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Show Jen O'CBcdt Whfisftie ' 1 ,v . by David Fleisher "To have a meeting or not to have a meeting. That is the question." HAIvlLET First Draft by William Shakespeare If I have to attend another meeting in Park City, I think I will first go down to the bottom of the Ontario Mine and 'consider working underground for the rest of my life. It seems like all I have been doing lately is traveling from one meeting to the next, and I don't even consider myself an ideal beaurocrat. There are planning commission meetings, city council meetings, staff meetgins, pre-meeting meetings, post-meeting meetings, and miscellaneous meetings, not to mention unscheduled meetings. I went to something the other night that was billed as a meeting, but when I got there, the person in charge said it wasn't a meeting but a "get-together." And he was right because during the "get-together," we made plans to have a meeting the following week to review the minutes of the "get-together." Although a secretary took minutes at the "get-together," we were served punch and cookies, so I guess it was too informal to be termed a meeting. Judging from conversations I have over-heard on Main Street, there are a lot of people traveling to various meetings. For example: "Are you going to that budget meeting at the Holiday Inn?" "When is it?" "This afternoon at three o'clock." "What's on the agenda?" "The budget." "The budget for what?" "I'm not sure, but the budget is definitely on the agenda." "I'll be there." And then there was this brief conversation I heard as I was walking quickly past the post office: "Do you know what time that three-thirty meeting starts?" "If I'm not mistaken, I believe it starts at three-thirty." I actually had a mightmare recently about meetings. I leaped out of bed in the middle of the night and screamed, "Oh my God! I've missed the meeting!" The only reason I didn't dress and jump in my car was because I couldn't remember which meeting I was going to. I went back to bed with frazzled nerves and ended up sleeping through an important meeting at nine o'clock in the morning. I keep thinking this isn't Chicago, New York or Los Angeles; this is Park City. People don't even where ties to work here. Why are we having all these meetings? And the length of some of these meetings! I have been to planning commission meetings which have lasted five hours. You could drive to Wendover, Nevada, win $1000, and be back in Park City in five hours. A local resident told me not long ago that because Park City was growing so rapidly, she was in favor of a building moratorium. I don't think a building moratorium would do anybody any good at all. What we really need in this ever-expanding town is a meeting moratorium; in fact, it should be placed on Tuesday's General Election ballot: "Are you in favor of discontinuing all meetings until such time when you have adequately absorbed the minutes of the last meeting you attended?" I think people here go to meetings sometimes because they have nothing else better to do. I can imagine the following scene involving two business executives: "Well, Cleon, I think we need to do something about our overhead. We have entirely too many people working for us; and maybe we could get rid of a few machines." 'Do you really feel like discussing our personnel problems right now?" 4 ' Not really, but our profits were down this quarter. ' ' "You're absolutely right. Hell, let's go to a meeting." "Which meeting?'.' "I don't know which meeting, but I'm sure there's a good meeting going on somewhere in town." "I feel like discussing money this morning." "Fine. We'll find a budget meeting." Unless I find a successful way to avoid attending countless meetings, I'm going to buy a sign to hang over my desk. The ' sign will not say "gone skiing," and it. will not say "gone to lunch." It will say in big black letters, "Would you believe I've gone to another meeting?" As I walk down Main Street, I hear the Ten O'Clock Whistle. |