in Dogs
Is this stuff for real?
So, in Jeremy Ranch, we are experiencing more coyotes than I can remember. By experiencing I mean, seeing them around the open space, hearing them at night, reading about attacks, etc. My neighbor even saw one hanging out on my lawn one evening.
That said, this is their land, and they are doing their own thing. I hate to hear about pets being attacked (and hope mine never becomes a victim), and I do what I can to help make sure that doesn’t happen, but many of us do live near wilderness and accept the risks.
Yet, it appears some people are willing to go a step farther and increase their pets’ chances. I saw this on a Park City social media site. May I introduce you to the Coyote Vest and the Spike Bite:
Yes, if your pit bull, who looks like he could knock out Mike Tyson, needs a secret weapon…. You may want to consider the Spike Bite. According to the seller, “The Pet Protector uses specialized pads, that have a metal base for maximum protection, and embedded spikes for extra defense. The vest is made of tactical fabric, it’s very light weight but heavy duty. ” Tactical fabric. Check. Armor plated. Check. Hidden spikes. Check. Your dog is ready for the next battle on Game of Thrones.
This DEFINITELY seems like something that would be bought in Park City.
To be honest, I don’t begrudge anyone for buying something like this for their pet. Of course, I have to make fun of it, but I understand why someone would buy almost anything to help their dog. I’m just not sure whether either of these would actually work… but when has that ever stopped someone in Park City from trying?
Perhaps they even make a version for those humans who seem to have run-ins with dogs around here. Oh wait, it looks like they do:
in Vail
The Anti-Vail Park City Petition URL
We received an email saying:
“Jesus Fucking Christmas, will someone please post the anti-Vail petition URL?”
Sure.
Here it is. Click on any of the below links:
All Work and No Play Makes Robert Katz a Dull Boy. All Work and No Play Makes Robert Katz a Dull Boy. All Work and No Play Makes Robert Katz a Dull Boy. All Work and No Play Makes Robert Katz a Dull Boy. All Work and No Play Makes Robert Katz a Dull Boy. All Work and No Play Makes Robert Katz a Dull Boy. All Work and No Play Makes Robert Katz a Dull Boy. All Work and No Play Makes Robert Katz a Dull Boy.
Again, our feeling is that Vail should call its resort in Park City, Park City Mountain Resort (and protect that). Call it Park City Mountain Resort in all local ads and national marketing. No confusion. No citizens with pitchforks at the Colony.
It’s simple.
But until that time, again, here is the petition:
What BREXIT Can Teach us About Clichés in Park City
If you haven’t heard (or paid attention to) the fact that Britain is leaving the EU, I would suggest you check out your Schwab Retirement Account.
So, the citizens of Great Britain have decided to leave the European Union after 40 years. That’s their own personal decision, and I don’t have a lot to say on that, since it’s their business. However, it appears many American commentators are opining on the subject. Via those commentators, we keep hearing that those who voted to keep England in the EU were the educated and understood what the vote meant. We keep hearing that those who voted against it were the uneducated and those people who didn’t understand the facts.
This is eerily similar to the reported outcome from the Park City School District Bond. The district hired a consulting company to analyze the results and conduct a focus group to understand why people voted against the bond, etc. What they “found” were that people voting against the bond “just didn’t understand the facts.”
Now, it may be true that both the voters in England and the voters in Park City didn’t understand the facts. However, I’ve spoken with hundreds of people who voted against the school bond. They understood the “facts.” They just didn’t understand them in the same way the pro bond people did.
The truth is that we all need to retire the argument that people voting with a different opinion “just don’t get it.” In some cases, it may be true… but it has become a cliche argument. If people on the opposing side of the argument don’t agree with you, there is something more there. It may be buried deep, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they are uneducated or wrong. We owe it to our community to work to uncover the real reason of opposition. Only then do we devise solutions that will work for most.
The standard clichés of dumb, uneducated, non-understanding, and NIMBY don’t do anyone good.
We would better serve Park City and our community by having a civil discussion based in rational arguments.
in Election
We are now the “Sign Nazis”
Last night we talked about political signs and the need to have them taken down (when they are in violation of the law). Today we filed our first formal complaint against political signs. It’s actually quite easy thanks to Summit County’s great reporting tool. So, yes, you too can join us in our witch hunt against illegal election signs.
