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PCMC Newsletter-December 2011
Community E-Newsletter December, 2011
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, PARK CITY!
A Park City Holiday
Santa is coming to the Park City Ice Arena December 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dress warm and join us for our community event. The following activities are free of charge: visit with Santa, cookies, ice skating, hot chocolate, Christmas tree ornament, face painting, performances by Jeremy Ranch 5th Grade Choir, Figure Skating Club of Park City and Park City Glee. Click for more.
Update on the PC MARC
The opening date of the MARC will be January 12, 2012. With much anticipation, we look forward to opening this great new facility to the public.
We are still open at Iron Horse with a full schedule of group fitness and spinning classes as well as weights & cardio. It’s never too late to start feeling great!
Special Events Department Award
The Park City Special Events Department (Max Paap on the left and Tommy Youndblood on the right) received a Certificate of Recognition from the Recycling Coalition of Utah for Outstanding Achievement to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle in the State of Utah
Another Recycling Award! . . . this time for Public Works
Public Works Operations staff has been recognized by Recycle Utah as “Recyclers of the Year” for varying the Citywide Cleanup program to a smaller multi weekend event, partnering with Recycle Utah to capture a greater concentration recyclable materials and reduce hazardous waste being introduced into the landfill.
Becoming an increasingly sustainable community has been a focus of City Council particularly over the last several years with a spotlight on recycling, energy conservation and environmental stewardship. By reducing the material which makes it to the landfill, several environmental benefits including extending the life of the landfill and reducing costs to residents.
Quinn’s Junction Water Treatment Plant
Construction of the Quinn’s Junction Water Treatment Plant (QJWTP) began during the summer of 2010 and will continue throughout the summer and fall of 2011. Final completion and startup of the QJWTP will be in early 2012. This project consists of a main treatment building and a separate maintenance building. The main building will contain all of the water treatment process equipment including piping, valves, membrane filters, finish water pumps and a 155,000 gallon reservoir. The maintenance building will be used by the Water Department to store spare parts such as pipes, valves, meters, and other equipment necessary to maintain the water system. Once online, the QJWTP will treat raw water imported from the Weber River at a rate of up to 3 million gallons per day. The QJWTP design includes provisions for future expansion to a capacity of 9 million gallons per day and space for hydropower turbines.
Great Utah Shakeout
Park City Municipal in coordination with Summit County, the State of Utah, surrounding cities and counties and FEMA Region 8 will be participating in the April 17, 2011, regional full scale exercise called the Great Utah Shakeout next April. Are you and your family prepared for a major disaster where you live and/or work?
Park City Municipal is registered for the Great Utah Shakeout, but you may want to register your family on the website, plus the website has lots of good resources.
FAM Program
For each of the past 20 years, Park City Municipal has teamed up with the Chamber/Bureau to present a FAM Program (short for familiarization program) for new city employees, front desk personnel and other interested community members. The underlying philosophy is that Park City depends on its hospitality business. One of the keys to our success is our knowledgeable and informed employees and citizens. This year, 55 people attended the FAM Program, There were presentations on Park City's unique past including fascinating pictures of our mining history and Olympic planning and celebrations, the Chamber/Bureau's marketing efforts, future trends and prospects for the ski industry, and an update on emerging city issues like affordable housing, open space & trails, walkability, economic development and the City's Low Carbon Diet program.
The presentations were followed by a social lunch at Bandits Restaurant. As usual we received excellent comments on the program which participants found to be very informative, worthwhile and well time well spent. We anticipate continuing this FAM Program which is offered once a year in early December, but if you missed this opportunity or would like more in-depth information on citywide issues, we offer a day long Leadership 101 program on Wednesday, February 8. Watch for details in the January newsletter.
For each of the past 20 years, Park City Municipal has teamed up with the Chamber/Bureau to present a FAM Program (short for familiarization program) for new city employees, front desk personnel and other interested community members. The underlying philosophy is that Park City depends on its hospitality business. One of the keys to our success is our knowledgeable and informed employees and citizens. This year, 55 people attended the FAM Program, There were presentations on Park City's unique past including fascinating pictures of our mining history and Olympic planning and celebrations, the Chamber/Bureau's marketing efforts, future trends and prospects for the ski industry, and an update on emerging city issues like affordable housing, open space & trails, walkability, economic development and the City's Low Carbon Diet program. The presentations were followed by a social lunch at Bandits Restaurant. As usual we received excellent comments on the program which participants found to be very informative, worthwhile and well time well spent. We anticipate continuing this FAM Program which is offered once a year in early December, but if you missed this opportunity or would like more in-depth information on citywide issues, we offer a day long Leadership 101 program on Wednesday, February 8. Watch for details in the January newsletter.
Winter Fires; Safety Tips for the Home
The high cost of home heating fuels and utilities have caused many Americans to search for alternate sources of home heating. The use of woodburning stoves is growing and space heaters are selling rapidly, or coming out of storage. Fireplaces are burning wood and manmade logs. The following fire safety tips can help you maintain a fire safe home this winter.
