in Skiing
Another Year Without Winter?
We’ve written before about Professor Jim Steenburgh, a professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah. He’s a backcountry skiier that also happens to have a PHD in Atmospheric Sciences.
However, this morning we came across a term he coined… “A Steenburgh Winter.” A Steenburgh Winter is a different way of looking at skiing in the Wasatch. It begins on the first day the Alta-Collins snow stake reaches 100 inches. It ends on February 10th. His research shows that its around this date that the sun has a caustic effect on powder.
By our accounts, we don’t believe Alta hit that this year and likely won’t in the next 3 days. This also happened in 2012. This of course doesn’t mean we won’t get the late February or early March storm that will make us forget the past few months but it does likely mean that the best “potential” skiing is behind us for the 2014-2015 ski season. Thus, another year without a “Steenburgh Winter” at least.
If you geek out on weather, you should really check out Dr Steenburgh’s site. You might not like what he is saying right now… but you’ll love the way he says it.
in Schools
Update on Park City School District Master Planning Committee Progress
The Park City School District’s Master Planing Group met on Wednesday. The big discussions were around timing of hiring a planner, grade realignment, and location of a new Treasure Mountain School.
The committee has put out its request for a Planner and has received a number of questions from potential candidates. The Planner will be chosen next week and will start immediately. The responsibilities of this person (or company) will be to provide design and location guidance to the committee. A question arose whether the planner could also ultimately become the developer. It was reassuring to hear Committee Chair Rory Murphy be steadfastly opposed to the idea. His concern was that there had to be separation between these two groups and that if they were the same person it could be a conflict of interest. He referenced the legal issues currently occurring with the Jordanelle Special Services District, and said that he didn’t know if anyone had done anything wrong there, but that people were losing jobs and lives being upended. He stressed that the committee and School District were dealing with large amounts of public money and that everything had to be done the right way. He was arguing for complete transparency and protection of the public. It was refreshing.
A few committee members gave their opinions on grade realignment. It appears there has been little criticism of the idea and as of now they are likely to realign grades with Pre-K through 4th as the elementary schools, 5th and 6th at a junior high, 8th and 9th at a middle school, and 9th through 12th at Park City High School.That said, no formal decision has been made and they will likely hold a public open house to provide an opportunity for further public comment.
It also appears the committee is open to putting Treasure Mountain School at a location other than on Kearns BLVD. They spoke about putting the school on the Triangle Parcel (where the lamas are on Highway 40). The three impediments to this are that this land is in the South Summit School District, the land needs cleaned up, and the land is currently owned by the county/city. The Park City School District has approached South Summit before to engage in talks about district bondaries; however, it appears South Summit has not been willing to sit down and visit about them. It was stated that approximately 75% of South Summit’s funding comes from Promontory property taxes and naturally they didn’t want to give those up. However, carving out the 100 acres for a new school does not impact their revenues (since there are no taxes due to it being owned by the government already). So, perhaps this proposal could be more palatable. Committee member Tanya Knauer said that the Summit County Council had offered to help get the parties to sit down at the table and discuss this issue. The committee agreed they would like the County’s assistance. As for the impediments of land cleanup and ownership, those would likely be details that could be figured out if the location ultimately makes sense.
The final point, about moving Treasure Mountain, was interesting. The committee contemplated moving 7th and 8th graders to Ecker Hill and building a new 5th and 6th grade building instead of a 7th and 8th. The benefits of this, according to some committee members is that Ecker Hill is a big school and not necessarily suited to smaller children and Ecker Hill has the size and space that would allow for improvement in programs in 7th/8th like Dual Immersion. They could then build a smaller 5th/6th school that may cost less. They also mentioned potentially being able to put this school on their excess property at Trailside or Parley’s Park. Again, this was more brainstorming than setting policy but it appeared to be received positively from members.
