Do You Like Park City’s New Bus Tracking App? Do You Know What it Cost?
Do you like Park City’s new bus tracking iPhone App? What, you hadn’t heard of it? That’s OK, you may want to check it out. It’s actually kind of cool… and of course, you paid for it.
In 2011, the Park City City Council unanimously voted to contract with Avail Technologies to add GPS (global positioning system) technology to its buses. Along with the GPS came an iPhone app that anyone could use to track the buses. What was the cost? $1.2 million.
Now to be fair, the federal government chipped in 80% of the funds, so the city and county only paid $247,000 for it. Yet, we seem to remember that 2011 was still pretty rough economically around here. Government employees were being let go (or jobs not backfilled) and we kept hearing that our roads weren’t going to be maintained to proper levels unless taxes were raised. But… there was enough money to add GPS tracking to our FREE buses?
[We almost can’t write this without chuckling in sadness]
What’s so aggravating from a citizen’s point of view is three fold:
- Projects like this are often justified by pointing out that federal or state funds will be used or a grant will be obtained. While that sounds good, and we suppose it is better than directly spending millions on a project like this, those are still OUR tax dollars be spent (you pay federal taxes right?). If we aren’t willing to say say NO to projects like this that aren’t really needed, we really can’t complain when the state “equalizes” property tax revenues and sends our taxes to West Valley. If someone in North Dakota is paying for our GPS bus tracking with the federal taxes, why shouldn’t we pay for some kid’s education in Nephi?
- The money has been spent; now Park City should make the most of this opportunity. Do you have an iPhone? Try to find the app in the IOS App Store. We dare you. We know, you tried to type in ‘Park City Bus’ into the app store search box. We bet you got Roof Jumping Stunt Driving Parking Simulator and 97 other entries. Roof Jumping is a great game but not quite what you are looking for. If it was in the other 97 results the search returned, we didn’t see it. If you go to the web on your computer, and type in ‘Park City Bus Schedule’, you’ll probably end up selecting Park City Bus: Routes & Schedules. No iPhone app is listed here either… but you can get to a web page with current bus locations by selecting the fourth option, Real-time AVL Bus Tracker. We suppose this does a lot of what the iPhone app does but are you going to really use a web page on your computer? No. What would we expect for a million dollars? Make it easy for both residents and visitors to download the app. That shouldn’t be hard.
- It always costs more than it is supposed to. This was supposed to cost $1.23 Million. Park City has paid $1.33 million to date. In addition to that there are long-term costs. There is the maintenance of existing systems. There is the added equipment required on any new bus. There is also likely a maintenance charge from the vendor. While we are sure there are benefits to the people who manage the buses (ability to monitor on-time performance, ability to monitor mechanical status remotely, etc), the system has already cost 10% more than it was supposed to. That will likely just keep increasing.
It’s not that we are anti-technology. In fact, we think it can provide great benefits. However, in this case we just don’t see the cost/benefit panning out. That said, since you bought it, you should try the app. Search for “MyStop Mobile” in the iPhone App store. What, you don’t ride the bus? Oh well.
in Huh?
This Christmas Miracle May Not Turn Out So Merry
It was 7 AM on Christmas Eve and our 2 1/2 year old yells at the front window, “There goes Cement Mixer Melvin!”. Cement Mixer Melvin is a cement mixer from one of his books. We dismissed his comment and admired his creativity. It was 12 degrees outside after all. Who would pour concrete when it was that cold? We thought, “now that would be a miracle.” Less than 5 minutes later the cement mixer came around the block again and we saw it with our own eyes.
An hour later we headed down the street and saw that indeed they were pouring concrete. Granted, it was now a balmy 14 degrees. At that point we figured maybe we didn’t really know much about concrete. Perhaps the practice is normal? We usually like to stay out of other people’s business but we were worried that that this house will likely be sold to some person this spring and they will have no idea about this (if it truly is a problem). So, we decided to call the Summit County Building Office and ask if there were any development codes related to the temperature at which concrete can be poured. The very helpful gentlemen said that concrete temperature was a procedural matter and it was really up to the discretion of the contractor. He pointed us to the American Concrete Institute and said they had good guidelines. He left us with a very apropos comment. He said his dad did concrete for many years and that it was one of the hardest things to do. He concluded that concrete that was done well is great; concrete that isn’t will turn into a nightmare.
