Why I support the Stop Dakota Pacific referendum
If you don’t know what Dakota Pacific is, you will in about two years. It is going to remake the entry corridor to Park City fundamentally.
Dakota Pacific Real Estate is a Salt Lake City-based development firm that acquired the Kimball Junction Tech Center with the goal of transforming it from a low-density office park into a mixed-use residential and commercial hub. The company’s plan, approved by Summit County in December 2024, opoludes 725 housing units—46% designated as affordable—alongside retail, a new transit center, and public amenities. However, the project has been highly controversial, facing strong community opposition over traffic and growth concerns, as well as intervention from the Utah State Legislature, which has repeatedly pushed for the development.
Citizens have sponsored a referendum to allow residents to vote this November on the decision made by the County Council. If enough signatures are gathered by Monday, we the people get to decide whether we like the agreement between Summit County and Dakota Pacific. That, however, is not a panacea. Dakota Pacific could decide to incorporate the area as a town and then they could likely do almost whatever they want there. This would nullify gains many Summit County counselors believe have been achieved in affordable housing and Highway 224 traffic-improvement promises. It would also mean that we would likely need to incorporate cities all around the area to stop Dakota Pacific from spreading. Further, it also likely means the Park City School District would build another elementary school (probably at Bear Hollow). Yes, enrollment is dropping at PCSD, but not enough to absorb significant development near Kimball Junction.
It’s a mess.
So why do I support the referendum? As I have watched this unfold over 5+ years, including the Legislatures brazen influence, I wonder if I am watching an episode of the Sopranos or Star Wars Empire Strikes Back where Lando says Darth Vader is altering the deal and Vader says “Pray I don’t alter it any further.”
The truth is no one knows how this will turn out — either way. If this deal goes through, who is to say that Dakota Pacific won’t use the Legislature to alter the deal again. They are smart — if nothing else. If the referendum is on the ballot and the people strike the development down, maybe they incorporate. Maybe, they incorporate either way.
We the people, are left in a no-win solution.
So, why do I support the referendum? You don’t win against the mafia. You don’t win against the Legislature. We’ve already lost, no matter what happens. However, I can DO WHAT IS RIGHT and give the people a choice in directing our future. Will that be better or worse in the long run? I don’t know. But, I choose to do the right thing.
I hope you will too.
Jeremy Ranch, we need you to “Stop Dakota Pacific” this weekend
If you live in Jeremy Ranch, you have likely seen volunteers by the golf course and the Park and Ride asking you to sign a petition to “Stop Dakota Pacific.” If you have driven by and not stopped because you weren’t sure what it was about or how important it is, please reconsider.
The petition enables YOU to vote on whether YOU want the Dakota Pacific Pacific project to go forward. What does that mean? The Summit County Council voted to approve a deal with the Dakota Pacific to build residential and retail space in the area below Utah Olympic Park. There are positives and negatives with that deal. On the positive side, there is some “affordable” housing, and it’s tied to the State of Utah improving the 224 corridor. On the negative side, very few people in Park City want it. They don’t trust Dakota Pacific. It will likely require building another elementary school ($30+ Million). Many think UDOT’s solution to 224 traffic will be adding lanes, which doesn’t actually solve much. It will add more traffic than we have today.
If you sign the petition, you will have a say in this. If it goes to a vote and the majority says we should do Dakota, then OK. Our community made a decision. But let us decide. I hope that’s enough to get you to stop your car and sign the petition — no matter which side of the issue you are on.
Jeremy Ranch we need you. Please stop. It takes one minute and must be done by THIS Sunday (3/2/25). Thanks for your consideration.
