in Scams
in Basin Rec
Cancer Concern on Basin Rec Fields?
Would you let your kids play on a pile of old tires at the land fill? How about the synthetic turf at the Basin Rec Fieldhouse, Quinn’s Junction, and Matt Knoop Park? Did you know that most synthetic turf uses those same recycled tires? They make up part of the crumb rubber that flies up from the turf as people run, dive, and roll. The potential danger of synthetic turf was highlighted by an NBC News report and makes us wonder about the safety of the fields which are used by not only used by our community’s athletes but our smallest children during Toddler Time.
The NBC report begins with Amy Griffin, a University of Washington Soccer coach visiting two female goalies who had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Griffin was helping one of her players pass time during a chemo session, when the nurse who was hooking up the chemo machine, said “Don’t tell me you guys are goalkeepers. You’re the fourth goalkeeper I’ve hooked up this week.” Griffin then starts investigating further and finds 34 young goalies who have come down with cancer like lymphoma or leukemia. She begins to wonder whether this could be attributed to the crumb rubber that goalies dive into, get in their eyes, and ingest throughout every practice and game.
NBC investigated it and “was unable to find any agreement over whether crumb turf had ill effects on young athletes, or even whether the product had been sufficiently tested”. The industry group for synthetic fields says its safe. The EPA looked at the issue 5 years but are backing away from claiming it’s safe because their studies were “limited”. They now says that it is a state and local issue and more research should be done.
There appears to be a couple of issues. First, tires can be made of dangerous substances like mercury, lead, benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and arsenic. The vice President of Marketing for FieldTurf, a name brand synthetic field say that the chemicals are vulcanized and become inert, so therefore they pose no danger. Others aren’t so sure. The second issue appears to be VOC gasses that the fields give off. A state of Connecticut report on the subject concluded “that ‘the use of outdoor and indoor artificial turf fields is not associated with elevated health risks,’ but that more research was needed to better understand chemical exposures on outdoor fields during hot weekends and in indoor facilities, which showed higher levels of chemicals in the air”.
These concerns have led New York City and Los Angeles to stop installing the fields. San Francisco and New Jersey are putting the issue of whether to continue to use synthetic fields on this November’s ballot so voters can decide.
This is an important issue for the residents of Snyderville Basin. Most of our kids will play throughout their young lives on Basin Rec fields. On one side we have the industry group behind these products saying they’re safe. On another side we the EPA who says they’re not sure anymore. On another side there are correlations that seem to be screaming that something is going on. Then there are the parents of Park City who wonder if they should let their children use the fields at all.
In November, Basin Rec is asking for a $25 million bond for another sheet of ice at the ice rink, open space, additional parking, and a multi-purpose gymnasium. However, money for Basin Rec may be better spent figuring out an alternative to our field turf. If not, its not too hard to envision someone who has regularly used the fields and develops cancer to bringing a lawsuit against Basin Rec and Summit County for negligence because the potential issue is known (whether it was the cause or not). Basin Rec and the County would then be on the hook for at a minimum fighting that lawsuit and more likely settling it — as well as potentially contributing to causing cancer in one of our young adults.
We know it’s not an easy path but its one we hope Basin Rec would at least look into. They’ve done such a great job in our community and it would truly be a shame if people stopped using their facilities because of this issue.
Please see the eye opening NBC video here:
in Skiing
Epic Ripoff… Don’t Get Taken When Buying Your Pass
Many of us in Park City are rushing to buy our Epic Passes. Unfortunately, many people are paying more than they have to — and yes you can blame this on Vail. An Epic Local pass is $569. As you can see below, we’ve added two passes to our shopping cart. Can you spot the ripoff (you may have to click the image for a bigger version)?
You may think we are complaining over $2 of Additional Products added to the shopping cart. Nope, that actually goes to Mountain Trails. Look above that. $1,178 divided by 2 passes is $589 per pass. Isn’t it supposed to be $569? If you click the small plus sign, you will see Vail has automatically added $20 of pass insurance to each pass without asking or telling you explicitly.