So, it sounds that “legally” concrete could be poured at minus 30. However what does the American Concrete Institute (ACI) recommend? Here is their recommended table:
We read about the ACI guidelines and the problem is we could never find any recommendations for what to do when the temperature was that low. These are some of our observations:
- The ground should be above 32º F when the concrete is poured, or there could be a freezing layer of concrete that doesn’t set well against the ground.
- If there will be a thaw and refreeze, concrete with higher psi (tensile strength) is required.
- Favorable temperates are needed while the concrete cures and the time it needs to cure is impacted by the temperature (colder temps require longer curing).
- Protect from early age freezing.
So, what were the temperatures since the 24th:
24th – Low: 8º / High: 37º
25th – Low 18º / High: 34º
26th – Low 9º / High: 27º
27th – Low -1º / High: 29º
28th – Low 12º / High: 26º
We don’t see any 40º temperatures. We do see a negative temp. We also see some freezing and thawing. All in all, it looks cold.
What does all that mean? We’re concerned that the foundation that was poured on that cold Christmas Eve and continued to cure through freezing temperatures may not end up being sound. However, we don’t know all the details and aren’t experts in concrete. Perhaps a “new fangled” cold temperature concrete was used. Perhaps they had heated all the dirt to over 32º. Who knows?
What we do know is that if you are buying a newly constructed house this spring in Jeremy Ranch, you may want to ask a few questions about how it was constructed. More importantly you may want to have your inspector take a hard look at the foundation and then ask a few more questions.
in Development
Part 2: So you don’t like the updated general plan? What are you going to do about it?
In Part 1 of a series of posts about how to voice your opinion over the updated General Plan, we talked about needing to formulate a plan of your own. We mentioned that the Planning Commissioners and County Council members have a lot of experience, and you will have to have good arguments to sway them to your position.
So, how do you sway them? If you attend these type of meetings you will quickly see many things that don’t work too well. Here are a few:
- Talking about too many concepts. Remember, you only have 3 minutes and that goes fast.
- Just saying you don’t like something and providing no explanation.
- Saying, “I agree with the person who spoke before me and then sitting down” (we suppose this does lend “numbers” to the position but there is usually something better to say).
- Repeating what 3 other people (or even 1 other person) said like you haven’t been listening.
- Acting like everyone but you is an idiot.
- Spewing wild accusations like “there has to be someone taking money under the table!”
- Yelling at the Commission or Council.
- Getting up and speaking again (there are perhaps a few good reasons for this but generally you hurt your arguments).
- Taking much more than your allotted time.
Lest you think I am one of those “holier than thou” sorts, I usually violate at least two of these each time I speak to the County Council. Improving this is a New Years resolution that I’ll probably fail at. So, I apologize in advance to anyone who has to hear me speak in 2015. Just so you have a concrete example of how things can go poorly, though, during the Basin Rec Bond final hearing regarding whether Utah law was violated and whether the measure should still be on the ballot, I violated #1 and #9. On #1, I wanted to make two points to the County Council. First, that the County shouldn’t set the precedent of violating laws and second that they had actually violated another law completely (due to timing of meetings). By the time I was done speaking (about 8 minutes… thus breaking rule #9) I had confused everyone so much that it didn’t matter. I just should have gone with my second point and spent 3 minutes on it. My bad. Lesson learned.
So, how does one make sure they have a concrete point to speak about? There are likely many strategies and countless books written on the subject. What you will notice is you’ll see many of the County Council members making lists of the issues that people bring up . So, that’s a good starting place. If you make a list of your various arguments on a pad of paper, it serves multiple purposes.
- If someone already speaks about an issue on your list, you can cross it off. There is no reason to bring it up again unless they didn’t make your point. If that’s the case, jot down what needs to be clarified so you can bring that up when you are speaking.