The committee is continuing its work. A Planner will be hired in the next week and a communications specialist shortly after. The next meeting will be on Thursday February 26th from 4PM to 6PM at the Park City School District Building on Kearns. As this is an open meeting, the public is free to attend. So, if this topic interests you, we hope to see you there.
in Schools
School Board Member Moe Hickey Says School Board is Willing to Discuss Other Areas for Treasure Mountain School
This morning on KPCW, Leslie Thatcher asked School Board member Moe Hickey about moving the Kearns Campus and where to put Treasure Mountain Junior High School. Specifically relating to the location of Treasure Mountain, Mr. Hickey Said:
So, there you have it. Perhaps, there is another option for the new location of Treasure Mountain Junior High and maybe, just maybe, 248 isn’t destined to be a total parking lot at 8 AM.
Buses Are for Other People
This morning on KPCW we heard from Leslie Thatcher that an article had been sent to government officials that basically said that “people love buses … as long as they aren’t the ones riding in them.”
Especially in an upscale environment like Park City, it is important to understand what people actually will use versus what we wish they would use. We could put 1,000 buses on the road between the airport and Park City but would the average family from Chicago ride in a bus? The truth is no amount of marketing or parking fees is going to get that family in a bus. The Chicago family is already paying $800 a night at the Montage (and probably $30 a day in parking). They don’t care… and most importantly won’t ride a bus. No matter how much we wish they would.
Here is the document that was sent to our government officials (click the image for a bigger version — you may need to click again once you are looking at it to make it really big):
h/t to the Friend of Ours who forwarded us this document
in Economy
How Utah Became the Next Silicon Valley
The New Yorker has a great article on how Utah is attracting the top technology companies. Salt Lake, Provo, and Ogden are all in the top 15 cities of the “super-sector” for technology companies according to a recent study. With apologies to a specific Friend of the Park Rag, you’ll notice Park City is not on this list. The Friend recently pointed out three people, sitting at tables nearby, who had just started technology companies around Park City (in rebuttal to an article we wrote on “where’s the economic diversity”). Yet, how does Ogden get on this list and we don’t? For that matter, how does Ogden take our recreation companies? We suppose that’s an article for another time.
If you have few minutes, we’d recommend reading the New Yorker article. It manages to bring together religion, transportation, education, and relationships between local governments in order to explain why Silicon Valley has moved east. Three out of four of those things … we don’t really have going for us. And with education, it’s not likely too many of our Park City High School grads are forgoing college to work at one of the 3, billion dollar startups in Provo.
It’s just a little bit of an eye opener.
Mountain Accord Proposes Transportation Alternatives
The Mountain Accord, a group of 20 organization and 200 stakeholders, has formally proposed transportation alternatives for linking areas within the Wasatch Front and between the Wasatch Front and Wasatch Back. This includes the proposal of either aerial trams or a tunnel between Brighton and Park City, Express Bus Service up Parley’s, bus or rail between Kimball Junction and Park City, and bus or rail from Quinn’s Junction to Park City.
If you want to learn more or provide input, they are holding a session at the Eccles Center on February 24 from 6:00 – 8:30PM. If you would like to read the full report, click here.
Here is the proposed map. Click the map for a bigger version.
in Schools
The $7 Million in Additional Capital Outlays Requested by School Administrators
The Park City School Board is considering $57 million in capital outlay requests. Previously we listed the $50 million in requests that were each over a million dollars. Here are the remaining $7 million of requests that will be considered:
| Location | Project | Amount Requested | School Rationale/Explanation/Comments | Person Requesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District wide | Update School Lunch Computer Program | $66,000.00 | Need to replace school lunch computors and programs | Elizabeth Srasser |
