in Schools
School Board Member Nancy Garrison Did Great job of Addressing Upcoming School Challenges and Highlighting Questions Citizens Must Start Thinking About
This morning Park City School Board member Nancy Garrison was on KPCW. She did a great job of answering questions about the challenges of accommodating all our students and noted questions the community needs to start deciding upon.
- KPCW’s Leslie Thatcher noted that there wasn’t a lot of land to build a new school on, Ms Garrison replied that there were a few pieces of land they owned but that, “If growth continues, we’ll have to look at existing parcels and structures we have.”
- Ms Garrison noted that Jeremy Ranch Elementary school used to have 750+ students. She asked whether we as a community want to go back to that and accept the different “feel” of a very large elementary school.
- Ms Thatcher asked asked what’s time line for decisions on building or renovating? Ms Garrison answered “two week ago”. “You don’t respond to growth any sooner than you must because you don’t want excess capacity because it opens you up to …we are a very high performing school district and there’s a lot of interest in intra district participation and so its a very chicken and egg timeline.”
- Ms Garrison said the Master Planning committee is meeting every other week and should be able to present choices to the board in the next few weeks.
- Ms. Garrison was asked about early release and singleton classes and its impacts on the school district. She stated that there is concern that they do impact budget, faculty, and class sizes. She stated that “there are going to be tough decisions. Some of those singletons may not continue. It may mean changes in how we handle parent release”. She then followed up “it’s going to be appropriate but it might be unpalatable”. Ms Thatcher asked whether this meant something like a calculus class would be cancelled because there was only “15 students in it”. Ms. Garrison said that she felt that core classes like that would be looked at very closely before cutting them.
in Development
Update on Jeremy Center Development (now called Jeremy Station)
When you stop at the stop sign upon entering Jeremy Ranch, in front and to the right is the Jeremy Store. In front and to the left is a piece of land you may think is open space, but it’s not. As part of a settlement agreement between the county and James Winkler in 2005, the land can be used for up to 66,000 square feet of commercial and retail development. There are specific drawings of what must be built but it is basically office space with a small space for retail.
If the current developer gets his way, that could expand to 245,000 square feet and include an 80 room hotel (or small grocery store), 35,000 square feet of retail spaces, 20 condos, 20 town homes, and 37 single family residences. The following drawing is an idea of what the developer would like to build (click the image for a bigger view).
However, because there was a settlement agreement that specifically defines the square footage and what the space must look like, the developer must go through an extensive process to change it. That process appears to have started.
The process from here appears to be:
- Hold a meeting with home owners in Jeremy Ranch (not really required but appears to be happening)
- Meet with the Summit County Council to see if they would consider amending their current settlement agreement. If so…
- Work with Summit County Planning Department to submit formal documents to the Planning Commission.
- Hearing with the Planning Commission to get public input on design and possibly vote on it. If it passes…
- Summit County Council would vote (and maybe take public input) on amending the settlement agreement to allow for the new design
- If that passes then the developer can build the design agreed to by the Planing Department and Planning Commission.
If you live in Jeremy Ranch, this is likely very important to you. It could completely change the feel of your neighborhood. There is also a standard “Method of Operation” that developers use to get these type of developments through. A similar effort near Sun Peak has enabled developers to turn a nice grassy field with old trees into a Hyatt hotel. So, it could happen in Jeremy Ranch too. We’ll post another article on the method used in the near future.
In the meantime, if this interests you, you should watch for community meetings and possibly a meeting with the County Council over the next month.
Update: For more information, please read The Cautionary Tale of Sun Peak and How It Should Educate Jeremy Ranch Residents
in Election
Morning After Thoughts on Each Election Winner
All we can say is thank god it’s over almost over. Another election cycle in the books and no more signs littering our landscapes. With that in mind, here are a few thoughts on the election winners:
Dave Ure – County Council: Only $500 spent on the election? Now that’s old school.
Chris Robinson – County Council: Deep down in places we don’t like to talk about at cocktail parties, we want you on that wall… we need you on that wall.
Robert Hilder – Attorney: We liked your interview on KPCW last night. We hope you don’t make wholesale changes to the department and only make changes that are necessary.
Justin Martinez – Sheriff: We are happily awaiting the kinder and gentler side of the department, as promised. We hope you can achieve that.
Howard/Shumway – Auditor: Thank god there are no “hanging chads” to count.
Kent Jones – Clerk: One event does not define success or failure — that’s good. Besides, Summit County is the least likely county in the country to post their election notice late next time.
