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Show A-8 Wed/Thurs/Fri, August 7-9, 2019 The Park Record Meetings and agendas Core SampleS TO PUBLISH YOUR PUBLIC NOTICES AND AGENDAS, PLEASE EMAIL CLASSIFIEDS@PARKRECORD.COM By Jay Meehan The Cheney prerogative AGENDA SUMMIT COUNTY COUNCIL Wednesday, August 7, 2019 NOTICE is hereby given that the Summit County Council will meet in session Wednesday, August 7, 2019, at the Summit County Courthouse, 60 North Main Street, Coalville, UT 84017 (All times listed are general in nature, and are subject to change by the Council Chair) 12:50 PM Closed Session – Personnel (20 min); Property Acquisition (20 min) 1:30 PM - Move to Council Chambers 1:40 PM Work Session 1) Pledge of Allegiance 2) 1:45 PM - Introductions of the Miss Summit County, the Little Buckaroo, and the Rodeo Royalties (20 min) 3) 2:05 PM - Presentation of Eagle Scout Project-Flag Disposal; Tanner Crosby (15 min) 4) 2:20 PM - Discussion regarding steps to achieve Net 100% Renewable Electrical Energy for Government Operations goal including review of draft Renewable Energy Service Contract; Lisa Yoder (45 min) 5) 3:05 PM - Presentation of Park City School District’s Master Plan options; Jill Gildea and Todd Hauber (20 min) 3:25 PM Convene as the Board of Equalization 1) Discussion and possible approval of 2019 stipulations; Stephanie Larsen, Travis Lewis, and LoraLea McKnight (15 min) Dismiss as the Board of Equalization (15 min) 3:40 PM Convene as the Governing Board of the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District 1) Discussion and possible approval of the Purchase Agreement (Triangle Property) between Summit County and Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District; Dave Thomas (20 min) Dismiss as the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District 4:00 PM Consideration of Approval 1) Discussion and possible consent by the County Council to the Purchase Agreement (Triangle Parcel) between Summit County and Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District; Dave Thomas (5 min) 2) 4:05 PM - Discussion and possible action regarding a Special Exception request for Blue Sky Ranch-Hotel Bypass Road; Brandon Brady (30 min) 3) 4:35 PM - Council Comments 4) 4:50 PM - Manager Comments 5:00 PM Public Hearing 1) Public Hearing and possible approval of Summit County, Utah Ordinance No. 868-A, Amending the Eastern Summit County Development Code Sections 11-4-5 (“Subdivisions, Condominiums, Subdivision Plat Amendments, Parcel Boundary Adjustments, and Divisions of Land for Non-Development Purposes”) and 11-4-12 “Master Planned Developments” as they relate to wastewater systems; Helen Strachan and Ray Milliner 5:30 PM Work Session, continued 1) Presentation of Utah Century Farm and Ranch Awards to the Richins Family Homestead and the Double Diamond Ranch; Nell Larson 6:00 PM Public Input Individuals with questions, comments, or needing special accommodations pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding this meeting may contact Annette Singleton at (435) 336-3025 Continued from A-6 Parish in turmoil faith. “Not my choice, I would have been happy to stay here,” he wrote. “But, it is what it is. I don’t have a tall pointy hat.” The Catholic faith has historically overlapped with conservatism. It has opposed same-sex marriage, civil unions and adoptions by gay couples; LGBTQ individuals, according to a 2005 statement from the church, should be treated with kindness but should live celibate lives to not be “sinful.” But this parish and this school, parents say, have found a way to carve out a space for more liberal ideas and more welcoming views and more diverse voices in Salt Lake City, one of the bluer places in Utah. In their online petition against Richtsteig, parents say J.E. Cosgriff Memorial School and St. Ambrose Church have taught adherents to “walk the path that Jesus, the Christ, has laid before us. It is a path of love, compassion, and unconditional regard and acceptance.” “If he’s not following that, how can I in good conscience shake this priest’s hand?” asked member Amy Stevanoni. “How can I send my kids knowing they are going to go to church once a week with this person?” The biggest issue for many parents about Richtsteig’s posts is the focus on LGBTQ individuals. There are several queer and transgender students at the school, and they worry that those kids will be targeted by the priest or made to feel less worthy. Colleen Sandor and her wife are one of the few — and possibly only — gay parents at the school. Their twin daughters are 6 and starting first grade next year; they’ve been going to J.E. Cosgriff Memorial since they were 2. She fears that because