| District wide | Radon Gas testing in all Buildings | $10,000.00 | Testing is needed in all buildings | Todd Hansen |
| District wide | Add Wood Chips to Play areas | $15,000.00 | Need wood chips added for fall protection | Colby Pearce |
| District wide | Roof Repair | $50,000.00 | Needed roof repairs district wide | Colby Pearce |
| District wide | Painting | $40,000.00 | Repair and Paint walls district wide | Colby Pearce |
| District wide | Energy Conservation Upgrades | $75,000.00 | Change over to LED lights | Todd Hansen |
| District wide | Recycling upgrades | $100,000.00 | Add designated recycling areas to all schools | Todd Hansen |
| District wide | Safety needs | $100,000.00 | Door safety barriers, finish hanging blinds and emergeny shut down for HVAC systems. | Todd Hansen |
| District wide | Asphalt and Slurry Coat /Restriping | $350,000.00 | Parking lots are in bad shape | Todd Hansen |
| District wide | Tune Boilers in all schools | $50,000.00 | Tune and clean boiler tubes in all schools | Colby Pearce |
| District wide | Yearly Inspections | $35,000.00 | Yearly Inspections Fire Sprinklers, Boilers, Elevators, Kitchen hoods, Grease traps. | Todd Hansen |
| District wide | Add (C.O.) Carbon Monoxide Alarm System to Existing Fire Alarm. | $110,000.00 | Update fire alarm system to include carbon monoxide to meet state law | Todd Hansen |
| PCHS, TMJH, EHMS | Refinish Gym Floors | $25,000.00 | Done each year | Colby Pearce |
| District wide | Add Weathertrak Sprinkler Clocks | $200,000.00 | Sprinkler clocks that will save water monitoring weather, water line breaks and valve problems. | Todd Hansen |
| District wide | Contingency | $500,000.00 | Todd Hansen | |
| District wide | Internet Filter | $50,000.00 | We need to look into our internet filter and see if it is adequate for our needs. Time to update | Joe Stout |
| District wide | Switch Updates | $100,000.00 | We have several network switches that need to be replaced with faster connections. | Joe Stout |
| District wide | Update Firewall | $120,000.00 | Our inside firewall will be going out of maintenance this year and needs to be replaced | Joe Stout |
| District wide | Backup Storage Solution | $50,000.00 | Our old backup unit is in need of replacement. | Joe Stout |
| District wide | Security | $30,000.00 | Setup one building with a classroom security system to let office and 911 know there is a problem. | Joe Stout |
| District wide | Video Storage | $15,000.00 | Our server that holds the video surveillance along Kearns Blvd. needs to be updated. | Joe Stout |
| District wide | Server Updates | $30,000.00 | We have several servers that need to be updated this year. | Joe Stout |
| PCHS | Update Hardware | $60,000.00 | AutoCAD system needs to be replaced | Joe Stout |
| PCHS | Wireless Update | $70,000.00 | Update the High School Network to the Latest Wireless Standards | Joe Stout |
| PCHS | School News Digital Feed | $15,000.00 | Needs to update the way the school news is captured so other buildings can view it. | Joe Stout |
| PCHS | Concrete Bleachers for Baseball and Softball fields. | $40,000.00 | Currently Baseball and Softball fields do not have any bleachers fans need to bring there own chairs or sit on the wet grass. | Jamie Sheetz |
| PCHS | Replace Basement Windows in Home Economics Departments | $15,000.00 | Basement Windows have been exposed to landscaping sprinklers and have been a leaking problem for several years. | Colby Pearce |
| PCHS | Add 4 Pole Lights along sidewalk On North West Side of School. | $10,000.00 | It is very dark in the mornings and dangerous for the students. | Colby Pearce |
| PCHS | Salter for Komatsu Skid Steer tractor | $5,000.00 | Salter for skid steer will save time | Colby Pearce |
| PCHS | Need New Floor Installed in the Freezer | $10,000.00 | Freezer floor is starting to buckel and is a safety hazard | Colby Pearce Elizabeth Strasser |
| PCHS | Exhaust Fans for Science Labs | $20,000.00 | Need exhaust fan system to rid labs of potentially harmful fumes to students and staff | Bob O’Connor |
| PCHS | Dozier Field Perimeter Sidewalk and Fence | $100,000.00 | Safety concerns with event and crowd management during Dozier Field activities, no barriers to separate participants from fans and bystanders. | Jamie Sheetz |
| PCHS | Concert Wind & Percussion Instruments | $385,000.00 | Current inventory is out of date. Amount is variable. | Bret Hughes |