To use wood stoves, fireplaces, and your furnace safely:
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Be sure the fireplace or stove is installed properly with adequate clearance
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Have the chimney inspected annually and cleaned if necessary
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Keep a screen in front of the fireplace opening
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Keep flammable materials away from your fireplace mantel
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Before you go to sleep, be sure your fireplace fire is out
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Have your furnace inspected to ensure that it’s in good working condition
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Be sure all furnace controls and emergency shutoffs are in proper working condition
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Leave furnace repairs to qualified specialists
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Keep trash and other combustibles away from the heating system
News You Can Use
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There is free parking on Park City's Historic Main Street until Friday, December 17th.
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Park City Library is excited to launch a new eBook platform, Axis360. You can browse for eBooks by using the "Magic Wall," subject areas, or you can search by title. A one-time online registration is required. The registration process will allow for easy check out and reading. After you check out an eBook on Axis360, you will need to open it using the Blio reader, which is available for free download at this link. Axis360 eBooks are free to Park City Library cardholders. Ready to get started? Click here to access the Magic Wall.
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Improvements to the Spiro Ditch are underway to help reduce flooding during snow melt season, improve efficiency of the raw water system and ensure downstream water rights are met. Installation of a diversion structure will begin this month.
Green Your Routine
Cooling Temperatures? Check Your Tires!
Rapidly cooling temperatures can negatively impact air pressure in your tires. Low air pressure is bad because it is unsafe and it also wastes fuel! In fact, you can improve fuel efficiency by over 3% by keeping your tires properly inflated. Click here for more info on air pressure and other tips for maintaining a safe, fuel efficient vehicle.
In November, City Council . . .
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Authorized the City Manager to sign an agreement with Fehr & Peers for a corridor study and strategic plan for State Route 224 from Thaynes Canyon Drive to Bonanza Drive.
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Approved the Park City Heights Phase 1 Subdivision.
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Approved a Purchase Agreement with Ivory Development, LLC, for 195 acres of unimproved land within the Park City Heights Master Planned Development.
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Sustainability For Homes
Sometimes reducing your environmental impact can be a little overwhelming. There is a lot of new information and sometimes it changes very quickly from new research or developments. Start off small and take it a day at a time and soon you'll be able to incorporate a lot of these ideas into your daily life. Here are 10 ways to get started reducing your impact at home.
1. Sign up for the SCPW Challenge- Park City worked with Summit Community Power Works to bring this online resource to life. Here you will find 70 actions you can do at home to conserve, with all available rebates and incentives, and step-by-step instructions on how to complete each action. It's even more fun when you get your neighbors to participate and form a team to win prizes and recognition!
2. Conserve Energy - Start off by being conscious of the energy you use at home, noticing what lights are on, when the TV is on, etc. Then make a concerted effort to turn off lights and electronics when they are not needed. Conservation is not about doing without, but about using energy wisely.
Many Park City residents use snow melt products, such as heat tape, to prevent ice dams on their roofs. These snow melt systems are needed for certain roofs, but they also use a huge amount of electricity and often times we forget to turn them off when it gets warmer. In fact, some systems use as much electricity as the entire home. Make sure your snow melt system is turned off during warmer months - some systems have been found to be operating during spring/summer, costing lots of money and inflating the community's carbon footprint. If you find yourself forgetting to turn off your heat tape, you can purchase a timer that will do it for you.
4. Replace Inefficient Bulbs - Your energy audit will likely reveal that you have some inefficient bulbs in your home. Make sure to replace those with more efficient lighting options like LED bulbs which use a fraction of the energy and last much longer than older lighting technologies. You'll begin saving money immediately with this low cost and easy upgrade.
5. Unplug - Avoid phantom loads that come from gadgets and electronics that draw power even when they're off. Unplug chargers, printers, gadgets, coffee makers, toasters and other similar electronics to avoid wasting unnecessary energy. You can also plug these devices into a power strip and shut off the power strip when not being used.
6. Improve Indoor Air Quality - Sometimes your home's indoor air quality is worse than the air outdoors due to inadequate ventilation and the release of toxins indoors from furniture, chemicals, equipment and more. Learn more about the sources of indoor toxins and how to reduce them to make your home safer.
7. Upgrade Inefficient Appliances - Reduce both water and energy use by upgrading to more efficient appliances. Look for ENERGY STAR labeled appliances that are guaranteed to be more efficient. While the initial cost of the appliance may be slightly more than a regular one, the money you save on energy will more than cover the cost of the upgrade.
8. Clean Greener - Cleaning solutions in your home may actually be toxic and causing you harm. Start cleaning your home with more natural cleaning supplies that are safer for your family, pets and the environment. Look for all natural, biodegradable and non-petroleum based products.
9. Buy Green Power - One of the cheapest and easiest ways to reduce your carbon emissions is to support renewable energy from your electric utility. Our very own Rocky Mountain Power has a program for exactly that called Blue Sky. Sign up today!
10. Install a Programmable Thermostat - Making sure you don't heat or cool your home when you're not there (or when you're asleep and cozy under covers) is one of the easiest ways to save money and reduce your carbon footprint. Programmable thermosats allow you to control temperature settings for when you are at home, away, and asleep.