When we moved to Oakley approaching 40 years ago, no one wanted to live here. Our home sat vacant for a year.

Now with Vail Resorts, the Olympics and future Olympics, that has changed. Everyone on the east side has always complained about Park City being near. But to be honest, without Park City we wouldn’t have employment, medical care, open space, trails, recycling, or Mountain Town music.

I just wanted to caution you when you plan on moving to the east side. The reason you come here is the reason I want you to leave some things behind. I often joke that every new homeowner brings a sign package with them that begins with the word “No” and ends with trespassing, fishing, firearms, entry, etc. You’ve got to realize where that locked gate now stands the locals use to walk up that dirt road with their kids, teach them how to ride their four-wheeler, hunt deer, or ride their horses. That riverbank is where our kids swam and tubed on warm summer days. I don’t think you realize what you are locking out and who you are locking out.

Let me surmise the reason you want to live here. It has to have something to do with the beautiful land, the Weber River meandering through the valley, the Uinta mountains bordering the valley, and the lush hay meadows. We appreciate what you may have accomplished in your life, but more importantly we want you to show us who you really are. Don’t let what you have accomplished become more important than who you are.

We welcome you into a community where we share common ground, have similar values, open hands, open hearts and sometimes open minds. We are more than the beauty that surrounds us, as are you. So what we asking from you is to become a part of us. Open that gate, open that dirt road, open that river bank, open that mind, throw those signs away, float that river, fish that bank, climb that mountain, bike down that country road, leave that world you once knew behind you. Like my 80-something-year-old neighbor’s sign says: We moved to the country for the country. 

There was a time many years ago when homes and cars were left unlocked, no one worried about someone breaking in or stealing something from their home. Security wasn’t a big concern. Now we lock down everything.

Neighbors were ones you shared a walk with in early morning and a picnic later in the day. You could count on them when in need. This fellowship is something we all long for, but the obstacles to overcome are many, but we can overcome.

You just have to realize the people here before you came for the same reason. They have wishes and dreams as you do. They wanted to build something, too, but not to keep others away, but invite others in to a community.  

Gary Goog Beroset

Oakley

The post We’re glad you are here appeared first on Park Record.

Your recent editorial “Games could widen fractures in Park City” (Aug. 14), written by The Record’s Jay Hamburger, was well-written, informative, and insightful. 

Rather than one-off, piecemeal, and temporary fixes, our city and county leaders must take the initiative and find comprehensive big picture solutions to our traffic, parking, transportation, housing, and other growth and quality-of-life challenges. Hopefully, the impending Olympics will provide the impetus to spur them on to make tough decisions and implement wise policies.

For as long as most of us can remember, Jay has quietly and competently done a wonderful job reporting on Park City news and events. In this editorial, he once again demonstrated he is an integral and valued contributor to our community’s wellbeing. Thank you, Jay!

Michael Kaplan 

Old Town

The post Right on reporting appeared first on Park Record.

We just completed the National Ability Center Summit Challenge and wanted to thank those who made it possible.

Those of us who have lived here for a while know that the National Ability Center does so many things for Park City. Their programs “empower individuals of all abilities by building self-esteem, confidence and lifetime skills through sport, recreation, and educational programs.” However, events like today remind those in our community who may not know of all the NAC does. If you don’t know about the NAC, find out more about it (discovernac.org).

Aside from educating the community about NAC, the Summit Challenge brings the community together to remind us of the reasons we live in Park City — the people, the community, and the environment we are privileged to live in. We all know we could not have enjoyed this event without the many individual and organization/corporate volunteers.

Many community groups brought a team to support the NAC and our community. Our group is just one that, in the process of riding together, got to know our neighbors better. And who does not want closer neighbors?

Bottom line: Thank you, NAC, for the work you do all year and thanks to the Park City community for coming together to make this event possible. We are counting down the days until Summit Challenge 2025.

Promontory Riding Group: Bruce Thoman (50 miles), Jan Thoman (Sag Wagon), Sachi Rochlin (50 miles), Audrey S Lee (50 miles), Alan Alperin (50 miles), Alex Rosas (80 miles), Glen Roussos (50 miles), Suzane Yamada (25 miles), Lloyd Yamada (25 miles), Howard Dyer-Smith (50 miles), Ann Wagner (25 miles), Kate Wagner (25 miles), Gregg C Lund (50 miles).

Gregg Lund

Park City

The post Thanks for Challenge appeared first on Park Record.

I was saddened to see the governor smiling with Donald Trump at photo op at Arlington National Cemetery.

As I have members of my family that are veterans (including World War II), we all recognize the hallowed ground of Arlington, and to see such disrespect from Trump is somewhat expected, but from Gov. Spencer Cox is appalling.

How many kinds of wrong do you have to have in one picture? A crowd of people smiling, standing on the grave of a fallen solider with “thumbs up” as if they were at a campaign rally desecrates the honor they died for.

Shame on you.

Megan Flannery

Park City

The post What was he doing there? appeared first on Park Record.