| PCHS | Theme Renovation | $25,000.00 | HS building quotes are misquoted, poorly punctuated, and attributed to the wrong author. Replace with student artwork, classic artwork or local art. | Bob O’Connor |
| PCHS | Marching Band Uniforms | $32,000.00 | Additional unifirms needed to accommodate growth of the program. Approx $400 per unit. | Bret Hughes |
| PCHS | Greenhouse | $15,000.00 | Addition to small green house to support high-level science and environmental scienve classes and clubs. | Bob O’Connor |
| PCHS | New Gym Floor | $120,000.00 | Gym floor is warped and does not meet DIN 2001 standard increasing the likelyhood of injury to athletic teams and PE students. | Jamie Sheetz |
| PCHS | New Flagpole at Dozier Field | $10,000.00 | Current Flagpole is in poor condition and is not appropriate in size for venue and is not illuminated. | Jamie Sheetz |
| PCHS | Dozier Field South End Zone Area | $150,000.00 | Condition of grass and long jump area make it hazardous for foot traffic and general use. Need to match existing turf. | Jamie Sheetz |
| Eccles | Install Snow Guards on Metal Roof | $50,000.00 | It is a Safety hazard and needs to be done. | Colby Pearce |
| Eccles | Robert Juliat Incandesant Follow Spots | $30,000.00 | Will replace the failing spots which are original to the space | Dave Hallock |
| Eccles | HDCP Compliant Projector | $65,000.00 | Will allow the showing of films which have been encrypted | Dave Hallock |
| TMJHS | Level the Floors in Classrooms 8, 35 and 39 | $300,000.00 | These rooms are not conductive to great teaching we no longer have computer labs and we need flat nonstepped classrooms. | Dave McNaughtan |
| TMJHS | Connect the Two Hallways heading South | $500,000.00 | Reduce congestion allowing students to get to class in a safer more orderly fashion. | Dave McNaughtan |
| TMJHS | Lecture Hall Attached to the new Hallway | $650,000.00 | Need a place for the whole staff to meet and a place where we can put multiple classes at the same time. | Dave McNaughtan |
| EHMS | Storage Cabinets for sports Gear | $25,000.00 | We have no storage for student spot bags and gear.This creates a safety hazard in our common area and halls. | Traci Evans |
| EHMS | Replace Counter tops in Media Center and Various Classrooms | $40,000.00 | The counter tops are original, they are cracked, bowed and breaking. | Traci Evans |
| EHMS | Add Windows that Open in Classrooms along the South West Side of the building. | $15,000.00 | Because the sun constantly shines on these rooms they become exceedingly hot in the spring and fall. There is no circulation. | Traci Evans |
| EHMS | Add Lane to Main Driveway Entrance into School | $50,000.00 | Main driveway needs another lane continuing problems with traffic. | Traci Evans |
| EHMS | Finish Landscaping around building | $60,000.00 | The natual landscaping around building has overgrown and is very hard to maintain. | Todd Hansen |
| EHMS | Increase Parking on North East Side of School | $100,000.00 | Parking is very limited building new lot will add about 80 parking spaces. | Todd Hansen |
| EHMS | Salter for Bobcat Skid Steer | $5,000.00 | Salter for skid steer will save time | Colby Pearce |
| EHMS | Replace 2ea. Double Ovens | $60,000.00 | Ovens are 20 years old and are no longer cost-efficient. | Elizabeth Strasser |
| Aquatic Center | Repace All Door Hardware around Pool | $25,000.00 | Over the years chlorine has rusted all door hardware and needs to be replaced | Colby Pearce |
| Aquatic Center | Rennovation and Remodle of Basement Classroom | $150,000.00 | This room is used for classes, meetings and confernces this room is not safe and dose not meet code. | Todd Klarich |
| TSES | Install Carpet over VCT Tile in Hallways | $98,000.00 | Floors are extremley slippery when wet. | Robin Williams |
| TSES | poster Printer | $6,000.00 | Needed for teacher projects | Robin Williams |
| TSES | New Lunchroom Tables | $35,000.00 | Tables are falling apart and need to be replaced | Robin Williams |
| TSES | Need tables and big Rugs for Kindergarten area | $8,000.00 | Need tables and Rugs for Kindergarten area | Robin Williams |
| TSES | Install Water Softener on Hot and Cold Domestic Water. | $50,000.00 | Water in Park City Is very Hard and is extermely hard on pipes and all kind of kitchen equipment. | Todd Hansen |
| TSES | Install WaterHog Carpet in all Entryways | $10,000.00 | This will prevent slip and fall accidents | Colby Pearce |
| JRES | Projector Updates | $22,500.00 | Joe Stout | |
