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Show B-5 B-1 ARTS NONPROFITS SEEK COMMUNITY SUPPORT ATHLETES ABROAD FLY BACK TO THE STATES ‘SO SURREAL,’ A-10 CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE COLUMNS, A-12 PARKITE SHARES VIRUS TESTING EXPERIENCE The Park Record has a webpage dedicated to our coverage of the COVID-19 virus. You can find it at parkrecord.com/coronavirus. STRONG LEADERSHIP NEEDED, TERI ORR SAYS Park Record. The PA R K C I T Y, U TA H Serving Summit County since 1880 | W W W. PA R K R E C O R D . C O M Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, March 21-24, 2020 Tourism collapses TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Main Street has been largely empty in recent days as many businesses have shuttered and with some restaurants only offering curbside service or deliveries. The Park City Chamber/Bureau projects lodging numbers and visitor spending to drop sharply as a result of the impacts of the novel coronavirus on the economy. Steep drop in lodging and visitor spending compared to previous season expected JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record Park City lodging numbers and visitor spending are projected to crater in March and April as a result of the spread of the novel coronavirus and the shutdown of the ski industry, the Park City Chamber/Bureau said this week, the first empirical data showing the economic havoc wrought on the community by the disease. The Chamber/Bureau indicated the season-end spending by visitors through the end of April is projected to drop by 16.7% from the previous ski season. The spending by visitors led last season through the end of February, illustrating how abrupt the drop occurred as the illness spread. The projection estimates visitors will spend approximately $765.6 million during the current ski season, dropping from the upward of $919.1 million in the one before. Lodging occupancy, meanwhile, is projected to drop in a similar fashion. The numbers were up from last season through the end of February before a projected disastrous March and April. Occupancy is projected to drop nearly 50% from 69.9% in March of 2019 while April is projected to fall 73% on a year-overyear basis. The total for the 2019-2020 ski season is projected to drop 15%, to 39%. Prior to the spread of the coronavirus, a 3% increase in occupancy was expected for the ski season, a dramatic, swift drop to the 15% decline now projected. Visitor spending and lodging occupancy are two crucial and related measures of the ski season since the occupancy numbers directly influence the spending in the community. The Chamber/Bureau numbers were released in the days after Park City Mountain Resort announced it will not reopen this ski season after what was initially a temporary closure. Deer Valley Resort remains closed on a temporary basis. The closures of the mountain resorts coupled with the temporary shutdown of dine-in service at restaurants by health officials effectively removed two key segments of the economy at a time of the ski season when both would normally be jammed with spring- break visitors. Many retailers on Main Street have also closed temporarily as the crowds disappeared. It will be months before the ski season’s numbers are finalized, but the projections provided by the Chamber/Bureau offer a preview of the damage. “From a visitor standpoint, it appears we’ve closed for business,” Bill Malone, the president and CEO of the Chamber/Bureau, said on Thursday, describing that the spring shoulder season essentially started a month earlier than is typical. “It’s a significant amount of dollars that just are not arriving in town, through the cash register.” It was clear once the lifts at the two mountain resorts were stopped there would be broad repercussions across Park City. The mountain resorts boost a wide range of businesses like hotels, restaurants, retailers, ski-rental outfits Please see Steep drop, A-2 East Side weathers coronavirus effects Residents urged to support businesses, though it may not be enough for some ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record It’s feast or famine for East Side businesses, like in many areas hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, but residents say the initial surprise has not, in most cases, led to fear. Instead, they say, people are relying on the strength of the community to carry them through an uncertain time. The three Kamas Valley mayors have banded together to present a unified message to their communities, sending twice-weekly letters to try to get as much information to residents as they can. Businesses that are allowed to stay open, like grocery stores, are reporting steady business and that they’re limiting how many items people can buy to make sure there’s enough to go around. Businesses that have been impacted by the March 15 public health order that forced the 2 sections • 28 pages Classifieds ............................ B-12 Restaurant Guide.................. B-10 Scoreboard ............................. B-4 closure of some businesses and restricted others, such as restaurants, say the new normal presents an existential threat. And the early end for the tourist season has ripple effects on East Side businesses like dog-sledding operations and those that rely on traffic passing through to make ends meet. Elected officials are calling on community members to support local businesses. “What I’m hearing is that businesses are nervous about being able to stay in business with people not coming out,” Kamas Mayor Matt McCormick said. “The three mayors — (Oakley) Mayor Woolstenhulme, (Francis) Mayor Ames and I — sent out a letter telling people, go order some stuff and go to the drive-up restaurants. Go support your businesses because they’re important for our communities and we don’t want to lose them because of something like this.” Steve Butler, who along with his wife Gin Butler runs the Road Island Diner in Oakley, said he’s felt the support from the community, but that it might not be enough for his business to survive. Taking a break from freezing food that could be saved, Butler spoke about the effects of the coronavirus on his establishment and said he’s had some locals stop in to buy groceries like vegetables, milk or eggs but that the restaurant can’t survive on a couple hundred dollars per day. He added that he can’t prepare for dinner service normally because he doesn’t know how many meals he’ll need to cook. He and his wife are taking the opportunity to deep clean the restaurant and reassess. “Part of me is really angry for the whole thing,” Butler said. “(But) part of me is thinking, if it’s not supposed to happen, it’s not supposed to happen.” Butler said his operation isn’t well-suited to the new reality of curbside takeout and that he’s considering shutting down. Butler said he had already ordered a normal week’s worth of food before the public health order came down, leaving him with a lot of perishable items. While he was cutting up the produce and freezing what could be frozen, Butler set aside some bacon, lettuce, tomato slices and sourdough bread for a regular customer who comes in nearly everyday for a BLT. Butler said he planned to drop it off later at the man’s house. Please see East Side, A-2 MAKE A DIFFERENCE Vol. 140 | No. 14 $1.00 Prepare for ‘long haul,’ mayor urges Beerman sees ‘unprecedented’ crisis as opportunity for Parkites to consider community’s future JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record Park City Mayor Andy Beerman on Thursday evening delivered his broadest comments to date about the spread of the novel coronavirus and the impacts locally, saying it could be a lengthy stretch before the issue is resolved, Park City has been shown to be a tight-knit community and that the crisis offers an opportunity to mull the future. Beerman spoke during a Park City Council meeting at the Marsac Building that was held with just a small audience as attendance was restricted in an effort to help slow the spread of the virus. The firstterm mayor has a key role in the City Hall response, but he has made limited public statements in the last week. The City Council meeting on Thursday was the first since the crisis deepened locally in the past week as coronavirus cases mounted and economic activity in Park City collapsed with the closures on the mountain resorts. Beerman said serious actions are needed to reduce the chance of the coronavirus spreading and begin moving toward normalcy. He recommended “we all begin preparing for the long haul” as he said conveniences could need to be given up for months rather than weeks. “This is something we need to mentally prepare ourselves to be on board for the long haul and find ways to discipline ourselves and find new ways to interact and be happy,” the mayor said. Beerman said he has renewed faith in the people, saying there has been lots of kindness displayed. He said the local government is operating as he praised the work of Park City Manager Matt Dias and Richard Bullough, the Summit County health director. He said the days of the crisis are “strange and unprecedented times,” saying the closest comparison is the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. “This is the first crisis I’ve ever seen where we’re limiting social interaction and trying to navigate together, but apart,” Beerman said. He said there will eventually be discussions about the impacts on business and plans to boost the local economy. An economic resiliency task force was formed, he said. “Right now we’re playing triage. First comes health and human safety. That’s what we’re going to be focused on the next few weeks. But once we get through this period of crisis, we will be equally as diligent about rebuilding our economy and figuring out how to get this town back on its feet,” he said. Beerman also couched the issue in terms of the wide-ranging discussions recently held as the community crafted a vision for the future. He said Parkites wanted the city to slow down, a reference to the frenetic years of growth. Beerman said some once joked about taking Park City back to decades past, prior to the growth years that started in earnest in the 1990s. “This is maybe a moment where we get a glimpse of what town used to look like, before we were booming, economically, before we were what we’ve become today. And we’re going to have a lot of time to ponder this. But my advice is that we should all take a deep breath, do so at least 6 feet away from Please see Mayor, A-2 TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD The Park City Council met on Thursday with some members participating electronically as the municipal government takes measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Mayor Andy Beerman, center, City Councilor Max Doilney, shown to the mayor’s left, and staffers were present at the Marsac Building. Beerman offered lengthy comments about the impact of coronavirus locally. The nonprofit Connect Summit County is providing virtual mental health support to people struggling during the coronavirus crisis. For more information, visit connectsummitcounty.org. Send other examples of people making a difference to editor@parkrecord.com. |