OUR CITY. OUR FUTURE. OUR MAYOR. Campaign Issues
Treasure Hill
As almost everyone is aware, the Treasure Hill project was approved decades ago and is now finally being debated. Mayor Dana Williams recognizes the highly sensitive nature of both sides of this issue. He is deeply concerned that the project in its current configuration is very different from its original vesting.
The planning commission acted wisely by moving the focus of the debate from traffic concerns to the overall size, scale and scope of the development. The current design is more than twice what the vested right called for and needs to be severely cut back. The developer has stated their intention to sell the project once it receives approval; Williams would then support a bond to purchase it as open space.
Kearns Boulevard Traffic
Park City officials have spent the past few years working on a solution to the gridlock we experience on Kearns. Two of the major problems with this highway are the crossings at Comstock and at Park City High School. The current plan to build the tunnel under Kearns will relieve some of the pressure. The Park and Ride facility is almost complete and a community-wide effort to get employees to shuttle from that lot into town should help. The strategy for the next few years is to install HOV lanes and extend mass transit to the Park and Ride.
Water Resources
Our concerns regarding water are twofold –quantity and quality. Nearly 60 percent of Park City’s water comes from mine shafts. While this has been a relatively inexpensive source, there are problems relating to quality and sustainability. If there were to be a major event in one of the mines it could render the source too expensive to redevelop. The City reserved water from the Smith and Morehouse Reservoir years ago and spends close to $800,000 a year to reserve it. We have entered into an agreement that will bring this water into town sometime in 2010. We are also exploring the possibility of an East Canyon water project.
With regards to the quality issue, the mine water is impacted by heavy metals. The Judge tunnel contains lead, and the Spiro tunnel has arsenic. Currently, if the sediment is disturbed in the Judge tunnel, the source is shut off; this cannot be the long term solution. The Spiro tunnel received a significant grant from the federal government, and Park City now boasts one of the most high tech arsenic removal systems in the country.
Diverse Housing
On-site affordable housing is now mandated for all new Park City developments. By contrast, the current housing project associated with Empire Pass had only a 25 percent on-site requirement. The Snow Creek project is being built with fees collected when Park City enabled developers to pay the City directly rather than take responsibility for building the affordable housing themselves. While Mayor Williams acknowledges we may not ever be able to house our total work force, he strongly supports the continuation of a varied affordable housing stock.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Since 1983, Park City has had several sites listed on the EPA cleanup agenda. From 1983 to 2002, the only site to be taken off the list was the transit hub in Swede Alley which was accomplished with federal money. Over the past few years both Prospector and Daly West have been removed from the list, and Richardson Flats is well on its way to being removed. Recently, the EPA added a new site – the area from Quinn’s Junction north to I-80 – for which a mitigation plan is currently being developed.
We also have issues with the quality of water that flows away from the City. We have installed a bio cell in the prospector wetlands that is greatly helping to reduce the problem.
Military Recreation Facility
This is a project that came to the table several years prior to Mayor Dana Williams taking office. While there has never been an issue with having a recreation facility for the military in Park City, there is concern with regards to its location, size and scale. The current team from the Park City and Summit County is working well with the state legislature, MIDA, and the Air Force to ensure that any proposed project is compatible with the Park City brand and is located and sized appropriately.
Biking and Walkability
Thanks to valuable input from the citizens and the passage of the bond, Park City is in the initial stages of this exciting project. The topics that fall under this category include safe routes to schools, the interconnectivity of the urban and mountain trail systems, and reducing our dependence on automobiles.
Climate Change and Energy
We have completed the carbon footprint reports for both the City government and the City proper. The results will help us determine where we can achieve greater efficiencies and how renewable technology will play a role. While Park City has been recognized as a leader in the purchase of renewable energy, our future success will be determined more by concrete accomplishments rather than acknowledgments. While several projects have been completed, we are just at the tip of the melting iceberg.
Sustainability
With no existing model to copy, sustainability is a process Park City had to develop in a unique manner for itself. For our City, sustainability combines our community, economy and environment. It encompasses all aspects of life in a resort community. The creation of the Sustainability Department is intended to achieve a sensible blend of these three elements to ensure this is a city our citizens continue to be proud of and a destination that will continue to attract visitors.
Economy
Historically, 80 percent of our economic activity has occurred during 100 days in the winter season. Park City’s economic development plan’s goal is to increase the economic impact of the summer months. While honoring the fact that the “shoulder” seasons are a low tourism time – yet a savored time for the locals – we have tried to bring events that keep our workforce employed, our retail businesses successful, and lodging occupancy high. While the current recession has hit the whole country hard, Park City has been impacted to a lesser degree as we have been successful in our efforts to continue attracting visitors.
