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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, February 26-28, 2020 A-3 The Park Record County Seat Look for me online at PropertyShopParkCity COUNTY EDITOR: ALEXANDER CRAMER 649–9014 EXT. 15712 | Countynews@parkrecord.com FaceBook Instagram County weighs transit access R E A L E S TAT E I N S I G H T S . SELLER TIP : THE TRUE VALUE OF YOUR HOME One of the most asked questions is “What is my home truly worth?” Is it the appraised value? Or is it the fair market value? Ultimately your home is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If a buyer is paying with cash, you don’t always need an appraisal. So the only individual that is truly capable of telling you what your home is worth is a ready, educated, willing and most importantly, financially able buyer. M I C H A E L H AT Z ALEXANDER CRAMER/PARK RECORD Some bus stops are accessible and comfortable for riders, with shelters, benches and electronic time estimates. Others are little more than a pole in a bucket on the side of the road. Increasing access to transit is “the right way to go,” officials say, and county staffers are looking into possible solutions. Challenge is more than just clearing snow, officials say ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record At its busiest, around the Sundance Film Festival and in peak ski season, the Park City Transit system swells to include 330 bus stops. Some, like the one outside the Park City Library, have sidewalks leading up to it, a shelter with a place to sit and a sign advertising which lines are leaving next and when they’re expected. Others, like the one near the intersection of Meadows Drive and S.R. 224 near the McPolin Farm are little more than a pole in a bucket on the side of the road, with no cleared path leading up to it and a bus that stops on the shoulder. In a visioning session last month and a council meeting last week, Summit County officials discussed the importance of having a transit system that’s accessible to everyone yearround. But increasing access to the system is more complicated than just snow removal, Summit County Manager Tom Fisher said. There are questions about which entity would be responsible for maintaining access at certain stops, ranging from homeowners associations to a municipality to potentially a transit district at some point in the future; a lack of existing infrastructure like sidewalks; conflict between snow storage and pathways; and in some places no clear rule about removing snow. Fisher said the issue will likely have significant budget impacts going forward, and that he has directed staff to study the issue. Access is one part of a larger conversation to overhaul the region’s transit system, which councilors have said is at an inflection point. Park City leaders have said the system is operating at capacity and have indicated they would rather the city play a partnership role rather than leading the system as it expands, as the city has done since the system’s inception. Summit County has in recent years increased its monetary contributions to the system significantly, and has added transportation staff. County officials have appeared eager to take more of a leadership role as service expands into Kamas and Summit Park, with $480,000 for a Kamas park-and-ride lot already budgeted and a massive bus rapid transit project on S.R. 224 in the planning stages. Increasing access is potentially a costly prospect, as it would require additional staff time, but Fisher said it’s a worthy goal. “We have a great system that works that way in the spring, summer, fall. We’ve got several months of winter when it’s not easy to ride the system. And if you’re in a wheelchair, you can’t ride the system very well,” Fisher said last month. In a council meeting last week, he said that county staff is evaluating the cost of making the transit system completely accessible year-round. “I know it’s going to be significant, but it’s the right way to go,” he said. Summit County councilors have increasingly discussed in public meetings the importance of accessibility after seeing a screening of the documentary “Crip Camp” at the Sundance Film Festival. The film chronicles a camp for teenagers with disabilities in the 1960s and 1970s. Councilor Roger Armstrong, in particular, mentioned how the issue hit home with him after the screening when he climbed a steep set of stairs in a Main Street building to reach a temporary lounge. Mingling with other festival-goers over a cup of coffee would have been impossible for a person in a wheelchair, he recalled. He said that the county should endeavor to increase access to all of the services it offers, and “transit is a good place to start.” The stops that are in the county are now being maintained by the equivalent of 1 1/2 full-time public works employees, Summit County’s transportation manager Caroline Rodriguez told the council last month. She called that level of service “not reasonable.” But it’s an open question about who would