Frankly, it’s something we really wish we didn’t have to do… but to be fair… it is a law and one political candidate was forced to bring down signs… so how can we let others do it? We also understand that there aren’t many code enforcement officers in Summit County. Would we rather them focus on saving us from buildings collapsing on people? Of course. That said, sign restrictions are part of the Snyderville Basin Development code. So, if it is a law,it should be enforced (cough…cough… idling ordinances).
So, here we are. The only question is whether to wage a war on all the illegal signs (not just political ones) in the Basin. Ok, probably not… that would be a full time job, and life is too short.
in Election
Election Sign Violations
During the last election, we wrote about election signs that violated Summit County and Park City laws. It is illegal to put election signs in the “public right of way.” This basically means most signs you see along the side of the road violate election law.
In the case of past election cycles, we really only reported on the egregious acts. For instance, there was one candidate who parked a truck, partially in the bike lane, with a vote for ________ (a person who didn’t win) sign on it.
However this year, we feel compelled to file complaints against every sign violating election laws. It’s just a matter of fairness. About a month ago we learned that a school board candidate was contacted by government officials and told that the candidate’s signs were placed in violation of election laws. Evidently someone complained. Our guess is that the complaint was filed by someone with an agenda. Who else would take the time to lodge a formal complaint?
So, again, as a matter of fairness, if one school board candidate was compelled to remove signs, all candidates (regardless of what they are running for) should play by the same rules. While it’s common practice to use government process against your opponent, it doesn’t mean it’s fair.
So, here are the first signs we are filing complaints against. There will likely be many others.
We have nothing against Logan, Mel, Shelly, or Carol, but we feel compelled since someone started the complaints, for what was likely political motives, that everyone plays by the same rules.
in Schools
School Board Appears to Be Taking Nursing Issue Seriously
A few weeks ago we asked the question of whether the Park City School District was on the wrong side of history related to its handling of full time nurses at schools. We pointed out that the district was found to be violating student civil rights by the US Department of Education because children with Type 1 Diabetes were treated differently from other students. We pointed out that children have allegedly have come close to death because of lack of nurses. We showed a picture of elementary school students holding a bake sale in order to donate money toward full time nurses.
Today I had the chance to visit with Park City School District School Board member Julie Eihausen. Ms. Eihausen felt it was important that the public understand that the school board has been looking at this issue, takes student health very seriously, and are conducting an audit of the processes and procedures related to making sure students with disabilities are being treated equally.
One of the key issues we highlighted was that it wasn’t “optional” for our schools to provide health care professionals to meet the needs of diabetic students. We believe that our students’ needs are best met by having a full-time nursing staff at each school, with processes in place that ensure that there is always a nurse available for those students needing help, whether that is at school, on field trips, or at school events.
According to Ms Eihausen, the board completely agrees that personnel must be available to meet the requirements but they want to better understand the options available to our district. She stated that we have many needs, including areas such as mental health, and that the district wants to find the most effective way of meeting as many needs as possible. Ms Eihausen provided the example of the Wasatch School District, who, according to Ms. Eihausen, only has one nurse on staff for the district. She stated that the board wanted to better understand what they were doing (and other districts), so that our district could do what was in the best interest of all of our students.
We inquired about a time frame for a decision on how to ensure our students’ needs were met. Ms Eihausen said that budget talks for the upcoming year were concluding but that if the results of their upcoming audit called for more employees, they could adjust the budget to pay for additional personnel.
So, we are in a little bit of a holding pattern on this issue. Ms. Eihausen thought the results of the audit would be available before the upcoming school year begins. We’ll continue to follow the issue and report on that audit and any steps the district is taking.
Car, Train, or E-Bike?
It’s the monumental challenge. Which gets you from point A to B faster: A car, a train, or an E-Bike?
The Hollywood Reporter took on such a challenge. Three of their writers decided to test which way was fastest in light of a new Metro line to Santa Monica being added to their system. Three riders, one in a car, another on train, and another on E-Bike started at a Starbucks in Downtown LA and found their fastest way to a Starbucks in Santa Monica. Which do you think was the fastest?
I’ll leave that to later … but the process is interesting…
If you care about the details of transportation, you’ll love it, and the details should not be ignored. The E-Bike rider talks about the problem with vehicles in his bike lane (a decent problem her in the Syderville Basin). There are comments about how drivers use their e-devices instead of driving, thus slowing things down. The train rider notes that the train is both relaxing and generally empty for much of his ride (It’s like when I’m the only rider on a red eye on Delta… I feel good for me… but bad for Delta).