of what Richtsteig has posted that the girls will be “retaliated against.” “It’s been very painful,” she said. “The Facebook posts are pretty horrifying. And we feel threatened.” Sandor said she and her wife enrolled their daughters there because they appreciated the caliber of the school, the teachers and principal. Sandor also attended a Catholic school when she was growing up and spent three years at a Jesuit college. “The reason we chose Catholic school is because of the virtues that are woven into the lessons,” she said. “In his posts, though, (Father Richtsteig) is representing morals that are not things that we teach our children. They’re homophobic, misogynistic.” She hopes the school will remain as it is. But Richtsteig will be in charge and will interact with students there at least once a week at Mass, as well as with first communions and confirmations. Donnelly, who has pulled her kids from the school and whose sister is gay, said anyone in a business or other workplace would be fired for posting similar comments — “let alone being asked to be a spiritual leader for children.” As far as she can see, she said, Richtsteig has faced no consequences. Richtsteig previously spoke out in 2007, too, when he protested a Catholic priest in Park City who was holding special Masses once a month for LGBTQ congregants and their families. He called same-sex attraction “a disorder” and “not something to be proud of.” He also protested a school performance of “Rent” in 2009 at Judge Memorial Catholic High because it included LGBTQ characters. He suggested that made it “morally destructive and offensive.” Now, many parents are worried about what Richtsteig will say over the pulpit. “I hope he’s not going to stand up there and preach hateful, hurtful things to a church full of children,” added Stevanoni, whose two kids, ages 7 and 12, go there. She’s been questioning if they should stay or leave. More than 70 parents showed up at a private school board meeting in June, and The Tribune received a recording of the discussion from one of the attendees. There are slightly more than 300 students at the school. The parents talked for more than two hours about their hesitation in accepting Richtsteig into the community. “It’s extremely concerning,” said one mom. “There are trust issues,” said another. “We disagree with his bigotry,” said a dad. Others said they don’t feel comfortable with the priest talking to young kids and teens who may be questioning their sexuality. Some argued that he’s not fit to be a spiritual leader. A few more said these posts aren’t an anomaly; they go back more than a decade. That includes two posts from 2008 on Richtsteig’s blog where he’s holding an automatic rifle — both appear to be edited into the image. In one of the photos, the gun is spitting flames and labeled “Easter fire.” The priest has been an open advocate for guns since a man was shot and injured by a family member in Richtsteig’s church in 2013. But with recent school shootings, some parents say it’s inappropriate for him to advocate for rifles and joke about automatic weapons. Parents say the only hope they have left is that Richtsteig will preserve the welcoming atmosphere at St. Ambrose Church and J.E. Cosgriff Memorial School. They pray that when he comes, he will act in accordance with how the parish has been run for years — liberally and diversely. “I’ve been asked to move forward with this. And I certainly will with caution,” said the principal at the school, Betsy Hunt. “I just have to think positive about all of this and reassure the parents that it will be another great year.” Ashley Gardner, who has one child going into second grade there and another starting prekindergarten, said the best thing would be if Richtsteig would apologize before coming to the parish. “That would be huge for us,” she said. “We’re willing to give anyone a second chance.” Other parents would like to see his talks checked first before he celebrates Mass. Some want him to promise not to mention anything about guns or LGBTQ individuals. The divide is a microcosm of a larger split that’s happening nationally and globally in the Catholic faith. One faction has remained rooted in the church’s historic ways, while another has branched out — including Pope Francis, who has been accepting of LGBTQ individuals. The parish Richtsteig will lead is named after St. Ambrose, who was known for settling conflicts. When members of the faith were fighting in the year 374, according to historical accounts, Ambrose stepped in to try to find common ground and prevent an uproar. Because of that, he was appointed bishop. He is also credited with saying, “Follow the custom of the church where