YOUR AD HERE »

Letters, March 31-April 2: Arts district would be the jewel of Park City

The jewel of Park City

The Kimball Art Center has played a vital role in shaping our family’s experience in Park City. In fact, the cultural offerings of Park City were integral to our decision to move here 14 years ago. We’ve lived in other mountain towns that had little in the way of artistic offerings and they lacked the vibrancy and sense of place that good art inspires. I wholeheartedly urge you to continue supporting the artistic vision for the arts district in Bonanza Park. It is an incredibly rare opportunity to have a central and sizable piece of land that can be designed for the greater good of the community. I understand there are financial challenges but this is too rare and special an opportunity to miss! This arts district will be the jewel of Park City with creativity and forward thinking design. It will be a landmark that is enjoyed by the community in perpetuity.

In this sport-driven town, creativity and the arts bring balance. The Young Artists Academy at the Kimball Arts Center has been an invaluable resource for our daughter and is a perfect example of why supporting the arts is so important. It’s challenged her creativity, it’s helped her confidence soar and provided artistic growth all while helping her to become a well-rounded individual.



Please be bold. Pursue the arts district with confidence and passion. Parkites don’t give up because a path is hard, they persevere and rise to the challenge. Do not miss this opportunity to give Park City the creative gathering space it deserves.

Stephanie Donovan



Snyderville Basin

*****

Drivers who care

My wife and I use the Park City Transit system almost every day. The buses contribute to our wonderful quality of life here.

Thursday I lost my ski poles. I started retracing my steps. That horrible feeling in the gut came over me when I realized I left my $150 Leki ski poles on the bus leaving Snow Park Lodge at Deer Valley.

Today I called the transit office lost and found, and spoke to Sharleen Gull. When I described the poles, Ms. Gull said she thought she had them.

I practically broke my neck to get to the transit office, and when there, Ms. Gull told me the bus driver, Ivan, found them on his bus, and turned them into the lost and found.

We have all been there. We’ve lost an item we never thought we’d see again. It made my day that Ivan found the poles and turned them in.

It’s impressive the Park City Transit employs drivers who care.

Dennis L. Fish

Deer Valley

*****

Separate fact from fiction

I have the privilege of serving as board chair of the Kimball Art Center. On behalf of the entire board of directors and the staff, I would like to express our appreciation to The Park Record for providing a forum for public discourse on the arts and cultural district. That said, I must take umbrage with Tom Clyde’s most recent column in which he once again perpetuates the myth that Kimball Art Center does not have the resources to move forward with the purchase of a portion of the land in the district. Mr. Clyde can find evidence of our ability to fund this purchase by obtaining a copy of the Kimball’s Form 990, an annual tax filing required for nonprofits. Kimball Art Center’s solid financial position stems from an adherence to strong fiscal responsibility over the years, and more importantly, is due to long-standing community support. While all opinions regarding the district should be voiced and heard, we hope everyone who opines on the merits of the arts and cultural district will separate fact from opinion.

Dan Lemaitre

Kimball Art Center board chair

*****

Let’s all do our part

I’m sure we all recognize how vital healthy air and water are to our wellness — many of us wouldn’t have made Park City our home if we didn’t value them. Equally important is soil health, and I’d like to share my positive interaction with our former city public works manager, Clint Dayley. Clint retired as of Dec. 31, but he left his 34-year position with a legacy — a shift towards chemical-free groundskeeping in Park City, something he had been quietly but deliberately working on over the course of years.

Clint told me he would continually “push the envelope” of reducing chemicals and allowing for a few more “weeds” on town property. Then, he would adjust future control measures by whether he received any complaints. He calls it “weed tolerance” — something we should all embrace and be comfortable with in order to live in natural, healthful setting.

This issue of weed tolerance, as well as observing landscapers toting tanks filled with oddly colorful liquids on their backs spraying vicariously in the neighborhoods, make it clear to me that it is the responsibility of the citizens of Park City to shift their perspectives if we are to reduce toxic pollution of our air, soil and water.

We have wonderful local resources such as Recycle Utah, Swaner Nature Preserve, and Summit Community Gardens, to name a few. These groups can provide essential information on how to move away from using chemicals around our homes. On a larger scale, organizations such as Non-Toxic Neighborhoods, Kiss the Ground,and Farmer’s Footprint are putting out exhaustive information on how vital healthy soil and plant life is for combating climate change and disease.

Clint Dayley’s successor, Tony Larsen, is on board with operating in the spirit of becoming a chemical-free town. Let’s all support that directive in the coming year.

• Eliminate fertilizers, pesticides, or other chemicals on your property

• Reduce water consumption and use it wisely to support plants that are able to tolerate our high desert climate

• Participate in noxious weed pulling programs sponsored by local conservation groups

• Become more weed tolerant, recognizing that they, too, are helping sequester carbon and feed soil organisms!

Karin Carestia

Park City

Letters

Actually, tech park makes most sense

I believe there is an opportunity to further enhance the economic vitality and resilience of our town by attracting a Fortune 500 headquarters to a mixed-use tech park.



See more

Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Park City and Summit County make the Park Record's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.