Fruitland resident Penny Laroque died April 5 after she was ejected from her Chevrolet Blazer on westbound U.S. 40 around 1 p.m.
The 42-year-old woman went off the right side of the road after she lost control of the vehicle about eight miles east of Heber, Utah Highway Patrol troopers say.
The Blazer overturned several times and Laroque, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown nearly 60 feet from the vehicle, according to investigators.
The SUV reportedly came to rest on its top. Roads at the time of the crash were dry and Laroque was likely speeding, troopers say.
Laroque was pronounced dead at scene, but officers, who say alcohol was not a factor in the crash, closed the highway so a medical helicopter could land.
Expansion for commuters
Upgrades to transit in Park City could mean less time spent on buses for those commuting in the Snyderville Basin
“If you start in Highland Estates it takes you over an hour to get to Park City,” Summit County Public Works Administrator Kevin Callahan said. “This cuts the commute time down for the early morning run from an hour to a half-hour.”
Changing the routes on the bus service that is free for riders could cost Summit County $6,400, Callahan said.
“The growth the we’re seeing in our system is local people who are using the bus,” he said. “We’re starting to build that regular constituency.”
In 2005 the system in Snyderville carried about 322,000 riders, Callahan said, adding that this year that benchmark has been reached. “We’re carrying four times the amount & we did, not even two years ago.”
Trash talk
Citizens in Summit County could soon have a permanent facility to dispose of hazardous waste.
Materials like paint, cleaning supplies and automotive products are not healthy to the landfill and could soon be discarded safely at the county’s public works department in Wanship.
“It’s a container,” Public Works Administrator Kevin Callahan said about where material collected by the county would be stored. “I would expect in September we should have the facility operational.”
According to Public Works Superintendent Mark Offret, “if we don’t accept it, they just put it in the garbage and it ends up in the landfill anyway.”
Meanwhile, tipping fees at landfills in Summit County could double for haulers who don’t cover their loads, County Commissioner Bob Richer said.
“Let’s get an ordinance,” he said. “Let’s do it.”
Also, officials are discussing turning wood dumped at the landfill from construction sites into chips available for landscaping projects in the county.
Tax forms might improve
To prevent mix-ups among property owners who permanently reside in Summit County, County Commissioner Bob Richer wants citizens more clearly notified of state laws regarding taxes.
Homeowners living full time in the county are entitled to receive a 45 percent discount in their property taxes.
“It goes back to our disclaimer and notice,” Richer said. “If we want to beef it up we could avoid all these problems.”
Each year property owners who didn’t apply for the tax exemption want credit for the discount.
However, it’s often too late, explains Summit County Assessor Barbara Kresser.
Richer says by highlighting information on disclosure notices that explains how much is owed county officials could avoid such confusion.
“I’m talking about the design of the form,” he said.
The county is modifying the form to help make the rules clear for taxpayers, County Auditor Blake Frazier said.
“In ’07 we’ll be using a different form,” he said.