Park City Mayor Nann Worel delivered a State of the City address on Monday evening, covering a wide range of issues as she attempted to reassure a populace that is worried about the direction of the community.
The address was given in front of an audience at the Santy Auditorium that appeared to be weighted toward her supporters, but it did not involve major new initiatives and, instead, was more of a review of the municipal work plan.
The mayor, though, briefly addressed Park City’s susceptibility to two categories of natural disasters – wildfires and floods. The mention was notable as Park City approaches the spring runoff and then the wildfire season.
The runoff this year is expected to be substantial after a winter of heavy snowfall. Worel said an internal team at City Hall is preparing for the possibility of flooding. She did not provide details. In the past, the municipal government’s preparations for flooding involved filling sandbags before they are necessary and positioning heavy machinery in locations where it may be needed in the event of a flood.
Worel did not address the preparations for the wildfire season in any detail, either. Outside agencies like the Park City Fire District lead the efforts to fight a wildfire, but City Hall also has a key role in preparing for the wider response, such as in the event evacuations are necessary.
Any flooding issues are likely to occur in Park City in the spring or the early summer, when the snowmelt typically reaches its peak. Wildfire concerns normally stretch from the middle of the summer until the fall. Both time periods, though, are heavily influenced each year by weather.
The two topics were not crucial elements to the wider address on Monday, but their mention in such an important speech was conspicuous. There is concern across wide swaths of northern Utah about the upcoming runoff, and the concern expressed by Worel is shared by many government leaders and emergency managers. The possibility of a devastating wildfire is also something that is a danger across the area. The Parleys Canyon Fire in 2021, toward the border of Summit County and Salt Lake County, crystallized many of the concerns as people were ordered out of certain neighborhoods in the Snyderville Basin while flames approached.
The mayor delivered the State of the City address at a moment when the community has deep-rooted questions about the direction of Park City. Worel is in her first term, and served on the Park City Planning Commission and Park City Council prior to taking office as the mayor a little more than a year ago. Worel mentioned some of the issues that are causing so much of the consternation in the community, but she did not dwell on any of them. The closely related topics of growth, traffic and transportation were some of them noted on Monday.
Worel told the audience Park City leaders are aware Parkites are worried about growth, but she also said much of the growth in the area at this point is occurring outside the municipal limits. City Hall has limited influence on development matters outside the Park City limits.
The mayor talked about the dropping of speed limits, one of the steps City Hall has taken in a bid to reduce the possibility of bad accidents.
“A slower neighborhood is a safer neighborhood,” she said.
Worel also said City Hall staffers have been challenged to devise a community-wide plan for parking. She did not provide details.
Worel also outlined what leaders see as successes in housing and diversity, equity and inclusion.