Park City musician, pressing pickleball and Old Town construction issues, wants City Council seat
Jody Whitesides, a longtime resident, says he would support a ballot measure to fund recreation upgrades

Jody Whitesides, a musician and a longtime Park City resident, is seeking a spot on the Park City Council, saying his campaign will stress issues like recreation and more tightly restricting construction sites in Old Town.
Whitesides is 53 and lives in Old Town. He has lived in Park City since 1979, mostly in Old Town. He is a member of the municipal Recreation Advisory Board. As a musician, he is a voting member of the Recording Academy that presents Grammy Awards and his works have been featured in films, commercials and video games.
“I am not afraid to open my mouth and give an opinion,” he said.
Whitesides said his platform will include a recreation plank, saying Park City’s identity has long been skiing and some other sports have not received the same amount of attention. He said there are municipal recreation facilities that are aging and there are not adequate offerings to accommodate the demand for pickleball.
Whitesides said he would support a City Hall ballot measure in November designed to fund recreation amenities like the expansion of pickleball courts, if one is put to voters, noting there could be other projects included in the package like another ice sheet.
“It’s not just pickleball. It’s recreation in general,” he said.
Whitesides also wants City Hall to better address construction issues in Old Town, where work can sometimes heavily impact neighboring properties and vehicles driven by the crews can further tighten already narrow roads. He said, as an example, he would support a rule that would require construction workers be bused to the project sites in Old Town and a prohibition on construction crews parking in the neighborhood.
He said he would like better rules citywide regulating dust and debris at construction zones.
Whitesides, meanwhile, supports the concept of the development of an arts and culture district. There are ongoing discussions about a district involving City Hall, the Kimball Art Center and the Sundance Institute on land stretching inward from the intersection of Kearns Boulevard and Bonanza Drive.
He also said he supports a concept of turning Main Street into a pedestrian zone on a year-round basis.
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