Then if you click to remove one, it hides the box again. You may think you have removed both, but you have to do it again for the second pass.
Everything about this process is designed to grab an extra $20 per pass. This isn’t to say that no one wants pass insurance, because someone might. However, that choice should be made willingly and not by tricking people into buying it.
Imagine if you went to Cole Sport and bought a sweater for $100 and when you checked out they put a pair of gloves in the bag and charged you an extra $20 for them without mentioning it. You wouldn’t stand for it.
This sort of practice isn’t what you would expect from a good company. As our community goes forward in lock-step with Vail we have to remember these sort of practices. If they are willing to do that to their customers, what will they do to you as a vendor, partner, city, or county?
Now our eyes are wide open.
in Election
1,225,644 Reasons to Vote This November
Non-presidential election years always suffer from low voter turnout. Yet, important positions, especially local ones, are determined during these elections. This year we have the many positions up for election ranging from Auditor to a Representative in the US congress.
One would think there are enough important positions to warrant a vigorous turnout, but if not, consider this…the total compensation paid to the winners of these positions is over $1.2 million per year.
Many people think that these are unpaid positions but nothing could be further from the truth. Using the most updated information from Transparent Utah we find the following gross compensation (salary + benefits):
- US House of Representatives – $174,000
- Utah District 53 – $26,000
- Council Council – 2 seats – $35,000 – 42,000 each
- Assessor – $128,000
- Attorney – $158,000
- Auditor – $124,000
- Clerk – $123,800
- Recorder – $125,600
- Sheriff – $125,600
- Treasurer – $116,700
- School Board – 2 seats – $23,000 each
Note: Compensation can vary a little based on what benefits a person chooses to receive.
So while some people call elected positions thankless jobs, and they can be at times, we as tax payers do provide them thousands of dollars in thanks every year.
So if you can’t figure out a reason to vote, you could at least take solace that by voting you are deciding who wins a pretty nice lottery.
in Film Studio
Time Is Running Out on the Film Studio
As we were walking Round Valley this morning, we turned and looked back at the shell of Park City Film Studios and wondered what would become of it. Unlike what was promised weeks ago, there doesn’t appear to be any asphalt laid. The roof is also open in a number of places, allowing water to get in at the foundation of the structure. We are sure it’s not what anyone had hoped but perhaps what should have been expected.
As we continued, the rain turned to ice-pellets and the ice-pellets turned to snow. Winter is truly coming. Nothing seems to have happened at the site in the last month. It appears that will likely continue until at least the Spring.
It’s not looking good for the supporters of the film studio.
in Park Rag
Was Yesterday’s Article on Craig Williams Fair?
I received a question on yesterday’s article What Craig Williams, Candidate for Summit County Council, Got Wrong Today. Essentially, the person asked whether we had written an assessment of any other candidate who had been on KPCW? They were implying that what we wrote about Craig Williams was unfair because we hadn’t written about other people.
While we have written about local politicians appearing on KPCW, I don’t believe we have written on any other candidate. We’ve heard other interviews of people running for office such a David Brickey and Robert Hilder, who are both running for County Attorney. We didn’t write anything on those people, because frankly we don’t have anything to offer. It’s not a topic we have any experience with.
In Mr. Williams case, he brought up 3 topics we are very familiar with, where we thought we could add value to the discussion. We also did go to Mr. Williams website to check his platform to see if it was consistent with what he said on the radio or perhaps whether we had misunderstood a point. Unfortunately we couldn’t find any stances on issues on his site.
That said, if anyone has a different view on positions by Mr. Williams or other candidates, please email us and we will be happy to print it as long as it follows our rules. We aren’t looking for, “I’ve know Joe for 83 years and he is a great guy”. We are sure he is. However if you want to analyze what a candidate has said or perhaps how they voted or handled themselves in office, that would serve to educate both the Park Rag and the community.