| JRES | Need Storage Room built for Bobcat Outside of School | $50,000.00 | Currently Bobcat is parked by the Kitchen and exhaust from the Bobcat is going into the cafeteria. This dose not meet fire code. | Colby Pearce |
| JRES | Install Windows in the three Kiva Spaces | $15,000.00 | The Kivas are now bing used as offices and classrooms throughout the day. | Shawn Kuennen |
| JRES | Replace Carpet in Classrooms, Hallways, Media Center. | $162,000.00 | Carpet is reaching the end of their useful life. | Shawn Kuennen |
| JRES | Provide Emergency Exit Through the Back Fecne to the Transportation Building. | $10,000.00 | The Transportation Building is where we will relocate our students in the event of an emergency. We need a direct route in case of urgency. | Shawn Kuennen |
| JRES | Replace Wood Chips in Kindergarten Playground with Rubber Surface | $50,000.00 | Safety and Cleanliness | Shawn Kuennen |
| JRES | Replace Steamer in Kitchen | $15,000.00 | Steamer is worn out and hard to get parts for. | Elizabeth Strasser |
| JRES | Install Fence Around Perimeter of School | $30,000.00 | There is just open space around school would like to install fence to protect the kids. | Shawn Kuennen |
| MPES | Replace Classroom Counter Tops and Sinks | $126,000.00 | The Counter tops and sinks are 23 years old and are in pretty rough shape. | Greg Proffit |
| MPES | Replace Counter Tops ubove lockers in Hallways | $40,000.00 | The Counter tops and sinks are 23 years old and are in pretty rough shape. | Greg Proffit |
| MPES | Paint Halls, Door Frams and Mulipurpose Room. | $6,500.00 | ||
| MPES | Need 2ea. Cordless Backpack Vacuums and 2 Extra Batteries | $5,000.00 | This will help us be more productive not pulling around a cord. | Glade Givens |
| MPES | Add Sidewalk Around Parking Lot | $50,000.00 | Add sidewalk around parking lot for safety | Todd Hansen |
| MPES | Install New Doorknobs in School to meet ADA Regulations | $25,000.00 | The round doorknobs do not meet ADA regulations | Todd Hansen |
| MPES | Need new Dishwasher for School Lunch | $23,000.00 | Dishwasher is worn out and needs to be replaced | Elizabeth Stassser |
| PPES | Add 30×20 Storage Building on to School | $100,000.00 | They are using the stage and boiler room for storage. Need place to store desks, tables, chairs and other supplies needed for the kids. | Dave Gomez |
| PPES | Remove Curtain and Build Insulated Wall Between Pre-School Rooms. Add Wall Between Library and Classroom. | $8,000.00 | The curtain does not work as a sound barrier for the two classrooms. | Dave Gomez |
| PPES | Add Insulated Wall and Door Between Library and Classroom | $5,000.00 | Need additional classroom space. | Dave Gomez |
| PPES | Replace Carpet in West Side of School | $181,000.00 | The carpet is 15 years old and needs to be replaced | Dave Gomez |
| PPES | Repair Retaining wall around Kindergarten Play Area. | $450,000.00 | Wall is deteriorating | Todd Hansen |
| PPES | Replace Playground Equipment in South Playground | $40,000.00 | Plastic coating on equipment is coming off and causing safety hazard. | Todd Hansen |
| JRES, MPES, PPES, | Replace Remaining Waterless Urinals with Lowflow | $80,000.00 | Waterless Urinals have a noxious oder and filters are very expensive | Colby Pearce |
| District Office | Replace Carpet Complete | $35,000.00 | Carpet is 16 years old and looks bad. | Todd Hansen |
| District Office | Redesign Parking lot to park more cars | $100,000.00 | will not hold enough cars | Todd Hansen |
| District Office | Repaint areas as needed | $20,000.00 | Paint hallways and stairways | Todd Hansen |
| District Office | Office Update | $15,000.00 | We have a room that was used as a network room that we would like to turn into a couple of offices. | Joe Stout |
| Maintenance | New Maintenance Truck | $50,000.00 | Replace truck 235, Service body, snowplow, salter | Colby Pearce |
| Maintenance | In bed Salter | $10,000.00 | Salter that will hold a lot of salt will save time and money | Colby Pearce |
| Transportation | 2ea. New Schools Buses | $320,000.00 | Replacement Cycle | Todd Hauber |
| Transportation | Remodel Office | $200,000.00 | Improve work place and efficiencies | Todd Hauber |
in Schools
Clarification on $50 Million in Capital Requests by School Administrators
A concerned citizen wrote to us and asked whether our previous article on $50 million in capital requests for Park City Schools included the rebuild of Treasure Mountain Junior High. It does not. It also does not include a total of $7 million in additional capital outlays that are each less than $1 million dollars.
