I am disheartened this election season. Many of you have heard me say, many times, how lucky I feel to serve this community. And lucky to have served over the years with many thoughtful people who care about our community. And truly blessed to have so many incredible staff members, who care fervently as well, even though they don’t live here.
I feel this way because we don’t demonize each other. We don’t use scare tactic in our ads and mailers. We don’t descend to the nasty sniping and behind the scenes rumor mill attacks that happen so many places, and in fact used to happen here. We believe it is about the issues, not the people. We respect that others can have a perfectly valid, well thought out opinion that differs from our own. We pay attention, we listen to the candidates, and we ask questions.
Or at least we used to.
This time around, it feels different. Comments are being made impugning the character and motives of the candidates. Not publicly, but in quiet conversations that are insidious in their furtiveness.
These candidates are your neighbors and friends. Intimating that any of them are running for personal gain or power is utterly ridiculous. Let’s stop with the conspiracy theories. Our community is made up of doctors, lawyers, teachers, surveyors, baristas and booksellers, and yes, developers. The professional path in life that each of us has chosen should not mean our voices don’t count or that we can’t support a candidate.
I ask that everyone return to civil discourse and stop feeding the rumor mill. If you don’t know it to be true, don’t repeat it. Go to the source and ask. Everyone who steps up to the plate to run for office deserves our respect and courtesy. Our community deserves our respect and courtesy. If we want our fellow citizens to step up in the future and do their best for our community, we need to show them that we have the maturity to remain civil in our discourse and kind in our words and actions. Otherwise, we will be left without the leaders we want and need.
Liza Simpson
Member, Park City Council
Alex is right choice for Council
Dear Editor,
Alex Butwinski is the right choice for Park City council this year. My wife Melyssa and I moved our family to Park City 10 years ago for clean air and blue skies and fell in love with the small-town community feel that Park City offers. Since then, we have had the opportunity to get to know Alex.
Alex understands the balance between Park City’s economic dependence on world-class recreational and hospitality facilities, and the needs of the everyday citizens. Alex has shown leadership as a City Council member for the last 4 years in preserving open space, negotiating future water needs, and maintaining responsible growth in our city.
As a board member of the Recreation Advisory Board for the past 5 years I have had many opportunities to work closely with Mayor Williams and City Council. Alex has taken the time to understand complex proposals and excelled at asking the tough questions. Alex also takes the time to attend city planning meetings, Public Art Advisory Board meetings, and works closely with the Historic Park City Alliance and Main Street Businesses to ensure that he and the other Council members are informed and involved in what makes Park City a great place to live and do business.
I endorse Alex Butwinski for a second term. I encourage others to get to know Alex and I am confident that you will also agree that Alex is the right choice for Park City Council. Having worked closely with Alex for the last 6 years, I know that Alex works hard, and will continue to work even harder, to keep the community feel that I fell in love with.
Kraig Moyes
Park City
Community partners and WIC
Editor:
The Summit County Health Department would like to thank the citizens, organizations, and leadership in our community who continue to demonstrate their commitment to the underserved in Summit County.
As the partial government shutdown was unfolding, leaving the county’s nutrition education and supplemental food program for women, infants and children (WIC) without funding, our community immediately stepped up to ensure that no one went hungry.
The local food banks, individual citizens, and others mobilized to provide necessary items for these special populations. Also, the Summit County Council proposed and authorized emergency funding to keep the WIC program open through November.
Thank you again to all those who offered and provided assistance to our WIC clients in need. The speed with which our community responded, and the passion with which you did this, once again demonstrated why we are all fortunate to call this place home.
Richard Bullough
Director Summit County Health Department
Jennifer Morrill
Director Summit County WIC
Allies on the basketball court and in government
Editor,
I have known Alex Butwinski for the last decade or more. We initially became friends on the basketball court by trying to prove to each other who had the sharpest elbows (it was generally a tie). Those were good times that unfortunately came to an end for me when the knees rebelled, even though the elbows were (are) still willing!