you are.” Still, some parents say they can’t wait to see whether such a reconciliation occurs at St. Ambrose Church. “It breaks our hearts to walk away,” Donnelly said. “But I won’t accept it.” With Richtsteig coming in and the previous priest leaving after the prostitute charge, she added, “this parish already feels beaten up. It’s just too much.” This is great stuff! Wyoming at-large congresswoman Liz Cheney’s recent press release, that is. Daddy’s girl could very well be on to something. Her recent response to the Yellowstone grizzly bear’s reinstatement onto the Endangered Species List was so far off-base that a myopic peanut vendor could have picked her off from the bleachers. No doubt her lower chakras must have received a wake-up call. “Radical environmentalists,” as she refers to those who both hike and read, are “intent on destroying our Western way of life.” Well, she’s certainly right on the button there. Meand-my-kind are definitely out to wipe her kind’s planetary ethics off the map. With much of what she refers to as “excessive litigation” providing both lever and fulcrum for the relisting, she has set her sights on an old enemy. Indigenous tribal activists who, from a “Western way of life” that, for the most part provided a semblance of sustainability to planetary resources, now find themselves in the furrowed-brow crosshairs of Wyoming’s lone congressional representative of the forkedtongue bunch. My favorite response to her ill-thought out allegations was a tweet from within the extended tribal community to the effect that: “Liz Cheney is very upset that the people whose land was taken have interfered with the people who took the land.” White supremacy and blond ambition go hand in hand. I mean, if reinstituting legal protections for the brown bear subspecies Ursus arctos horribilis is root cause of angst among her trophy-hunter set, well, ain’t that just a drag. Maybe she could get her esteemed leader to arrange a summit with a grizzly sow and, by way of introduction, he could get a good grip on the female’s privates. At the base, of course, these are all climate justice issues. Habitats and ecosystems dance to a symbiotic beat. Analytics and spirituality offer left brain/ right brain impulses to the discussion but when organized religion brings a self-centered mindset to the table, most often ignorance is the horse it rode in on. Me-and-my-kind are definitely out to wipe her kind’s planetary ethics off the map.” Liz’s God, it seems fairly obvious, has daddy issues. This becomes most evident as she fumbles for possessive pronouns to attach to her “Western way of life.” The fact is that, due in the most part to a religion that puts human desire at the top of the food chain, the predominant white culture has, in God’s name of course, been given free reign to pillage the planet to the point where capitalism and democracy have lost their symbiosis entirely. I’m pretty sure that, in an effort to stem the tide, as it were, putting a leash on any of Halliburton’s fossil fuel subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands, and divisions nationally probably wouldn’t go down well around the old Cheney family homestead if the folks got wind of it. But, of course, when one couples the company’s Iraq war contracts with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the fact that the elder Cheney was CEO at the time he became vice president, top-tier accountability had vanished. To her favor, however, she does use the word “science” in a sentence in a way that attaches validity to its conclusions. You could have knocked me over with a feather, as they say. Not that the population of Utah is any more knowledgeable, at least in its practices, where recognition of the white man’s western legacy is concerned. As one who normally detests racism, when it comes to the “Gringos” and their treatment of Mother Earth and their predecessors upon the land, admittedly, I have a problem. Now if only the coalition that restored the Yellowstone Grizz’s future by reinstituting legal roadblocks to trophy-hunting that would target the animal could gain traction in its fight with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s intention to open up public lands to the fossil fuel industries. Once again, it would be crucial for native tribes, including the Crow and Northern Cheyenne, to join with the Humane Society and Wildearth Guardians in their fight with the administration. Our Western way of life is at stake. Jay Meehan is a culture junkie and has been an observer, participant, and chronicler of the Park City and Wasatch County social and political scenes for more than 40 years. Breckenridge to launch its incentives to house