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Letters to the Editor

Now is the time to speak out on preservation

Editor:

Of the twenty-two random complaints I’ve heard about Park City planning and development in the past few months, I’ve only seen three of those people actually show up at the recent public hearings and meetings. History, at this moment, is being rewritten by the Historic Preservation Board for the first time since 1983 and if you have any questions, concerns or opinions, now is the time to get informed, make you voice heard or peacefully live with the consequences.

Thank you,

Wendy Van Reyper

Park City

We don’t need more ‘slash-and-burn’ businesses

Editor:

(An open letter to the Summit County Commission.)

Despite the decision of the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission, I urge you as the final arbiters of this issue, to overturn the recommendation to allow the Kimball Junction Wal-Mart to expand beyond its current size. I completely agree with the opinions expressed in the editorial in the July 12-15 issue of The Park Record.

As residents of western Summit County, we have gone through a difficult transition from what might be described as an atmosphere of no-holds-barred development to what is now a more balanced approach that recognizes the desire and benefits of maintaining the character of the area in which we reside while acknowledging the realities of water limitations and traffic growth. Certainly, a larger facility in Wal-Mart’s present location will only exacerbate the traffic problems we will try to remedy with the Landmark Drive construction, which begins shortly.

I am particularly amazed that the Summit County planning staff sees allowing expansion as the only way to induce Wal-Mart to maintain its facilities in an appropriate manner ("… clean the parking lot and patch the dilapidated building.")! Perhaps this is an excellent example of how "good" a neighbor Wal-Mart intends to be and the tactics it will use to bully a community into approving expansion that is not in the community’s best interests. This kind of attitude, coupled with the likely deleterious effects on other businesses in the community, lead me to the conclusion that we don’t need more of Wal-Mart’s "slash-and-burn" business in our community.

The members of the Planning Commission and the county planning staff are managers. Their job is to ensure that things are done right (within process). You, as County Commissioners, have been elected leaders of our county government. As leaders, you are expected to do the right thing. Please step up to the responsibilities of leadership by doing the right thing and denying the expansion of Wal-Mart.

I would welcome hearing your views on this subject.

Bruce Carmichael Park City

Have we lost our collective minds?

Editor:

After looking at the artist rendition of the Treasure Hill Project, I have to ask, "Have we lost our collective minds?" We go through countless renditions of, "How do we keep Old Town looking like Old Town" and then we allow the Sweeneys to build a complete new city on top of everything.

Our Planning Department will not allow some poor homeowner that wants to tear down an old dilapidated garage on their property because it is "historic" but the Sweeneys can do anything. I laughed at the comment about the architecture blending in with Old Town who is blind here?

It is time for Mayor Williams and the City Council to put a STOP to this now and let’s get ready to fight the lawsuits from the Sweeneys.

Bruce Dennis

Park City


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