- It keeps you organized. If you have 5 potential arguments you can bring up, you can bullet point a few notes on the argument below it. That helps when you lose your train of thought at the podium.
- You’ll speak more clearly because you’ll have thought about what you want to say ahead of time. This limits meandering and wandering.
So, that’s the approach we are going to take in the New Year. You should do whatever works for you but being concise and on-point will serve both you and your argument(s) very well.
In our final post (Part 3) regarding how to approach the updated General Plan, we will talk about an issue near and dear to our hearts and how we are going to personally approach it.
in Development
So you don’t like the updated general plan? What are you going to do about it?
Last week, over 150 concerned citizens attended a open house on changes to the Snyderville Basin General Plan. The General Plan is important because it guides development in our area for the next 25 years. There are some changes that will appear large to some neighborhoods. The next step in the process is a public hearing with the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission on January 13th (at 6PM in the Kimball Junction Library). A draft of the plan will then be sent to the County Council. There will be more Public Hearings and then the County Council will vote on it.
Let’s say you attended that meeting or have read the proposed plan, and don’t like some parts of it. What’s your strategy to illicit change? “What, you say? I need a strategy?” Yes, please have a strategy. We have sat through many county meetings and those people without a plan do no one a service. This is how a public hearing typically works:
In the case of the Planning Commission or County Council, there may be some discussion by the commission/council members and then they’ll open it up for public comment. People will come up to the microphone and speak for “up to 3 minutes.” Then another person will speak for 3 minutes. Then an inconsiderate person will speak for about 10 minutes. Then another person will speak for 3 minutes. Rinse…Repeat. There can be 50-100 people who all want to provide their opinion. Four hours later, our representatives look like they’ve gone to war and just escaped ISIS. What they’ve heard are a few good ideas… Some people criticizing the use of a comma versus a semi-colon … A lot of , “I completely agree with what she said.”… Some personal attacks (“somebody’s got to be sleeping with someone for this to pass”). You even get the occasional person who threatens them (yes, we are not making that up). It’s a free for all.
What’s the outcome? Perhaps an idea or two is incorporated into the plan but its hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. At best, it’s really just another wasted opportunity. At worst, you’ll look back and wonder why you even bothered (and won’t in the future). So what do we recommend? Before we answer that, we think you should first understand your audience.
Generally, whenever you are speaking to one of the above groups about something like the general plan, you need to recognize that it’s extremely likely they have spent countless more hours on the subject than you have. We can count on one hand general citizens that are better informed about these topics than members of the council or commission. If you don’t know if your are one of those people (we know we aren’t), you probably aren’t. Not sure how many pieces of land have development rights already in the Basin? I’m sure there is someone on the Planning Commission that does. Do you know what “1 per 20 means”, in relation to development in the Basin? Why would you? You know accounting, or real-estate, or insurance. That said, these guys do.
So, what do you do? Not show up? Not comment? No. You just need to be smart about it. Speak from your personal experience. Bring up things that they may not have heard of. There will be enough people just saying, “I hate affordable housing.” You can be the one who provides better information. What and how do you do that? We aren’t experts for sure… but we’ll do our best with that in Part 2.
in Environment
Is This Weekend’s Snow a View of the Future?
A friend mentioned to us this morning that we needed to listen to a radioWest interview with Jim Steenburgh, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Utah. She found his comments on how increasing temperatures will impact Utah snowfall interesting. He basically said that Alta and Snowbird would have a ski industry for a long time, due to their elevation. He felt the Park City resorts would continue to get snow at higher elevations but lower elevations would pose a problem. The takeaway is that elevations above 7,000 feet would continue to get snow regularly. However, the bases of Park City resorts would likely get a lot less snow than they do now. He also made it clear (perhaps half in jest) that people who enjoy cross country skiing at lower elevations may want to find another sport.