workers Cash offered to homeowners who host others SAWYER D’ARGONNE Summit Daily BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. — The town of Breckenridge is moving forward with a new effort to help address the shortage of workforce housing in town. The Breckenridge Town Council unanimously passed a resolution at its most recent meeting last month to establish the new Breckenridge Housing Helps Program, a move meant to assist locals in obtaining and maintaining housing in the Upper Blue Basin. As part of the program, the town will begin offering cash incentives for property owners, or individuals trying to buy a home in the area, to place an occupancy restriction on their properties. “It’s going to really help a lot of people looking to buy houses for themselves or their employees, or investors interested in investing in local housing,” said Laurie Best, a senior planner with Breckenridge’s Community Development Department. “This program will support those folks in acquiring units. I think there’s a lot of people in this community that could benefit, and we’re anxious to get it rolled out.” The program, in part inspired by the similar Vail InDeed program, will serve as a mechanism for the town to preserve its existing inventory of workforce housing units. Once launched, the town will offer cash incentives for individuals willing to place deed restrictions on their units in Your New Best Friend is Waiting for You the Upper Blue Basin to assure that they’re used as workforce housing in perpetuity. The restrictions would be relaxed compared to other housing covenants throughout the county, requiring only that residents are employed at least 30 hours a week in Summit County. There would be no restrictions on things like income, appreciation or rent. The program can be used by existing homeowners in the Upper Blue Basin without a current deed restriction on their home, individuals looking for help with a down payment on a property, local businesses trying to secure housing for their employees and even investors. The amount program participants would be paid would vary from owner to owner, depending on the market rate of the unit, its location, size, access to transit and more. Best noted that the town wouldn’t set any caps on value, and said the town expects an average payout of about $50,000 to participants, based on data from Vail’s program. “It’s a win-win,” Best said. “We’re preserving a unit in perpetuity for a local as opposed to seeing it turned into a short-term rental. And it’s a lot less expensive to preserve an existing unit than it is to build a new unit. It costs us about $250,000 to build a new unit, not even counting the land. … If we can preserve some of that housing stock that’s out there now that’s at risk of becoming unavailable, it’s a very efficient use of our funds.” While Breckenridge has been working on other means of securing workforce housing, including buy-down programs and purchasing property, Best said it isn’t enough. The town has added more than 250 units since 2016 to increase the number of deed restricted housing units in the Upper Blue Basin to about 1,000. Though Best said she thinks there’s an immediate need for about 300 more rental units and 200 more ownership units. “I think the town of Breckenridge has been pretty proactive in terms of dealing with the issue of affordable housing and making sure there are options for people that live in the community,” Best said. “To date, we’ve been focused on building new units. A lot of construction is going on around housing. But recently, we’ve been trying to figure out some other strategies. “We can’t build our way out of this … so there’s got to be some options for preserving some of the existing inventory that is out there where the locals used to live.” While town officials have approved the program, Best said there are still several details to work out, such as establishing an application process. The town is planning on setting up educational forums and open houses later this month to begin outreach to potential participants and members of the real estate community. The town is anticipating beginning the program by the end of the month, offering another option in the town’s toolbox to address workforce housing concerns. “I think the town has shown that we’re willing to take this issue head on and try to develop multiple strategies,” Best said. “There’s not a single silver bullet. It’s more of a variety of strategies to help us make an incremental difference in the ability of our locals to stay in town and for our businesses to find employees to serve our visitors and guests.” See page B-7 for just a few of the dogs and cats available for adoption. |