Then over the last four years we both have been "players" in the political arena — he on the Park City "team" and I on the Summit County "team". Even though on different teams with sometimes differing playbooks and objectives, I always have found Alex to be very professional, prepared, honest, candid, well-reasoned, engaged, rational, fearless, vigorous, and respectful.
Over the years, we have spent a lot of time working together on such regional issues as the Air Force hotel, MIDA, film studio, and water. I have always been grateful that Alex was Park City’s Council liaison on these thorny challenges because we have been well served by his dedication and judgment.
While spending much time with Alex on the basketball court isn’t in the cards for me, I do hope to see him re-upped for another four years on the Park City Council team. If I had a vote (I live outside the city limits), I would cast it in his favor and I encourage those of you that do have a vote to support him.
Chris Robinson
Summit County Council
Park City is losing its small town appeal
Editor:
We moved to Park City a few years ago to get out of the dirty mucky air that accumulates during the winter months in the Salt Lake valley. We welcomed the quiet mornings, the crisp mountain air and the small-town feel of Park City.
The longer we live here, the more we realize this quaint small town is soon to be forgotten. Each week we see new construction through our community. Our question is for what? We have vacant business buildings in Pinebrook, Newpark and Old Town. Yet we are building fast food restaurants next to the vacant buildings at Redstone, despite Park City’s healthy lifestyle and our countries epidemic of obesity. The Canyons continues to eat up our beautiful mountains even though there are empty condos and homes across Summit County. Our natural resources are not endless, especially our water. How are we going to continue to sustain at this growth rate? If we don’t begin to use the resources and buildings that exist now in a responsible way, Park City’s clean air quality and picturesque town will be lost forever.
Julie Lowe
Park City
Henney is dedicated to our town
Editor:
I’ve known Tim Henney and his family since their arrival in Park City over 20 years ago. As director of the Park City Arts Council, I had frequent contact with Tim, whose previous professional success elsewhere, did not preclude his commitment to becoming a dedicated Parkite — passionate about preserving and promoting open space, supporting the Park City Film Series, or serving on a Park City School District committee concerned with support for gifted students.
The last two decades have only strengthened Tim’s dedication to Park City. He currently serves as an officer of the Mountain Trails Foundation, and is a member of the Citizens Open Space Advisory Committee, which advises City Hall on opportunities of municipal conservation investment. Despite all his professional and voluntary commitments, Tim can be found in sun or snow, in the mountains, mountain biking or skiing.
Tim is an entrepreneur who has an intrinsic understanding and passion for Park City, and why it is an amazing place to live. As a city councilperson, he would help lead Park City towards a future based on incorporating Park City’s rich past into a viable future that will ensure its continued growth while maintaining a vital balance.
A city council person is elected to guide local legislation through the unavoidable conflicts of time and change, a complex responsibility in Park City. Our leaders’ decisions define the reputation of an internationally renowned resort, the economic benefits which have allowed Park City to develop into the secure, flourishing place that we are proud of.
I am confident that Tim Henney is the right person to assume this responsibility and lead the citizens of Park City to the future we deserve.
Please vote for Tim Tuesday November 5th.
Joanna Charnes
Park City
Quinn’s would be perfect for motocross
Editor:
Dear Editor and Park City Planning. I am a 12-year resident of Park City and want to make a suggestion for land use. The dirt areas on the east side of US40 near Quinn’s Junction are not being utilized for the pubic good. They are currently a dumping zone for building dirt or rocks and also a temporary parking area was left abandoned from the Hotel construction in Deer Valley a few years ago.
I want to suggest that the land be used as a off-road racing center for motocross. Motocross is an excellent youth activity and centers around families playing together, which is in-line with the park city lifestyle. Local kids and families who ride dirt motorcycles have had to find unauthorized riding areas or drive great distances to recreate. I believe that lad would be a perfect location for such a site and could also be used to host local and regional racing events bringing revenue to the city.