Here are locations to sign the petition this Saturday:
Signature Gathering – SATURDAY 3/1
- 11 AM – 2 PM Kamas Library Parking Lot
- 11:30 AM – 5 PM Park City Brewing at Kimball Junction
- 2 PM – 4 PM Jeremy Ranch – Sackett & Homestead
- 5 PM – 6 PM Jeremy Ranch Park & Ride
in Schools
Park City School Superintendent Jill Gildea has resigned, effective January 31, 2025
I have been provided a PDF of a message to the school district team from Park City School District Superintendent Dr. Gildea, saying she is retiring from the Park City School District at the end of January.
I’ll write more later on what this means for this district, but I wish her luck. I mean that, honestly. All of us are trying to make it through this world. Park City may not have been the right fit, and maybe there is a place where her style will work better.
Likewise, her message did say “retire,” so perhaps she is done.
For us in Park City, we are now looking to the future. Let’s get the next Superintendent right.
in Schools
Park City Superintendent Dr. Jill Gildea is the finalist for a CEO position in Colorado
Today I learned that Park City School Superintendent Dr. Jill Gildea is the finalist for the CEO position with Colorado Early Colleges, in Fort Collins. This was announced on the school’s website.
It appears the school voted on August 16 to make her THE finalist. In accordance with Colorado law the school had to publish information about Dr Gildea and receive public comment for at least 14 days before they could have a vote. They published the following:
PCSD Flip Book
Jill Gildea – Cover Letter
Jill Gildea – Resume
Jill Gildea – Candidate Responses
The question I have is whether the school board knew this information when they voted to renew Dr. Gildea’s contract. It may have been useful information to have for both the school board and the community.
Either way, I actually do wish Dr. Gildea luck with this opportunity. If it comes to fruition, perhaps it will be a better fit for her than what we have seen in Park City.
in Schools
The show goes on. Park City School Board renews the superintendent’s contract.
Thank you to everyone who supported Karl and my petition not to renew Dr. Gildea’s contract this year. We did well; as of now, there are over 525 signatures. Unfortunately, we didn’t do well enough. The Park City School Board voted 3-2 to renew her contract.
As they say, though, the show goes on. We’ll have to see what it means when the new board is seated in January. They could retain Dr. Gidlea, or they may fire her. If they fire her and her new contract is structured like the current one, taxpayers will be on the hook for about $275,000 in compensation for being let go. That’s a lot of money.
One of the criticisms that I have frequently received from School Board President Andrew Caplan is that my criticism of Superintendent Dr. Gildea is unfair or perhaps mean-spirited. My response is, please don’t confuse dissent with disloyalty. I want the best for our schools. I want the best for our teachers. I want the best for our children. Park City affords many of our children a better chance for success because of what it inherently is. We shouldn’t squander that opportunity. I’m afraid that we are.
Are the additions of preschools in our elementary schools good? Yes. Does US News rate Park City Schools highly? Yes. Was A/C working in the high school yesterday? No. Will our construction come in at budget? Maybe. Will bullying and racism be almost non-existent in our schools? Will the school district figure out how to coexist with other local governments? Will teachers be treated with respect? I’m not so sure.
Will Dr. Gildea perform like a rock star over the next five months? I hope so. Time will tell.
The show goes on.
in Schools
Park City School Board will be voting today on renewing the Superintendent’s contract
In today’s school board meeting, it appears that the board will decide whether to renew superintendent Dr. Jill Gildea’s contract. This will be a two-year extension on top of the existing contract, which runs through next June.
I have argued that the current school board should not vote to renew Dr. Gidlea’s contract. With three members of the current board not running for reelection, it should be left to the 2025 board to decide whether they want to continue working with the superintendent. If the current board renews her contract and the future board decides to terminate Dr. Gildea’s relationship with PCSD, it will cost taxpayers over $250,000.
If you have an opinion on this issue, I would encourage you to write to the school board immediately. The board can be emailed at:
in Schools
Another reason why the Park City School Board members should allow the next board to decide on a contract renewal for the Superintendent
Karl Persson and I launched a Change.org petition asking the Park City Board of Education not to vote on renewing the Superintendent’s contract this year. We felt it was best left to the new school board starting in January 2025 since they will have to work with the Superintendent going forward.