Then later his afternoon we were excited to read about a Winter Storm Warning for the Wasatch. We dug into the details and got less excited. We started thinking how this forecast dovetails into the interview with Professor Steenburgh. Here is the winter storm warning from the National Weather Service (NWS):
Winter Storm Warning remains in effect from Midnight Tonight to 6 pm MST Monday above 7000 feet.
- Affected area: The Wasatch and Western Uinta mountain ranges and the northwestern portions of the Wasatch Plateau.
- Snow accumulations: accumulations of 10 to 20 inches. Primarily above about 7500 feet. Locally greater amounts are possible above 8000 feet across the Wasatch Range.
- Timing: snow will increase across the Wasatch Mountains tonight, then spread south and east across the remainder of the northern mountains by early Sunday. Rain and snow will continue heavy at times Sunday through early Monday, then gradually decrease in intensity and areal coverage Monday afternoon.
- Snow levels: snow levels at the beginning of the storm will be near 6000 feet. Snow levels will rise to near 7500 to 8000 feet Sunday morning and remain high Sunday night then lower again below 6000 feet on Monday.
We noted, according to the NWS, that the majority of heavy snow will be above 7500 feet. There will be quite a bit of rain below those elevations. For reference, Deer Valley’s base is at about 6500 feet. Yes, there will be snow at the base but there will likely be a decent amount of rainy-mix too.
So, what does that portend for our future? The reality is that no one knows. Even Professor Steenburgh caveated his study, noting that weather is complex. It also doesn’t take into account snow making. That said, if it’s raining at certain elevations you can’t really make snow there.
Therefore, we look at this weekend as an opportunity to see what winter in Park City might be like in 10-20 years. We’ll pay attention to what people are doing. Are people skiing or are they hanging out at coffee shops, instead? Is the traffic coming up from SLC horrible or is it pretty light? Are people happy or do they have that look on their face you get when you are soaking wet? We don’t know what the outcome will be but it should be in interesting to watch.
Above all, it may be an informative visit from the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come.
Fixed: What the Kimball Art Center Building Renovation Will Really Look Like
We saw the developer’s plans for the BFKAKAC (Building Formerly Known as Kimball Arts Center) in the Park Record. It looks really pretty, but we thought we should add a touch of realism, so people know what to expect from the renovations to the building. Please try to contain your excitement.
in Development
You Rarely Stop Things In Park City But You Can Postpone Them
We received an email from a person last night asking whether “we really thought that the Uinta Express Pipeline would be stopped” by low oil prices. The answer to that is no, but it does highlight a position we find ourselves taking more often. In Park City, we believe you can STOP very few things; however, you can POSTPONE them.
A perfect example is the land that the Hyatt Hotel is being built upon in Snyderville. The owner had the rights to build offices and a small restaurant. They had those rights for very many years and built nothing. Then it seems a developer thought they could make more money with a hotel. The neighborhood was pushed to endorse their hotel idea — some would say through fear. Now, old trees are torn down…soon to be replaced by stucco and commerce. Could development of that land have been stopped. No. The owner had the right to build office space and a restaurant there. When would that have happened? Today? No. Next year? Still unlikely (there’s too much of those things right now). Five years? Maybe. Ten years? More likely. Twenty years? Yeah.
So the question is, would you have preferred to leave the land open for 10 more years and then have someone build office space and a restaurant or do you prefer having a hotel now? Unless you were the land owner, the developer, or got the construction job we think we know the answer.
We aren’t crazy enough to think that development can be postponed forever; however, we do know that Park City will probably look different in 10-20 years. Instead of accelerating that time line, why not keep it measured. In other words, you are living in the Garden of Eden. Do you listen to the snake and eat the apple now or do you hold off for a few years and enjoy paradise while you can?
in Environment
Will the Tesoro Pipeline Through Utah Be Postponed?
Oil prices plunged another 4% today to $56 per barrel. Yesterday we read about how that is causing US shale oil to become unprofitable to produce. Today the BBC reported that the UK’s North Sea Oil industry is in a state of crisis.