Mary Anne Trusell – Recorder: It’s good not getting beat by a write in candidate.
Corrie Forsling – Treasurer: That race was closer than we thought it would be.
Julie Einhausen – School Board: We’re holding you to your budget promises.
JJ Ehlers – School Board: Won with 100% of the vote. How often dose that happen 😉
Basin Recreation Bond: You, person who is reading this, do realize you could have had HBO for free, every month, for the next 21 years for the amount you spent on this bond? You’re telling me that second sheet of ice will be better than True Detective? There better be gold on that open space they buy.
in Election
Election Live Blog
We are covering the elections:
in Schools
Did You Know Your Kids Can Opt-Out From Standardized Tests (Like SAGE)
With the uproar over SAGE testing results, we were surprised to learn of Utah SB 101, which was signed into law earlier this year by Governor Herbert. SB101 says that you, as a parent, have the right to stop your kid from having to take part in standardized tests like SAGE and it cannot impact the teacher or school according to law.
From message boards describing this practice, it appears the “trick” is to make sure the school doesn’t then label your kid as “non-proficient” due to skipping the test. There are reports of school districts like Alpine that are happy to not apply this label to children who opt-out. However, we aren’t sure about the Park City School District. If this is something that appeals to you, you should definitely discuss this option with the Administration at your school (or the school district) to make sure you understand all the implications. More general information can also be found on the web.
This movement seems to align itself with those who oppose the Common Core in education, so there are definitely passionate people on both sides of this issue.
We, however, see the SAGE test a little like buying the first model years of a new car. Why buy it when the kinks are still being worked out? In this case, we are confident that Park City Schools are going to do what’s necessary to get SAGE results up in the coming years. A case could be made for waiting for them to figure this out before you let your kid behind the wheel.
in Election
What Summit County Candidates Spent to Get Your Vote
Wow. It costs a lot of money to run for elected office. Each year, candidates are required to provide an initial report of money spent on their campaign. After the election, candidates are required to provide a final breakdown of what is spent. For this year’s election, amounts range from $500 by Dave Ure (County Council) to $26,000 by Justin Martinez (Sheriff).
Click the graph below for a bigger view.
Loco Lizard Restaurant Inspection
Summit County Health Department inspected Loco Lizard on 10/14/2014. We have created a page on how to read the Inspection Report. We’ll highlight the things that may be of interest. Please read the full report below for a complete and accurate report.
Good Practices:
- In use utensils properly stored
- Physical facilities installed, maintained and cleaned
Temperatures:
- Steak / Walk-in 43º
- Shrimp / Reach-in 27º
- Seafood Mix / Cold-hold 45º
- Pork / Hot-hold 162º
- Chicken / Hot-hold 150º
Observations and Corrective Actions:
- Don’t store dirty utensils on wall
- Clean ice machines, floor drain, cover for light dry storage
- Sanitizer isn’t entering dishwasher
- Clan microwave every 24 hours
- Use gloves with ready-to-eat foods
- Front Reach-in above 41º
Jordanelle Special Services District Sued for Defaulting on Bonds
We received an email over the weekend tipping us off to the fact that Jordanelle Special Services District (JSSD) was being sued by Wells Fargo and USSA for defaulting on its bond obligations. According to the complaint provided, “Plaintiffs [Wells Fargo and USSA] purchased revenue bonds from the Defendants [JSSD], thereby investing nearly $30 million in Defendants’ projects in Wasatch County. Defendants rewarded the Plaintiffs’ investment by defaulting on the bonds, acting in bad faith and against the rights of the Bondholders, mismanaging the properties underlying the bonds, violating the Utah Assessment Act, and improperly using the bond proceeds in an attempt to gain a windfall at the expense of the Bondholders.”
JSSD is a special service district that serves the citizens of the Jordanelle Basin in Wasatch County for both water delivery and waste water systems. According to the complaint filed in district court, properties within the district were foreclosed upon by Wastach County (which eventually became the property owner). The complaint then states that Wasatch County did not continue to pay bond payments to Wells Fargo and USSA (the buyers of the bonds, along with Koch financial who is not part of this suit) but instead tried to force the foreclosed properties back on Wells Fargo and USSA (the plaintiffs). The plaintiffs argue that this is not legal and that Wasatch County should be held liable for paying for bond payments that it has foreclosed upon and currently holds.
The plaintiffs are asking for compensatory damages, putting certain funds collected by JSSD into a trust, a court appointed receiver to manage the JSSD water reclamation facility, an order from the court assuring that Wasatch County is the responsible party, and costs associated with this legal action.