We don’t have the time, ability, or knowledge to write something on everyone running for office. So, please help us.
in Skiing
Stealing “Ski City USA”
You may have started seeing the “Ski City, USA” commercials Salt Lake is using to attract skiers. Great idea? Oops, looks like Steamboat Springs, Colorado had already trademarked “Ski Town, USA” and is suing them.
Great work Salt Lake. We hope Mountain Accord isn’t already trademarked.
What Craig Williams, Candidate for Summit County Council, Got Wrong Today
This morning, KPCW’s Leslie Thatcher interviewed Summit County Council candidate Craig Williams. Mr Williams is challenging incumbent Chris Robinson for a seat on the County Council. He raised three key points of what was wrong with the current Council and how he would address those issues. Unfortunately, in our opinion, he was wrong on each account.
East Side Issues Not Addressed
Mr Williams first charge was that he had met with councils and mayors from the east-side of Summit County and they said east-side issues were not being addressed. He then pointed to the fact that many County Council votes are 4-1 and that he hoped with his election those votes would swing to 3-2 and more represent the east-side. There are really two issues here. First, the east-side and west-side of our county are very different. The fact is during the 1980’s the east-side ruled the county due to natural resources. Now, the pendulum has swung to the west-side due to tourism. If you’ve ever attended a council of government (COG) meeting, they aren’t pretty. There is yelling. There are accusations. There is animosity. Recently, our two newest Council members Kim Carson and Roger Armstrong have been able to bridge some of that animosity; however, due to inherent differences it is very unlikely that a resident of Park City will be able to make much more impact than has already been made.
Second, regarding 4-1 votes, three years ago we would have agreed with Mr Williams. We started the Park Rag project because we thought all the County Council members voted alike. We then attended two years of County Council meetings and confirmed that they do; however, not for the reasons we thought. They often vote alike because the issues are cut and dry. It’s not like Council Member Dave Ure, who often represents the east-side, is the only one who considers the east-side. In fact, most actions aren’t an east-versus-west thing. The value that Mr. Ure brings to the east side is not his vote, it’s in his discussion. For instance, I learned during a meeting from Mr. Ure that a major issue on the east-side is that a family will have owned say 100 acres for 80 years. The parents are aging and they want to divide that among their 8 children but due to current rules, it’s hard. Those comments, that influence and educate the rest of the council, are the things that help the east-side of our county. Being purely a Republican, especially from Park City, isn’t going to help the people of Coalville or Kamas one bit.
Fiscally Irresponsible
Mr Williams then said that the County was on financially shaky ground and he would turn that around. The Park Rag is for fiscal discipline. In fact we’ve heard people within the county say things like that only costs $30,000 so it’s not a big deal. As tax payers that makes our blood boil. Yet the charge here is that the County’s budget is up substantially since 2012. That is true. In 2012 the budget was $44 million and now it is likely to be in the $50.7 million range. That’s a 15% increase! However 2012 is a convenient year to use as a comp. In 2011 the budget was $50.5 million. OMG between 2011 and 2014 that’s a 0.396% increase (in 3 years). The truth is that government should always use tax-payer money efficiently. The fact is that in 2012 the County needed to cut back expenses because revenues were down. Since then, revenues are back up and projects like roads, that went neglected, need to get back on their maintenance schedules. This isn’t to say that the Park Rag won’t be watching upcoming budget talks intently but to cherry-pick statistics doesn’t serve anyone’s best interest.
General Plan Should Be Binding Law
Mr Williams finally states that General Plans should be legally binding. The General Plan is a document that guides development — like saying “we the citizens of Summit County don’t want a Dairy Queen at the base of our chair-lifts”. OK, that’s not really in the either the Eastern Summit County or the Snyderville Basin General Plan. Yet, that brings up the first point of why this is such a bad idea. Have you seen the East Side General Plan? It has been reworked for the better but it is still a mess. If it were law, with all of its contradictions, omissions in some places, and specificity in others, a company like DR Horton (the biggest residential home builder in the US) would use its teams of lawyers to build whatever they wanted. General Plans are just not air-tight.