The Park City School Board still has to approve these $57 million of capital requests. So, it’s not a done deal. We’d venture to say the rebuild of Treasure Mountain Junior High is a done deal (although technically a school board vote is still needed).
If the new school and the most of the new requests are approved, we are talking about a lot of money they’ll need to raise via a school bond. As the citizen pointed out, “this could end up being a whopper of a bond issue.”
Yep.
in Park City
Long Range Forecasts Suggest Above Average Temperatures Will Continue Through Spring
The National Weather Service creates long term forecasts. These forecasts show whether its likely that temperatures will be above normal, normal, or below normal. If these forecasts hold true, it looks like it will continue to be a balmy winter.
February – April
March – May
April – June
in Schools
Park City School District Administrators Request over $50 million in Capital Outlays
The School District has completed gathering captial requests from district administrators. Currently, there are over $50,000,000 in requests. The School Board will ultimately decide on which requests are funded.
The requests more than $1 million are listed below:
| Location | Projects Over 1 Million | Amount Requested | School Rational/Explanation Comments | Person Requesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District Office | New District Office | 8,000,000 | The District Office is to small and is not meeting the current needs of the district such as there is very limited space for Professional Development, public Board meetings, Office space and Parking. | Ember Conley |
| Maintenance Food Service | Build 12,000 sq ft. Warehouse /Maintenance Shop | 2,200,000 | Save money by buying food and supplies in bulk. Giving back much needed space to Transportation and providing much needed storage. | Elizabeth Strasser Colby Pearce |
| PCHS | Install Solar Panels | 1,200,000 | Energy Savings | Todd Hauber |
| PCHS | Dozier Field Multi-Purpose Building & Fieldhouse | 20,000,000 | Lack of adequate space in current facilities for popular extracurricular programs includig; team locker rooms, equipment storage, coaches offices, team meeting rooms, officials locker rooms, dedicated adequate cheerleading, wrestling, track & field, cross country, tennis and golf areas, classroom space, pressbox, laundry facility, spectator seating. | Jamie Sheetz Bob O’Connor |
| PCHS | On-Campus Tennis Courts (6-8) | 1,000,000 | Both boys (spring season) and grils (fall season) tennis teams need on-campus district owned/operated tennis facilities for training, practice and competition. Teams are currently relying on the PC-MARC tennis facilities for those needs. Court time is getting very hard to get. | Jamie Sheetz Bob O’Connor |
| PCHS | New Competition Gym/Arena | 10,000,000 | Additional gym space added on to west side of existing gyms (which would be reclaimed) and school would include gym(s), classrooms, weight room/fitness facility, storage, concessions, offices, multipurpose rooms. Current gym space, seating capacity, storage space and concession area are inadequate for indoor needs. | Jamie Sheetz Bob O’Connor |
| PCHS | Music/Engineering and Wood Shop | 5,000,000 | All 3 programs have outgrown current facility. | Jamie Sheetz Bob O’Connor |
| PCHS | Baseball Field/Softball Field Artificial Surface and Reorientation | 3,000,000 | Synthetic-artificial turf surface and reorientation/grading of baseball/softball fields. Increasing demand for open space for athletic team use and the multi-use agreement have increased use and traffic on the baseball and softball fields area for non-baseball/softball related activities (football, lacrosse, soccer) and make it more difficult to maintain an appropriate surface for baseball/softball. | Jamie Sheetz Bob O’Connor |
Parkrag
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