The U.S. Farm Bill has a deep-rooted history, first passed in the 1930s in response to the economic and environmental crisis brought on by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. It aims to stabilize prices for farmers and consumers, ensure food supply and protect our natural resources. Essentially it connects our food system with the farmers and ranchers who produce our food and the soil, air and water required to grow our food.

Sadly, the number of food producers are declining, farm debt and bankruptcies are increasing, while the demand for food continues to rise due to a rising global population growth. Something is not adding up!

This controversial bill, typically renewed every five years, has been delayed since fall 2023 due to disagreements over how to allocate the billions of dollars ($428 billion from 2018 to 2023) meant to support over two million primarily family-owned farms. Traditionally, most of the Farm Bill funds go toward Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP). Less than 10% is allocated to conservation programs.  

Climate policy is part of this debate. Climate change can cause catastrophic damage to crops, disrupt growing seasons, degrade soil, challenge water resources and animal health. Addressing these issues requires innovative approaches to energy, water and land management, improved crop selection and soil restoration.

Ten percent of planet warming emissions come from the agricultural sector. Like transportation and energy systems, the Farm Bill needs an overhaul to meet modern challenges of our changing climate. We should be asking questions: Can farmlands become sources of clean energy? Can natural gas, commonly used to produce fertilizers, be replaced with more sustainable alternatives?

Soil health is critical. New practices like no-till and cover crops can reduce water usage, and fertilizer needs, thus enhancing resilience to droughts and downpours while also sequestering carbon pollution. Ecosystems can become balanced and healthy aligning with principles from indigenous communities from thousands of years ago. Current methods have unfortunately prioritized profit over people, animals and planet.

Here’s a key point: The $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), introduced in August 2022 earmarked approximately $20 billion for agriculture and conservation funding. This includes technical and financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to address climate change mitigation through water quality improvements, soil health and habitat initiatives. Additionally, it can provide regional conservation partnerships and practices, conservation easements, and technical assistance for five years.

This $20 billion allocation must be protected. Efforts are underway in Congress to reallocate this funding from the IRA to the Farm Bill, potentially diverting it to areas outside of conservation, such as commodity subsidies. It is imperative to maintain both Farm Bill conservation funding and IRA funding for climate-smart agricultural programs — all over the country, inclusive of all sizes and regions. U.S. Agriculture policies have contributed to climate change but with the upcoming Farm Bill and the IRA, we have an opportunity to broaden the climate impact. The farmer will prosper as will all who are nourished by their efforts (us!). 

In 2023 Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL) was one of 644 organizations submitting letters urging Congress to maintain the IRA conservation funding as a supplement to the Farm Bill funding. Learn more about the Farm Bill here: community.citizensclimate.org/resources/item/19/151

To voice your concerns or give comments on the 2023 Farm Bill, email FarmBill2023@ag.senate.gov. 

The Farm Bill can potentially reduce hunger and poverty in the U.S. and worldwide, while providing climate solutions. Together, we must urge Congress to maximize this opportunity. Let’s work together to ensure that our agricultural system, economy, and environment benefit all people for generations to come. 

To learn more about CCL Wasatch Back, email wasatchback@citizensclimatelobby.org

Mary Closser

CCL Wasatch Back, Park City

The post Farm Bill needs attention appeared first on Park Record.

With the close of the Democratic National Convention, there is joy and excitement in the political air. Young people, people of color and moderates are engaged again. Sometimes, living in a red state, it’s hard to feel the Democratic love, but we need to make sure we translate the enthusiasm we are feeling to our local and yes, even our state races. 

Even though I am an unaffiliated voter who has supported Sen. Romney and Gov. Cox, this election I’m supporting Democrats up and down the ballot and locally, I’m supporting Megan McKenna for County Council Seat C.

Megan won’t be caving to the whims of a party and is not part of the Summit County old boys club. She will bring a fresh new voice, one we definitely need on council. With a background in science, education and housing advocacy, she is uniquely qualified and brings a skill set currently missing on council. Who better to represent the voices of the people in our community than someone who has educated our kids, worked in our resort community and everything in between.

She grew up in Summit County and is running a grassroots campaign, she isn’t self-funding her campaign. I’ve been so impressed with the depth of her endorsements and the breadth of citizens supporting her.

We also need to support Democrats like Caroline Gleich and Brian King, who are willing to step up. We have a young population and polls have shown that even in Utah, Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly progressive on social issues. Gov. Cox, who was a holdout on supporting Trump until recently should be sent the message that we all don’t support the GOP agenda or his caving in to party politics.

Continuing to make our Democratic voices heard is important if we don’t want to turn into Idaho or Texas with regards to reproductive health. 

The day after Dobbs was overturned, our state Legislature set into motion an anti-abortion trigger law. After two years of trials and appeals, abortion is still available to 18 weeks in Utah — for now. Since the Legislature has lost their options in court, it’s hard to know what they’ll do next. Democrats want to make sure that agency of our body is a discussion between a woman and her doctor, and keep the state legislators out of the OB/GYN exam room.

In 2018, even in this overwhelming conservative state, Utah voters passed an initiative supporting an independent redistricting commission to draw our voting districts. This, like everything else the Legislature doesn’t support, ended up in court and the court supported the voice of the people. Recently, the Republican-dominated Utah Legislature has said they want to overturn the court’s decision and ignore initiatives. 