pay for improvements to increase access. Officials have discussed pursuing regional solutions, like a transit district that could include the booming growth in Wasatch County. Such a district might be the entity to handle issues like access in the future. Rodriguez said increasing access is a huge job about much more than just clearing snow. It’s something that many transit systems are grappling with worldwide. She said the first step is taking inventory of existing infrastructure, and that city and county staff have already prepared a draft of that document. “Accessibility is extremely important for a transit system, a healthy community, and general quality of life,” she wrote in an email. “It doesn’t refer specifically to persons with disabilities; it should be thought of in a broader context: ACCESS to jobs, ACCESS to services, ACCESS to meaningfully participate in your community.” Sheriff’S report Deputies responded to a Tollgate home Saturday after a woman who said she had eaten psychedelic mushrooms texted her friend asking for help, according to a report from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. The 45-year-old Centerville woman reported that she had been given mushrooms by the homeowner, a 47-year-old Centerville man, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The woman also showed deputies a photo of a large bag of what appeared to be mushrooms. She was evaluated and cleared by medical personnel at the scene. The homeowner consented in writing to a search of his home and deputies found marijuana and drug paraphernalia but did not find mushrooms. The homeowner was cited for drug and paraphernalia possession. According to the Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement responded to several other calls between Monday, Feb. 17, and Sunday, Feb. 23, including a theft of $4,000 of ski equipment and multiple vehicle violations and DUIs. Saturday, Feb. 22 A man reported that $4,000 worth of ski equipment was stolen from his back porch in Deer Mountain. He left the gear outside to be picked up by a ski shipping company, but when a company representative arrived to collect it, the equipment was gone. Deputies indicated there was no suspect information and that the case would be forwarded to the Investigations Division. A man who was assisting fire personnel on a call in Brown’s Canyon was arrested after deputies discovered he had an outstanding warrant from Texas. He was booked into the Summit County Jail after the warrant was verified. Friday, Feb. 21 A woman reported that she found her car door wide open when she headed to work early in the morning. She said two pairs of sunglasses were stolen from her vehicle, which was parked unlocked in Bear Hollow. Deputies indicated the case would be closed because of a lack of leads or suspect information. Deputies impounded a vehicle after finding that its registration had been expired for more than three months. They initially stopped the vehicle in Kimball Junction because it appeared the registration was expired. A man reported his wife’s vehicle had been rummaged through in Silver Springs. When he woke up, he saw that one of the vehicle’s doors was open and when he investigated, the glove box was open and had apparently been looked through. Thursday, Feb. 20 Deputies arrested a 30-yearold Holladay man on suspicion of DUI after pulling him over near Brown’s Canyon for failing to turn off the vehicle’s auxiliary off-road lights. The man said he wanted to be upfront about the situation and told deputies he had been drinking. He performed poorly in field sobriety tests and has had previous DUI convictions. Tuesday, Feb. 18 Deputies conducted SWAT training at North Summit High School. Deputies received a report of a theft at an Outlets Park City store. The value of the stolen merchandise was unknown. A 23-year-old man was cited for having open alcoholic containers in his vehicle after he was pulled over for speeding near Old Ranch Road and Highland Drive. The New Mexico man passed field sobriety tests, told deputies he hadn’t been drinking and that the containers were from the previous weekend. He was cited for speeding and the open containers and was released. Monday, Feb. 17 A Salt Lake City woman was arrested on suspicion of DUI and having an outstanding warrant after she was pulled over on S.R. 224 for an equipment violation. The 43-year-old driver was found to have an active warrant, the registration was revoked, the vehicle did not have insurance and deputies found several open containers of alcohol. The woman failed field sobriety tests and was taken to jail. G L O B A L R E A L E S TAT E A D V I S O R +1 4 3 5 9 0 1 - 0 7 2 1 w w w . M i c h a e l H a t z . R E A LT O R ©2019 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principals of the Fair Housing Act. If your property is currently represented by a real estate broker, this is not an attempt to solicit your listing. Get 53% Off the newsstand price when you subscribe! 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