Community E-Newsletter                                                                                       April, 2012

Quinns Water Treatment Plant

City Council members and City staff pictured here with water from the new Quinns Water Treatment Plant (in champagne glasses) participate in the ribbon cutting to mark the grand opening of the state-of-the-art facility.

The Membrane Filter (left) is the finest level of filtration and removes microscopic particles from the water.  The Quinns Water Treatment  Plan treats up to 3 million gallons fo water per day.  Ultimately, the facility will have a 9 million gallon per day and hydroelectric power generation capacity.

For more information, visit www.parkcitywater.org or call 435-615-5305.

Join us for this great science lecture series at Swaner EcoCenter. The events are free and open to the public RSVP to SwanerEcoCenter@usu.edu

Details on the next two speakers are included below:

Utah's Changing Climate: Cycles Within Cycles
Wednesday, April 11th, 7 - 8:30 pm
Robert Gillies, Utah State University. Rob Gillies is a physicist, the State of Utah Climatologist, Director of the Utah Climate Center, and Associate Professor at USU. An advocate for public science and climate change education, Professor Gillies will be speaking about his just-released research linking climate change to our weather patterns in Utah as well as discussing the meaning of year-to-year variations in temperature and precipitation. What will climate change mean for Utah's weather and our beloved powder?

How to Avoid the Truth About Climate Change
Thursday, April 26th, 7 - 8:30 pm
Barry Bickmore, Brigham Young University. Barry Bickmore is a geochemistry professor at Brigham Young University and actively promotes public literacy on climate change. From 2008-2010 he was a County Delegate for the Republican Party. The scientific evidence for human-caused climate change is quite strong, and yet many people still don't accept it. Professor Bickmore will explain why political conservatives like himself are most likely to dismiss the scientific consensus on climate change and he will recount how he changed his mind on the issue. He will then discuss the excuses people like himself use to dismiss the scientific consensus and show why they don't hold water.

The Great Utah Shake Out


Park City Municipal in coordination with Summit County and the State of Utah is participating in the upcoming regional full scale exercise called the Great Utah Shakeout April 17. Are you and your family prepared for a major disaster where you live and/or work?   Register here 

Fitz Rates Park City AA+   Financial markets grow best in a stable environment, and Park City is just that. Fitch Rating, one of the top three global rating agencies, affirmed the area's general obligation bonds as AA+ for the second time in the city's history last week, helping to cement the area's reputation as a solid investment. The AA+ rating is the second highest that can be awarded. Moab and St. George have no rating in place.

Golf Club
The Park City Golf Club Pro Shop staff is moving back into the Pro Shop this month. Hours are limited to 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday – Friday until April 13 when the golf course is tentatively scheduled to open for play, weather permitting. Jr. Camp sign up is May 8!

Got Recreation Priorities? Park City Municipal Corporation and the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District are conducting a Community Attitude and Interest Survey to establish priorities for the future improvement of parks and recreation facilities, programs and services within the community. The survey will be sent by mail to all households in Park City and the Snyderville Basin. The time you invest in completing this survey will enable Park City and Basin Recreation to take a resident-driven approach in making decisions that will enrich the future of our community and positively affect the lives of our residents. For more information visit www.basinrecreation.org or www.parkcityrecreation.org View sample survey

Senior Strategic Plan
Park City Municipal Corporation in partnership with Summit County has adopted a Senior Strategic Plan. The plan includes goals in the areas of: more thorough information dissemination; increasing program participation; exploration of age-in-place programs; housing; and transportation for those who no longer drive. The plan also establishes a 3-5 year staffing goal.

The current senior services and programs are primarily offered through the three Senior Centers and funded by federal Agency on Aging through the Mountainland Association of Governments. The centers are located in Kamas, Coalville and Park City and each center is currently open two days per week providing lunch and activities.

According to the 2010 Census, close to eight percent of the Summit County population are aged 65 and above. There are 2,768 in that age bracket and 24 percent of that total, or 653, live within the city limits of Park City. Only 11 percent – approximately 300 – of qualified individuals are active in Center programs.

View the entire plan here.  

Park City to Compete in Wasatch Solar Challenge

Pictured here at the press conference on April 10 to announce launch of the Wasatch Solar Challenge from left to right: Sally Elliot (County Council, Summit County); Dana Williams (Mayor, Park City); Sara Baldwin (Utah Clean Energy); JoAnn Seghini (Mayor, Midvale City); Mike Winder (Mayor, West Valley City); Peter Corroon (Mayor, Salt Lake County); Ralph Becker (Mayor, Salt Lake City)

Park City is part of a new team of local governments working to encourage more solar power installations in Utah. Efforts by the coalition, titled the “Wasatch Solar Challenge”, are being funded by a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant through their Rooftop Solar Challenge.

The goal of this partnership is to reduce the non-hardware costs for installing solar panels and make the process more efficient. Non-hardware costs such as permitting, installation, design, and maintenance currently account for up to 40 percent of the total cost of installed rooftop photovoltaic systems in the U.S. Lowering these costs is an important part of growing the solar energy industry so that it can create new jobs, improve energy security, and provide clean, renewable energy for American families and businesses.

Over the next year, Park City be working collaboratively with other municipalities and experts in the field to improve the below areas related to installing solar power:

• Application, Permitting, Inspection, and Grid Interconnection
• Planning and Zoning
• Financing
• Net Metering and Interconnection Standards

Participants in the Wasatch Solar Challenge include Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Midvale City, Park City, Summit County, West Valley City, Utah Clean Energy and the Utah Solar Energy Association. The Wasatch Solar Challenge is one of 22 teams nationally to receive Rooftop Solar Challenge funding from DOE.

In March, City Council
• Approved an Interlocal Agreement between Park City and Summit County for automatic assistance for law enforcement, public works, infrastructure emergencies, public health, communications, animal control and sheltering

• Authorized the City Manager to execute a construction agreement for the replacement of the Pay Day Drive, Lucky John Drive and Monitor Drive culverts

• Authorized the City Manager to sign an agreement with Gateway Planning to prepare a Form Based Code and traffic analysis in the Bonanza Park area

• Authorized staff to execute a Federal Transit Administration grant to construct seasonal housing

• Authorized staff to amend fees associated with special events

News You Can Use
• May 5: Household hazardous waste drop off at Canyons parking lot, 9a.m. - noon

• May 12: Pride in Your Park - Meet at the City Park gazebo to partner with other like-minded community members to help pick up trash accumulated during the winter season

• April-October Dumpster Days: Fridays 9:00a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays 9:00 a.m. - noon. Dispose of your large items at Recycle Utah during Dumpster Days. Attendant on duty. No overnight dumping

Green Your Routine
Here comes the sun….summer is just around the corner and it’s a great time to consider solar panels for your home or business. The price of solar is steadily declining while the technology has improved and now typically includes a 25-year warranty. Take advantage of all the blue skies we see in Park City, plus current federal and state credits, and have a solar assessment today. Park City Municipal will waive building & site inspection fees for new solar projects completed in 2012 – details here.