I am hearing that three members of the school board may be planning to vote for Dr. Gildea’s renewal as soon as Tuesday. However, I believe current school board members are making an assumption that they shouldn’t make — that the new board will vote to oust Dr. Gildea by default. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case.
School Board President Andrew Caplan has argued that Dr. Jill Gildea has done an excellent job as Superintendent. He has also stated that there have been performance reviews dating back to the beginning of her tenure.
What I don’t have is access to those reviews. Perhaps there have been formal performance reviews each year. In those reviews maybe Dr. Gildea has shown she has excelled against a confluence of events. Perhaps she did everything she could to stem the hate, harassment, and bullying documented in the Office of Civil Rights complaints. If we all had the same information, renewing Dr. Gildea’s contract this year may seem obvious.
I would guess that School Board President Andrew Caplan sees it that way. It seems obvious to him.
So, if it is obvious, why not let the future board decide? In January 2025, there will be nothing more important to the new school board than this. They can read Dr. Gildea’s formal performance reviews since 2018. They can see her successes and how she overcame adversity over seemingly insurmountable events.
There seems to be an assertion that the new board members are already out to get Dr. Gildea. That doesn’t make sense. From what I have seen, school board members are willing to serve our community because they want our schools to be the best possible for our children. There are no singular issues.
Again, if it is obvious to most that Dr. Gildea has done a good job and should continue to guide our schools, then the members of the 2025 school board will see it — especially once they read the performance reviews.
If the board won’t let the next board have a vote, then they are, perhaps, more cynical than me. If that’s the case, I’m not sure about their motivation.
in Schools
How to find the petition and contact the school board
If you would like to review the petition Karl Persson and I launched that asks for the school board to not vote on the superintendent’s contract until the new board assumes office in January, it can be found here:
View Petition
If you would like to email the school board to voice your opinion on whether they should vote to renew the superintendents contract before the new board is seated, the email address is:
Thanks for your support.
in Schools
PCSD teachers and employees, want to voice your opinion on whether the current board should decide on renewing the Superintendent?
On Sunday, Karl Persson and I launched a petition urging the Park City School Board to delay renewing Superintendent Jill Gildea’s contract until the new school board is seated. School Board President Andrew Caplan stated that the current board intends to vote on Dr. Gildea’s contract, which we believe is inappropriate.
We feel the new school board, seated in January 2025, should make the decision on the superintendent, as they will be responsible for that choice. As of now, we have over 100 signatures supporting this effort, which is incredible.
However, we anticipated not receiving signatures from those closest to our schools — our teachers and district employees. The reason? Fear of retaliation. If they were to sign the petition on Change.org, they might face repercussions from the school district.
In any organization, those closest to the situation can provide the most accurate insights. In this case, that would be the teachers and employees of the Park City School District.
This presents a dilemma.
To address this, we have created a button at the bottom of this page for PCSD employees to show their support for allowing the new school board to decide on renewing Superintendent Gildea’s contract. This way, employees can express their opinions without fear.
Please note, Parkrag will not track your identity, IP address, or location when you click this button. We encourage you to use your personal phone, laptop, or iPad to do so.
Historically, when feedback is requested from employees, the Park City School District often responds by trying to limit employees’ freedom of expression. They usually send an email advising employees not to respond, claiming uncertainty about how their responses will be used.
Let’s circumvent that argument. Here’s exactly how your response will be used: When reporting on the petition and votes, we will state that X number of people have signed the petition. We will also note that we have received X number of anonymous votes from individuals who support the petition but cannot provide their names due to fear of retribution.
That’s it.
I don’t know if you’ll trust Parkrag to vocalize your support. I would hope we have earned your trust.
If you’d like to support the petition without providing your name, please click the button below.
Thank you for your consideration.
Parkrag
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