That’s leaves us wondering how lower prices will impact Tesoro’s proposed pipeline through Summit County. It appears waxy crude, the variety that is supposed to flow through this pipeline, costs more to produce than standard oil. So, one would think that if they will produce less oil in general due to lower prices… they would produce and ship and LOT less of oil that requires more work (and cost).
If the lower oil price trend continues, what are the chances that Tesoro will postpone the pipeline? While we are just speculating…. we’d say pretty good.
Is Park City’s New China Bridge Parking Plan Enforceable?
We heard this morning on KPCW that the city was going to use license plate readers to enforce parking limits of 6 hours at the China Bridge Parking Lot. It was claimed that this will prevent people from changing parking spots to avoid a ticket. Today they put white chalk marks on tires. Tomorrow they’ll scan your plate and track whether you’ve spent more than the allotted time in the garage. Perfect. The City is using $40,000 technology to foil those most evil doers in our society… the Main Street worker who leaves her job for 5 minutes to move her car to avoid a ticket. Don’t worry Park City, you are now safe.
The only problem? This doesn’t seem to jibe with the Park City Parking Code. There is section 9- 3- 3. TIME-LIMITED PARKING IN COMMERCIAL AREAS that says:
“Public streets and public parking facilities within commercial areas may be designated with time limitations. It shall be unlawful to park a vehicle in any area so designated by posting signs or meter legends for longer than designated time limits. Vehicles parked longer than posted time limits are subject to fine(s) and/or impoundment.”
Where’s the problem? It’s in the definition of the word park. Park is defined as:
“Stopping, standing, or leaving a motor vehicle in a fixed spot or location on a street or public parking facility for any length of time, except when required to stop or stand because of the flow of traffic, or to yield to other traffic, or in compliance with the requirements of traffic control devices or police officers.”
So, if you move your car, you don’t appear to meet the definition of the word park. That’s the problem with these sorts of ideas. How far is the city willing to go to get people to buy permits.
It looks like they’ll have to go far enough to actually redefine the word park.
in Economy
Hello Irrational Exuberance. We Haven’t Seen You In a While.
Every where we read, listen, or look in Park City we see big expectations of growth. A few examples:
- A Hyatt hotel has been started in Snyderville
- The Summit County Building Department says the upcoming 2015 construction year “looks to be good, if not a little better” than 2104.
- Summit County is hiring more building inspectors to prepare for this demand
- Mountain Accord wants to connect Park City with the Wasatch Front via underground rail.
- Park City Schools are probably going to issue a $20-$30 million dollar bond next year for a new Junior High.
- Vail is going to spend $50 million on Park City Mountain Resort
- Bonanza Park is going to be the next City Creek.
- Summit County is hiring 8 new employees
It’s as if no one remembers the Great Recession of 2007-2010 or perhaps they don’t think it can happen again. The problem is that the fundamentals that caused that event are still in play. Nothing has been fixed. Unfortunately, our community is going right along with it. Perhaps the best example is building inspectors. County Manager Bob Jasper has said repeatedly that the County needs these inspectors but that the builders are willing to pay for them via increased fees. That’s all fine and well… unless building declines..and with it the fees. Then who pays those salaries?
We heard this morning that the Mountain Accord people are counting on Federal and State funding to build underground rail. They may want to consider that federal funding may be a little hard to come by with a debt levels of $18 trillion.
The examples go on and on. What appears to be happening is that leaders have extrapolated the last couple of years where borrowing money has been cheap and the wealthy have done well via the stock market. We saw this through the number of cash sales for homes in Park City. Yet, things are slowing down. Economies like China are slowing down. Oil is cheap, which you may think is good, but it signals a world wide slow down. Credit (the ability to borrow) is tightening (become harder). There are a few large countries which are teetering on bankruptcy (Russia and Venezuela). In many ways it has the feel of 2006-2007.
Yet, Park City is plowing forward. Boom and Bust. Boom and Bust. It’s a little frightening. Couldn’t we have waited to get one minor recession under our belts to make sure that our underlying economy was solid before we started right off where we were in 2005? We guess not.
Instead we are building like the music will never stop. Except it always does. We just hope when it does, Park City can find a chair.
Parkrag
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