So, why should you care about this? Well, if you are in Wasatch County, there is a chance that you are going to not only going to pay for this legal action but also for the amount owed on the $30 million worth of bonds sold (even if you don’t live in this special service area). If Wasatch County ends up having to pay bond holders (either all at once or on the bond schedule) you know who Wasatch County really is? You and your property taxes… or should we say you and more of your property taxes.
If you are in Summit County, this is a cautionary tale for now. However, whenever a bond is issued by a Special Services District, the governing board is on the hook for it. For instance, say a bond was issued by a new “Silver Creek Sewer District” for $25 million to put in a sewer in Silver Creek. Then a bunch of homes were foreclosed on and ended up being owned by Summit County. The bond still has to be paid. Who pays it? All Summit County residents. Likewise, say the Basin Rec bond passes this year. If something happens, all of Summit County is ultimately liable for the bond and any legal fees. It’s just something to think about.
There is much more to this story, including some interesting audio of testimony under oath by a JSSD board member in front of a Utah Legislative committee that may or may not exactly jibe with the legal complaint filed. We have to do more research on that. So, expect more over the coming few days.
Update: We never followed up on the audio recording and the recommendation from our source to listen to it. It allegedly contained some interesting information per our source; however, about that time the Salt Lake media had picked up on the story and we decided they likely had more time to investigate.
h/t to the citizen who provided this information. This is exactly the type of information that we as citizens deserve unfettered access to. We really appreciate your efforts.
Summit County Health Department Prepares for Ebola
On Wednesday, the Summit County Health Department will make a presentation on steps taken to prepare for an Ebola outbreak in Utah. While some may say that’s a bit overboard, we believe it’s appropriate. The CDC says there will be between 550,000 and 1.4 million cases in West Africa by the end of 2015. RMS, a risk management firm estimates there will be between 15 and 130 cases of Ebola in the U.S. by the end of this year (mostly medical personnel returning from Africa). So, now is the time to prepare for the eventuality of someone in Utah having the disease.
Please don’t get us wrong, we don’t expect some MorganFreeman-DustinHoffman event but we think preparedness is important. We all know how Park City parents act when a stray peanut is found at school. How is the Park City public going to behave when an Ebola case pops up in SLC?
So, we think having a policy and process in place not only shows forethought but could help in the case of another, more transmittable disease, like Avian flu, that could become a problem in the future. While it’s likely that these plans won’t be needed for Ebola, it shows that our Health Department has contingencies in place, should the unexpected happen.
We encourage you to take a look at the plan. It’s pretty well thought out.
Update: We just read in Forbes why we aren’t hearing much anymore about Ebola. The Reason? The Associated Press and other news outlets have agreed not to report on suspected cases of Ebola until a positive viral RNA test is completed.
in Development, Housing
Thoughts on East Creek Ranch
East Creek Ranch is the new home development on the north side of I-80 near the Highway 40 exit. You could think of it as “Silver Creek Valley.” We spent some time researching it and walking around the area this weekend. Here are some random thoughts:
- Homes range in size from 2600 sq ft to 5000 sq ft.
- Prices range from $660K to $890K
- Many of these homes are going to have a great view of the mountain range (and Canyons). It’s that view of Park City that you get when driving in from Wyoming.
- These houses seem CLOSE TOGETHER. They aren’t as close as Silver Springs houses but they are going to be larger. This is likely going to feel cramped when built out.
- People are used to seeing a wide open field with sheep there. It will look very different with 60+ houses down in that valley. This is going to change the feel of the Park City drive-by substantially.
- Will the Walmart Neighborhood Market go here or by Home Depot?
- No basements? Why?
- Woodside Homes, the builder, is offering 30-year FHA loans for these properties with a 5.5% APR. According to bankrate.com FHA loans are often given with less stringent qualifications and requirements. That’s “great” for our community.
- We listened to two of Park City’s top realtors on the radio Friday. They were talking about how people were buying at Jordannelle because homes started at about $500,000 and the homes were new. What will this (and Park City Heights) do to home values in Pinebrook, Jeremy, and Silver Springs? Do you want to live in a 10 year old home in Silver Springs for $600,000 or new home here for $650,000?
- The again, according to those same Realtors, home prices are topping out at $750K in Pinebrook and Jeremy Ranch, due to the maximum loans people can get. Who is going to be able to get a loan for $800K here? These likely are the same buyers who would be buying in Pinebrook or Jeremy.
- People living out on the road behind these houses aren’t going to be happy. There goes the view and the likely reason they were out there in the first place.
Parkrag
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