some of the development rights elsewhere or by City Hall extinguishing some but not all of the rights. The prospects of a full buyout like the one approved by the voters on Tuesday did not appear likely until the $64 million deal was reached in early 2018. The Sweeney family said it was pleased by the results on Election Day. Pat Sweeney, who represented his family in the development talks, said the acquisition by City Hall solves the decades of dispute. “They created the opportunity for the citizens to decide the fate of our property. They negotiated an acceptable situation for us,” he said, adding, “The citizens had a chance to make the decision and we’re happy with their decision. I think it’s a fine way for Treasure Hill to turn out.” The Treasure development proposal drew persistent criticism over the years, eventually spurring the formation of an opposition group known as the Treasure Hill Impact Neighborhood Coalition. One of the founders of the group, Brian Van Hecke, said the acquisition is a “dream that I always had, a dream I never let go of.” “It leaves Old Town intact. ... It makes it a livable place for generations to come,” Van Hecke said. Building owner says tax hike will trickle down to community’s vulnerable JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record One of the leading critics of Park City’s planned acquisition of the Treasure land in a conservation deal predicted on Wednesday costs in the community will rise as property owners increase rates to cover the additional taxes voters approved on Tuesday to fund the acquisition. Mark Stemler is a Main Street building owner and was one of the visible opponents of the $64 million City Hall agreement to acquire Treasure and the $48 million ballot measure to fund most of the cost that voters approved by a wide margin Tuesday. He said owners of residential and commercial properties will hike lease rates to ensure their profit margins remain intact. That will impact the residential and commercial tenants and, in the case of commercial properties, the customers will be impacted, he said. “This gets passed on to the consumer,” Stemler said. “Everything goes up. ... When it gets more expensive, you pass it on to the consumer.” He also said City Hall’s overall spending habits amount to a “shakedown of a wealthy community.” The multimillionaires of Park City will not suffer financially as a result of the ballot measure’s passage, but those who are not as rich will, he said, anticipating a trickle-down effect as rates are adjusted to account for the increase. “The people that feel it are the people washing our dishes, the people loading our ski lifts,” Stemler said, adding, “Our most vulnerable citizens feel it the worst.” Stemler during the final stretch of the campaign emerged as a key detractor of the $64 million agreement between City Hall and the Treasure partnership, describing the deal as “excessive and Continued from A-1 Parkites honored uals who have done very extraordinary things. And this is far more meaningful than just raising a flag and moving along.” Morgan said it is difficult selecting only 11 veterans to honor each year. “The committee feels strongly that anyone who raised their hand and said, ‘I am pledging my life’ is worthy of that honor,” he said. “But, we look for specific stories that are very compelling.” Like Eaton’s, Morgan said. Eaton, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, had some close calls during his first combat tour flying bombers from a base in Qatar for the Air Force, according to his biography compiled by the university. His crew earned the title of the Bomber Crew of the Year. They also received the Distinguished Flying Cross for courage, devotion to duty and extraordinary aerial skill under adverse conditions, the biography states. Eaton’s other awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, three air medals, and three Air Force commendation medals. Eaton was deployed on three more tours. Eaton is now with the 419th Fighter indulgent.” He led an October event on Main Street that outlined the opposition’s side amid a well-organized effort in support of the ballot measure. Stemler supports the acquisition of Treasure but is critical of the way the deal is crafted. He wanted voters to reject the ballot measure, saying doing so would have allowed more time for negotiations. He said there “wasn’t any creativity” in the agreement negotiated by the Park City leaders. Stemler argued City Hall could have brought a case against the Treasure partnership using the state’s eminent domain process, which allows a government body like a municipality to seize private property if doing so is determined to be for the good of the public. Others countered that Stemler did not understand the intricacies of the state law and argued eminent domain was not possible in the case of Treasure. Stemler also outlined an option that called for City Hall acquiring the Treasure land and then selling a small portion of the acreage for development. The proceeds raised in the sale of a small portion of the land would have brought down the overall cost to taxpayers under Stemler’s scenario. “They needed an out. They needed a reset. They were scared. They were paralyzed by the deal,” he said. Stemler said leaders crafted the agreement as it was put to voters “rather than give you some reasonable options.” He has previously referred to the situation as either voting in favor of the ballot measure “or drink cyanide.” The opposition to the ballot measure appeared segmented throughout the campaign as no formal group organized to counterbalance the supporters, who rallied early with the backing of not-for-profit organizations. The opposition centered on issues like the tax increase, the impact of higher property taxes on the affordability of Park City and, toward the end of the campaign, the lack of a recent appraisal of the Treasure acreage. Wing at Hill Air Force Base. “The bond that develops between those who share combat is unbreakable,” he said in a release. “It is something that never leaves you.” Workman found himself reminiscing about his military service in the days leading up to the ceremony. He was drafted into the U.S. Army when he was a junior at Park City High School. He eventually became a heavy mortar crewman and was assigned to a platoon in Saipan in the Pacific theater of WWII in June of 1944. The next major battle Workman saw was during the invasion of Okinawa, where bullets whizzed by him in all directions and a piece of shrapnel nearly turned into a fatal injury. “These young kids don’t get it,” he said. “I spent my 21st birthday in a foxhole with water up to my neck while I was fighting the Japanese. I lost 50 pounds during those two months. A lot of my younger grandsons don’t even know what the flag is for.” Workman appeared appreciative of the recognition, especially as Veterans Day approaches. “It’s been a long time coming,” he said. Morgan, a former Marine, said Workman is a “great example” of someone that is worthy of being honored. He praised Workman for his service, particularly at the Battle of Okinawa, which was a historical moment for Marines, he said. “To read what he did and surviving all of that, it is an amazing story of courage,” he said. “That’s the kind of thing that we like to recognize.” |