So, which mode of transportation was fastest from downtown LA to Santa Monica? Wait for it… The Car.
Yep, the old fangled.
It must be stated that the e-bike rider said that he estimated his speed was equal to the cars (but he arrived a few minutes later) and that the train rider said that “I may have come in third (behind the train rider and the car), but sounds to me as if I had the best commute of all.
The more I read, the more I come to the conclusion that we in Park City aren’t going to “solve” transportation at all. There will be a number of different modes. As a rider/driver/passenger, sometimes you’ll win and sometimes you’ll lose… but winning and losing is all subjective.
I hope we don’t spend $60 million to learn that lesson though.
in Vail
Amy Roberts Nails It on Park City and Vail
In today’s Park Record, columnist Amy Roberts expounds on her feelings toward Vail, Park City, and the trademark case. She has encapsulated the issue better than anyone I have read (including us here at the Park Rag).
Here are a few tidbits from Amy’s article, which most will have probably read, but I think are important:
- “From where I sit, this argument isn’t really about a trademark. It’s about trust. A trust Vail has not yet earned, from a town that is hard to convince.”
- “We do not believe you [Vail] when you state there are limitations to this trademark. We are confident you have something else up your North Face outerwear sleeve”
- “That, and honestly, your timing is awful. There has been too much change in recent years, and this trademark bit is the proverbial pin in the grenade.
- “The funky, quirky vibe Park City once had is all but gone. And we are frantically clinging to the “all but” portion of what’s left. We have been pushed to the brink of near extinction and the idea of losing our identity to a corporate trademark, no matter how farfetched, is the last straw.”
It gets even better as you read her article. If you haven’t read it, you must. Rarely are things perfect… but this comes as close as I’ve seen in a while. She tells Vail what many Parkites are feeling.
As I’ve said before, Vail are the smartest “guys” in the room. They know what they are doing. The question is whether the people of Park City (and Utah) care enough to hit them where it hurts. Where it hurts is the Epic Pass. No Epic Pass means no upfront revenue from locals and likely a decline in pass sales for Vail (MTN on the stock exchange). No Epic pass means no incremental revenue from $14 hamburgers. Do the people decide they would rather buy a few 10 Books at Deer Valley instead of the Epic Pass. Do they decide they are willing to drive to the Cottonwoods instead of spending $600+ on their Epic Pass? Do the people push for Guardsman pass to be open and maintained year-round so there is easier access to Big Cottonwood Canyon?
Who knows what the people will ultimately decide, but if you concur with Amy you may also want to consider how to cause change.
We definitely live in interesting times.
in Schools
The wrong side of history for Park City Schools?
You don’t see a bake sale run by a bunch of kids every day. More importantly, you don’t see a bake sale, run by a bunch of kids, where all donations will be sent to the Park City School district, to pay for a full time nurse. It naturally begs the question … if the school district can’t pay for a nurse at each school, what are they doing with all that money they collect from our taxes?
This topic ties into a number of issues that have been plaguing the school district. First there was the Parley’s Park nurse, Nicole Kennedy, whom parents seems to love … but the district is not renewing her contract for whatever reason. Then there is the issue of the district being found negligent in the handling of a student who has type 1 diabetes. Additionally there are stories that other students, who have had critical issues, were put in dangerous situations due to the lack of a school nurse on premises when an issue happened.
It’s frankly a mess and I’m not sure what is really going on with the nursing situation at our schools. It seems pretty straightforward. We as a community depend on nurses to keep our kids safe and it sounds like that isn’t happening.
What I do know is that when 10 kids get together and have a bake sale to donate money to Park City Schools so they can have a full time nurse, there is a problem. It’s not good. I’m not sure what the Park City School District is doing about it, but if they aren’t looking at every alternative, including rehiring school nurse Ms. Kennedy, I REALLY don’t get it.
It just seems that the Park City School district may be on the wrong side of history on this one.
I have found the solution to Park City transportation issues
Rarely am I 100% confident in any statement. However, I unequivocally believe I have found the “solution to rule all solutions” that will solve all of Park City’s transportation problems.
It even accommodates our four legged friends — which is essential in Park City.
Without further ado, I present THE FUTURE:
Parkrag
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