So, you might say let’s make them air-tight and use them as binding law. Good idea but the problem is two-fold. First, the General Plan is designed to be an user-friendly document that tells citizens what can be built where. Reconciling that with making it legally stringent is not going to happen. The second issue is that we already have a development code. THIS IS THE LEGALLY BINDING DOCUMENT that says “slopes of driveways can’t be steeper than X” and “1 home per 20 acres of land in rural-residential zoning”. Can you imagine trying to reconcile two documents that were both legally binding, that covered all the land development possibilities in Summit County? Having sat through 200 hours of Planning Commission meetings covering just one General Plan, it would be impossible. That would leave us with two documents (development code and general plan) that wouldn’t sync up exactly and would leave loop-holes for the lawyers so big they could easily pull their money-trucks through. Now if Mr Williams had said that the General Plans for the east and west sides should both have simply stated “Refer to the Development Code” then we may have got behind it. As is, though, his argument shows a complete lack of understanding of the complexities.
Conclusion
As has been stated before, the Park Rag doesn’t endorse candidates. You have your own hot-buttons and issues that matter to you. However, we can categorically state that the hot-buttons that Craig Williams brought up this morning on KPCW show a complete lack of understanding that could be gained by attending a few meetings. There was nothing in this morning’s interview that gives us faith that he fully understands these issues, let alone, that he could solve them.
Update: You may also want to read “Was Yesterday’s Article on Craig Williams Fair?”
Representative Kraig Powell’s Attempts to End School District Equalization Are Short Sighted
Update: Please read the comments at the bottom of the page. They should provide more clarity into the official stance of Representative Powell.
I had a conversation with a dear friend last night and she raised an interesting thought. She had heard Kraig Powell, who represents some of Park City in the Utah Legislature, on KPCW. Mr Powell was speaking about property tax equalization and how he wanted it overturned. Equalization is the concept where wealthier areas like Park City send some of their tax dollars to other school districts who are less fortunate. Essentially everyone in Park City HATES equalization because Summit County property taxes go out of the district instead of being used on our own children.
Yet my dear friend raised the question of whether Mr. Powell’s quest to end equalization is short sighted. Her argument goes something like this:
- If the Mr Powell ends equalization then each school district, including Park City, will have to depend solely on their own tax revenues
- The Park City school system will run out of the ability to raise tax rates to increase its funding in the near future
- If other areas grow around the state (like Orem and Wasatch County as expected), they could over take Summit County as wealthier counties.
- If equalization hadn’t been ended by Mr Powell’s efforts, we would have received some money from other counties via equalization, but since it is ended we are stuck with our own revenue
- With no ability to raise tax rates, the only way to grow property tax revenues is through growth.
- Growth means more housing and commercial developments which many people are opposed to in Park City.
- So, if you want to limit growth in Summit County and Park City, you shouldn’t be so quick to jump on the anti-equalization band wagon.
I don’t necessarily agree with her in the short-term. It would be very unlikely that in the next 5 years that Park City would swing from equalizer to equalizee… but 10 years… 15 years… maybe.
It’s at least worth considering.
Kimball Junction is Not Sandy in the Mountains! We Swear.
We saw a new storefront, Pure Barre, opening up in the Village at Kimball and wondered what it was. Google told us it was a gym and listed a Draper location. That got us wondering how much of the new development at the Kimball Village in the past couple of years represented stores you could find in Draper or Sandy.
We found:
AT&T Store – Draper
Zuppas – Draper
5 Guys – Sandy
Jimmy Johns – Draper
Simply Mac – Sandy
Pure Barre – Draper
Free Birds – Sandy
Del Taco – Draper
Mountain America – Draper
Barking Cat – Park City Only
Spectrum Salon – Park City Only
Park City Bread and Bagel – Park City Only
Only nine out of twelve! All you people that said Park City was becoming Sandy in the Mountains need to take that back. We’re only 75% Sandy in the Mountains.
Happy Friday.
Parkrag
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