 This disrespect for the voice of the people continues down to the county level, where we’ve had conservative groups go after inclusion curriculum, trying to tell our districts what they can and cannot teach our kids. These groups have also tried banning books they don’t like. 

And finally, we need more female voices representing us. Tonja Hansen will be the only female voice on the County Council if we don’t elect Megan. We need more qualified females running for office, and we’re lucky Megan has stepped up.

2024 is the year to make Democratic voices up and down the ballot heard in Utah. We might not win every race, but we can make an impact and we can send a message. 

If you are feeling energized after four amazing days in Chicago, get involved in a local campaign — put Megan’s sign in your yard, volunteer, follow her on social media and most importantly donate and vote.

Tania Knauer

Park City

The post Feeling energized appeared first on Park Record.

Early voting will soon be here, but I’ll wait until election day to cast my ballot. 

That is because so much can happen between now and then and it is hard to uncast an early vote. I’m thinking about the 2020 Georgia senatorial race. One of the candidates suffered a stroke, but it was not openly known until a televised debate made it clear that there were problems. He was elected anyway due to heavy early voting. 

This presidential race is highly contested. It might be wise to wait until all the news is known. 

Thomas Hurd

Thaynes Canyon

The post Waiting till Election Day appeared first on Park Record.

Today, as I write, the Park City planning director approved a 10-foot fence around a pickle ball court at 1115 Aerie. I know of no other 10-foot fence in a residential neighborhood within the city limits. When I asked the planner assigned to this project, he did not know of another 10-foot fence either. This is a travesty and sets a precedent for others to do the same.  

Over two years ago, the owner submitted a modest landscaping plan. With approval for that modest plan he built retaining walls in excess of 9 feet, a putting green, a concrete slab the size of a tennis court, a playground with commercial grade equipment, fencing, and lit the whole thing with up lighting, creating an eyesore in our neighborhood.  

The city did file a stop work order after much of the work was completed and we, the neighbors, have been watching the Planning Department, and the Appeals Board dealing with what they call “mitigating the problem” for the last two years.

The sport court is now a pickle ball court and there will be more landscaping to shield the property from the road, but anyone living above this site will look directly down on this Disneyland the owner has created. There will be restricted hours (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) for pickle ball with some mitigation for horizontal sound, plus requiring special balls and paddles. They will have to change the up lighting to down lighting. The retaining wall will be lowered. But we do not know if the 10-foot glass fence will have reflection or mitigate the noise. I suspect those living above 1115 Aerie will still hear the noise and some will not be happy with their view.  

What bothers me most is the attitude of the powers that be. While the city has since changed the ordinance regarding pickleball courts since the owner amended his modest landscaping plan, the owner of 1115 Aerie has received approval for what appears to be a commercial installation after violating many items in the city code.

The owner has millions in his home and exterior and basically got away with altering the enjoyment of the rest of us living in this residential neighborhood.

Ginny Schulman

Park City

The post Eyesore allowed appeared first on Park Record.

I would like to publicly thank Park City Mountain and Vail Resorts Epic Promise for hosting our Youth United (formerly known as The Solomon Fund and the RISE Fund) event Sunday afternoon at the Legacy Lodge. Youth United is a home-grown initiative of Park City Community Foundation which raises funds to offer Latinx kids and others with financial barriers the opportunity to participate in sports, recreation and other extracurricular activities in Park City.

We filled the entire upper two floors with tables for the many organizations in town which welcome these youth. At our Registration Events we invite other service providers such as People’s Health Clinic, Hope Alliance which does vision testing, Holy Cross Ministries, etc. Ergo, we needed lots of room.

Wow did they go overboard! They not only gave us the space wonderfully set up but there was a fabulous buffet set up plus beverages. Everyone ran to their friends and said, “You’ve got to try the steak!”

And as an extra. They even have a lost and found at Legacy Lodge during the summer. Guess who lost her phone but found it there!

Thank you, Park City Mountain and Vail Resorts Epic Promise. We couldn’t have done this event without your incredible generosity.

Beano Solomon

Park City

The post Couldn’t do this without them appeared first on Park Record.

The women of this state and country could get together and elect Kamala Harris. The government, whether state or federal, is making the choice for women and women’s bodies.

Each woman has the right to choose whether to have a child or to have an abortion. I believe each person has a right to choose. This is not the right of government.

This issue is causing OB-GYN doctors to be in fear of their own lives and the repercussions. This is a country of freedom. The freedom to choose! Sadly many Republicans are in lockstep with former President Trump. Donald Trump is a liar and a felon. Donald Trump has treated women disrespectfully throughout his entire life. Please get out and vote.

The state Republicans are not for the people, putting an amendment on the ballot. This amendment would allow their vote to overturn such things as gerrymandering. This was on the ballot and overturned by Republicans then given back to the people by the Utah Supreme Court.

The people spoke to wanting gerrymandering to stop. The Republicans are tricking the people of Utah. Vote those people out of office.

Holly Carlin

Park City

The post Make a choice for women appeared first on Park Record.