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Show C-1 B-1 RAISE A GLASS TO PARK CITY’S MINING ERA MINERS’ DOMINANCE HIGHLIGHTED 2019 GOT A COOL PHOTO? COLUMNS, A-12 WAY WE WERE, A-11 ANOTHER YEAR IS IN THE HISTORY BOOKS Share it to #parkcitypics or @parkrecord on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook and we’ll run the week’s best in print AMY ROBERTS MAKES A RESOLUTION FOR THE DECADE Park Record. 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 Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri, December 31, 2019-January 3, 2020 Serving Summit County since 1880 A drama, a deal and a reshaped PARK CITY Vol. 139 | No. 95 50¢ Tragedy and big land deals marked 2010s Student deaths, open space buys among indelible events that defined the community JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record The decade that is ending provided a string of extraordinary moments in Park City, one of them that was 30-plus years in the making and another that came suddenly, and tragically. The community enters the 2020s dramatically changed from the one that entered the 2010s. Some of the landscape-altering events of the last 10 years, listed in chronological order, include: A shAken school PARK RECORD FILE PHOTOS/COMPOSITE IMAGE BY BEN OLSON Skiers and snowboarders celebrate opening day at Park City Mountain Resort in 2015. The 2015-2016 season was the first with PCMR and the former Canyons Resort linked into a single ski area. PCMR lawsuit, Vail Resorts arrival ushered in era of change JAY HAMBURGER Analysis T The Park Record he future of Park City Mountain Resort in early 2012 appeared to be as bright as a bluebird day on the slopes. The worst of the recession had passed and PCMR, like the rest of Park City, was enjoying the economic upswing. The resort and its owner, Snyderville Basin-based Powdr Corp., were displaying confidence in the era’s bounty. More than a decade before, in the late 1990s, the resort secured a development approval from City Hall contemplating an ambitious remaking of the base area. Some of the work had long been completed by 2012, but significant development rights remained intact. Powdr Corp. and PCMR were engaged with City Hall about the possibility of building an action-sports camp at the base as part of the overall development, something that would further solidify the place where American snowboarders swept the podium in the 2002 Winter Olympic men’s halfpipe competition as one of the nation’s top resorts for big-air seekers. The camp would be called Woodward Park City, and Powdr Corp. and PCMR were brimming with confidence as the concept seemed to be widely embraced. City Hall leaders of that time endorsed a multimillion-dollar contribution of taxpayer monies to assist with the transit and parking infrastructure. Parkites saw Woodward Park City as a facility that would train another generation of local Winter Olympic medal winners. In some circles, though, the whispers had already started that something was afoot, and perhaps not right, at PCMR. Powdr Corp. for some unknown reason was negotiating a sale of its flagship resort, the most prevalent of the rumblings held. The CEO of Powdr Corp., John Cumming, late in 2011 had publicly stated there was not a deal involving PCMR under negotiation, telling Park City leaders during a Marsac Building appearance in December of that year the resort was “not for sale.” Later that evening, he told The Park Record the rumors “always amuse me.” The reality was far more astonishing and something that would define the decade in Park City in a similar fashion as the Olympics did in the previous 10-year span and the population boom did in the 1990s. The corporate infrastructure in the spring of 2011 had inadvertently failed to renew two leases on the land underlying most of the PCMR terrain, propelling the PCMR side and the landowner, a firm under the umbrella of Talisker Corp., into what were initially private negotiations and then into a dramatic lawsuit that unfolded in state court as the Park City community, the tourism industry and the North American ski industry watched in disbelief. As the decade ends, the turmoil that Please see Turmoil, A-5 September of 2016 seemed to be a typical first full month back to classes in the Park City School District as students started the new school year with the usual anticipation and anxieties. Over the course of just a few days that month, though, the school, and the wider Park City community, was left shaken by the deaths of two Treasure Mountain Junior High students, both just 13 years old. Ryan Ainsworth and Grant Seaver died after using a synthetic opioid known as U-47700, oftentimes called “Pink” or “Pinky.” The U-47700 was ordered from the dark web, adding another unsettling layer to the case. The deaths had a shattering impact on Park City as the two teens were mourned. Parents and law enforcement worried other teens could be at risk from the opioid. Even as Parkites consoled one another, the authorities continued to investigate. There was not another death, but the tears continued. The tragedy triggered a broad discussion about drug use by Park City teens and the role of law enforcement in combating abuse. The deaths also led to a series of lawsuits as the families leveled blame on various parties, including the School District and the Park City Police Department. “My daughter made a comment that, ‘I can’t believe this is happening here.’ I let her know that this can happen anywhere. My hope is that we start paying attention to what’s going on and don’t think that we are immune to it,” Danielle McComb, who had a daughter at Treasure Mountain Junior High at the time, said shortly after the two deaths. Please see Decade, A-6 East Side cities sign on to ambitious clean energy plan Officials say they want to give residents choice to purchase renewables ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record The differences between east and west Summit County can be stark, and they were on full display at the October Council of Governments meeting. Several mayors met with County Council members and heard a presentation about a community renewable energy program that would allow their residents the choice to purchase energy from renewable sources in coming years. Park City Mayor Andy Beerman joined with County Councilors Glenn Wright and Roger Armstrong in vocally championing the project, but a couple of the East Side mayors pushed back. None of the East Side represen- 3 sections • 30 pages Classifieds .............................. C-7 Events Calendar ..................... C-6 Restaurant Guide.................... B-6 Scoreboard ............................. B-5 tatives voiced strong support for the project or its mission. But three months later, all of the local governments represented in that room but one had completed the first step necessary to enter into the program. Coalville, Francis, Kamas, Oakley, Park City and Summit County passed resolutions by the Dec. 31 deadline that state the goal of allowing their residents their option of purchasing 100% of their energy from renewable sources by 2030. Henefer is the only municipality in Summit County that chose not to participate. Its mayor, Kay Richins, said earlier this month that the Town Council discussed the matter, but decided there were too many unanswered questions about the program and what it would commit the town to do. The program was signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert in March following the passage of H.B. 411. Essentially, each governmental entity that passed an ordinance by the end of 2019 stating the renewable energy goal is eligible to enter into a program that will grant its residents access to renewable energy resources that are anticipated to be built by Rocky Mountain Power for the new pool of customers. So far, 20 cities and counties have done so. The resolution is the first step, and municipalities are free to back out without penalty. Nearly 1 million people live in those 20 cities and counties, and that number comprises the approximate amount of customers that would purchase the renewable energy from Rocky Mountain Power in years to come and determines roughly how many kilowatts of energy the company would need to procure, possibly by building new solar or wind projects. It is anticipated that the number of customers will be less than that total, as some people will likely opt out of the program. The next steps are for the participatPlease see Cities, A-2 COURTESY OF LISA YODER The Summit County Health Department in Round Valley features a 70.8-kilowatt solar system. Summit County, along with Coalville, Francis, Kamas, Oakley and Park City, have entered into a statewide community renewable energy program, the first step for their residents to be able to choose to purchase energy from renewable sources in years to come. VISITOR GUIDE Don’t be late to Park City Film’s Saturday screening Park City Film’s Books 2 Movies film series will present a free screening of Eli Roth’s “The House with a Clock in Its Walls,” rated PG, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, at the Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium, 1255 Park Ave. For information, visit parkcityfilm.org. |
