O Canada, it appears Park City will not be headed north of the border this year.
Park City leaders expressed interest in a trip to the British Columbia mountain resort of Whistler, but they were not ready to commit to an outing during a recent discussion about the idea.
Mayor Jack Thomas and the Park City Council at a meeting in early April debated the merits of a trip to what has long been considered one of the top ski destinations in North America. They addressed a variety of topics before indicating they wanted more information prior to making a decision. A trip would include discussions with government, resort and tourism officials in Whistler, tours and other fact-finding opportunities.
City Hall staffers have indicated a contingent from Park City could delve into work force housing and transportation issues in Whistler. Housing and transportation have long been two of the pivotal issues in Park City. The current lineup of elected officials has committed to press those issues this year.
A report submitted to the mayor and the City Council prior to the meeting proposed two sets of dates — June 8-13 or July 20-24. City Hall staffers are not pursuing those dates, though, since the elected officials did not commit to the trip. The report estimated a trip could cost upward of $2.500 for each person. Taxpayers would almost certainly fund most or all of the cost.
It was not clear how many people would travel should a trip be organized someday. It seems likely some of the elected officials and several City Hall staffers would make a trip. It seemed there could be other representatives as well, perhaps a member of the Park City Planning Commission.
In comments to the mayor and City Council, Matt Dias, the assistant city manager, spoke in broad terms about Whistler, noting that the community appears to have flexibility in its work force housing programs. He also noted Whistler has a Winter Olympic legacy after having staged many of the events during the Games in 2010, when Vancouver, British Columbia, was the host city.
The elected officials generally indicated they saw a trip to Whistler as having value as they continue to debate transportation and housing locally.
Liza Simpson, a City Councilor, said it would be a “worthwhile trip.” Simpson wondered whether the proposed length of the trip is too long, saying an outing could perhaps be two days in length. She also said she wanted the trip to focus on issues rather than activities like all-terrain vehicle tours or bear viewing. Simpson said she wanted information about accomplishments in Whistler and whether it is conceivable that sort of progress can be made in Park City.
Andy Beerman, another member of the City Council, supported a trip. He said it could be shorter in length. He mentioned the City Tour, an annual outing to communities in the West, generates ideas and is a small investment. A trip to Whistler would be in addition to a City Tour.
The mayor said City Hall already in 2015 sent a group of officials to the Swiss Alps to study transportation systems. Thomas also noted the upcoming City Tour, wondering whether it would be better to schedule a trip to Whistler later.
A draft itinerary provided to the elected officials included a dinner discussion about economic development with the CEO of the Whistler Chamber of Commerce and a discussion with the chief administrator of Whistler about transportation, work force housing and services provided by the municipality. A meeting with the president and CEO of the mountain resort of Whistler Blackcomb to talk about topics like development and the operations of the resort was also included.
The itinerary listed a ride on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola that connects Whistler and Blackcomb and a tour of the village at Whistler. The Peak 2 Peak Gondola is seen as being similar to the Interconnect Gondola Vail Resorts plans to build this summer linking Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort into one property.
The idea of a trip to Whistler was broached at a City Council meeting early in 2015. Transportation and housing were of interest at that time. The recent report to the City Council highlighted that Whistler leaders want to ensure three-quarters of the work force lives in the city, indicated that the community offers transportation options and noted that there are restrictions on the use of vehicles in the village at Whistler.