A recent report by KPCW, “Longtime Park City-area landscapers fined $164K for storing equipment at his home,” tells a tragic and shameful story of a wealthy community that talks boldly about solving the problems of affordable housing, our limited diversity, and the struggles of workers who can barely make ends meet.
Both Park City and Summit County have no problem supporting the excesses of commercial development with little consideration for the dwindling supply of water, the impact on traffic and congestion, or the strain on other elements of infrastructure. Want to add another 10,000 rooms for hotels and condos? No problem! Want to add more golf courses? No problem! Want to double the size of a ski resort? No problem.
But try to compassionately address the struggles of an honest, hard working individual who has tirelessly served our community and has built a business that benefits all of us, and instead of allowing him to be heard and compassionately working with him as he tries to accommodate the demands of the county, the county delays his hearing before the Planning Commission, eventually refuses to allow him to present his side of the story and offer alternatives, and then submits the case to an administrative law judge who fines him $164,000.
We are one of Mr. Fragapane’s loyal customers, along with many of our friends and neighbors, and I am confident that I speak for all of them. It would be hard to find a more hard working, honest, selfless and generous person than Mr. Fragapane and his partner, Ms. Delarroca.
This judgment was decided without any input from the homeowner’s association. There was little to no effort by the Summit County Planning Commission to work with Mr. Fragapane on alternatives. Even if it seemed appropriate to levy a fine, what message do we send to struggling small-business owners to slap them with a fine so large that it will likely bankrupt them and thereby cause all of us to lose the benefit of their services?
This matter could have been solved to everyone’s satisfaction with an ounce of compassion and support from the Summit County Planning Commission and the citizens in the community to help Mr. Fragapane come up with Plan B for storing his equipment.
The harshness and cruelty of this judgment is unconscionable. Both the Summit County Planning Commission and the administrative judge who levied this outrageous fine should be ashamed. You have made it abundantly clear that the small guy doesn’t have a chance in this community. Make way for more commercial development!
Tom Lewis
Park City