Brent H Smith
Park City
Jack Thomas is committed to our community
Dear Editor,
As a longtime owner of businesses on Main Street and real estate in Old Town, I believe it is imperative that we elect a mayor with a strong desire to preserve the integrity of our small town community and historic character. Park City is entering a period of transition with new developments like Bonanza Park and Treasure Hill. Only a mayor with deep roots in the community and decades of local planning experience can help us navigate through this process in a thoughtful, responsible manner. Jack Thomas, without question, is the most highly qualified candidate to become the next mayor of Park City.
Jack has worked on several projects for me including 350 Main, The Spur Bar & Grill, as well as my home using some of the design ideas he used for St. Mary’s church. Of course, I wanted bigger, but Jack was always the voice of reason. He has a profound understanding of the community and the needs of its residents. He is thoughtful and appreciates the importance of working as a team. Jack will stay true to the unique attributes of Park City and help manage impending growth responsibly.
After raising his kids and nurturing a successful business, he also spent years serving us on the Planning Commission. Jack has a selfless commitment to continue to give back to Park City as our next mayor. Please join me in supporting Jack for Mayor!
Dr. Aaron Hofmann
Owner, 350 Main Brasserie and The Spur Bar & Grill
Treasure project doesn’t fit in Park City
Editor:
I wanted to let you know my feelings about the Treasure Hill Development.
I do not live anywhere close to this project – I live at the base of the Canyons Resort, but I have done extensive due diligence on this project ever since I came across a scaled model and was overwhelmed at how out of place it was for Park City’s Old Town community.
We are all influenced positively by the tourism and draw of Park City and some decisions can so adversely impact this draw that it is important for all citizens to voice their opinion – Treasure Hill is such a decision. If this project is allowed to be constructed, I can see every visitor to Park City asking themselves what was the community thinking when they let this happen?
I have looked at every document available (www.treasureparkcity.com) submitted on this project including, but not limited to, the traffic impact study, the blasting study, height visual impacts, etc — the excavation alone is a major undertaking which could last 2-3 years.
I truly believe if our community was more aware of the Treasure Hill Development and saw the scaled model and renderings of views looking back at this project and how it potentially dwarfs the entire town, they would be outraged as I am. Having said that, I know that many people will still not take the time to understand – so for a quick visual representation – imagine the Las Vegas City Center being built on the hillside above town lift – YES, contemporary and all. Please do yourself a favor and spend some time understanding this project and not just those who live close by, because it will impact all of us.
Personally, I am pro-development, but it has to make sense and be appropriate. As a individual who does not like to just complain without giving solutions, one appropriate compromise would be for this density to be transferred to the bases of Deer Valley and Park City Mountain.
Jim Pumphrey
Park City
Hazardous waste collection was a success
Editor
A big THANKS goes out to our community for caring enough about saving our streams to drop off items at the semi-annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on October 12th. From the 400 cars that came through, we received 113 tires, 1 air conditioner, 1 refrigerator, 1 freezer, 1 heater, 1 huge blue and heavy unidentified thing, numerous truckloads of e-waste, 5 buckets of medicines, and 58 55-gallon drums of paints/solvents!
A special appreciation goes out to our sponsors including: Recycle Utah for leading the charge, Canyons Resort for lending their parking lot and the use of the fork lift, Park City Sunrise Rotary Club for promotion and providing the volunteers to unload cars and Park City Fire District staff Stantec, Veolia, and Metech for their expertise and labor in handling these hazardous items and the many other agencies who helped along with the donated money on their drive through to help pay for the costly disposal fees.
While this is a costly endeavor, it proves more environmentally costly to deal with these materials in our water system. Kudos to the community for realizing that and taking the time to help us dispose of them properly. Our next event will be May 3, so please save your hazardous waste for the next collection day and help save our streams!
Kim Kerr
Park City Sunrise Rotary Club