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SHOW YOUR PEDAL POWER
Park City is a bicycle-friendly community—but we can do even more to make it safer people-powered transportation
“Sure, [biking] will change your whole life for the better, but that’s all.” -Butch Cassidy
When Paul Newman said this in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, he was on to something! Biking does make everything better. Living in a bike-friendly town like Park City, why not bike more? It’s convenient, its healthy, and it’s good for the planet. And perhaps most importantly: it’s fun! I don’t know about the rest of you, but each time I jump on a bike, I feel like a kid again.
Last year, Park City and Summit County were designated a Gold-level bike-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists, and we became the first region in the country to have an all-electric community bike share. This shows how fiercely committed City and County leaders are to bike accessibility and giving our residents a viable alternative to using their car.
More recently, in January the city adopted its first ever Complete Streets policy, which organizes street design to better accommodate everyone: all ages, modes, and abilities. This is an important step to creating safer streets—not just for bicyclists, but also for pedestrians, seniors, and those with disabilities.
We’re proud of these programs, but we can do even more to encourage bike awareness, safety, and adoption. Throughout the month of May, the city, county, school district, and Basin Recreation are hosting a series of bike events. And tomorrow is Bike to Work, School & Play Day—one of my favorite events to showcase our collective pedal power. Tomorrow morning, we encourage everyone to ride their bikes to work or school to show their support.
Next Wednesday, we're launching the second season of Summit Bike Share—the nation’s first 100-percent electric bike share program. This year, we're partnering with Intermountain Health Care Park City Hospital and Park City Chamber. We've also added 40 new bikes and improved the program’s reliability and availability. Download the app to get started: take one out for a spin, or try using it for a daily commute.
These programs are all designed to help make Park City and Summit County more bike-friendly. Please remember to yield to cyclists when driving and, when biking, always stay alert and wear your helmet.
Take it from me: biking can change your life for the better, and we’re doing everything we can to help make that happen. That’s what this town is about.
— Mayor Andy
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THE FIRST STEP IN ESTABLISHING TRUST: SHOWING UP
Park City School Resource Officer Trent Jarman is a familiar presence on the Kearns Campus, and that’s by design
As the school resource officer, Jarman helps ensure the safety of students, teachers, faculty, and visitors at the four schools on the Kearns Campus (McPolin Elementary, Treasure Mountain Jr. High, the Learning Academy, and high school). The school resource officer is part of the Multi-disciplinary Task Force, a consortium of city, county, and state officials that provides a full continuum of care to address issues involving children and families.
What is your background, and what led you to become the school resource officer?
I’ve been a police officer for 20 years, and have worked for the Park City Police Department for 11 years. In January, I moved into this role. Before this, I was a juvenile detective, which means I investigated crimes committed against and by kids. My current position was a natural fit: 99 percent of this job is establishing a rapport with the students and earning their trust. I have some experience with that.
Describe a typical day.
A typical day is anything but typical: it all depends on what I encounter. I’m either being proactive or reactive, but I prefer being proactive. My first job is to get to know the students—and that means being out in the halls. I know most of the kids by sight, many by name. I love having conversations with them. It’s interesting to see their expressions when I walk up: they have the “cop shock,” but when I start talking casually to them, they relax. I want a conversation with me to be an ordinary interaction. If kids see you as a person, as a friend, they’ll be more apt to discuss what’s going on.
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BIKE SHARE OFFICIALLY RELAUNCHES MAY 23
E-Bike share program kicks off second year with more bikes, upgraded technology, and two new partners: Intermountain Park City Hospital and the Park City Chamber
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The wheels are rolling through town, and some of them are getting a little bit of electric help. Summit Bike Share, the nation’s first branded 100% all-electric bike fleet, makes its formal debut for the season on Wednesday! We are honored to welcome two marquee sponsors: Intermountain Health Care Park City Hospital and Park City Chamber. Please join us for the official season launch:
- Wednesday, May 23 (rain or shine)
- 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
- Summit Bike Share Station, Kimball Junction Transit Center
(1899 W. Ute Boulevard, Park City)
Lunch and demo rides will follow the press conference. The bike share’s E-bikes are restricted to paved pathways and soft-surface trails wider than five feet. A full map of ebike pathways can be found here.
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WELCOME NESTOR GALLO & ROCIO TORRES!
Our new city engineer and community liaison want you to know their doors are always open
City Hall has two new smiling faces, and both employees are here to support the community:
City Engineer Nestor Gallo has spent most of his career working for municipalities, so he understands Park City's biggest challenges. "In Draper City, we had a great deal of hillside development," he said. "Likewise, when I was with American Fork, our biggest challenge was managing development on the flood plain. I just came from working for Summit County, which gave me a good understanding of working with ski resorts. Each of these experiences was necessary to prepare me for this position. Park City has a very difficult landscape, but it can certaily be engineered in a way that we can provide solutions."
Nestor spent the first few years of his career in the private sector, which also makes him sensitive to the applicant's point of view. "I know how a consultant feels when they are going through the review process, so I've created a standard practice of reviewing plans once. If the consultants respond to all of the red lines, they can proceed. This makes everyone more efficient, and makes the submittal more accurate." Nestor also places a lot of faith in the power of conversation to solve problems. "I encourage any resident or developer to come to my office," Nestor said. "Come to my office, and we'll figure out a solution that meets the standards set by City Council and doesn't create a financial hardship for the resident." You can reach Nestor Gallo at nestor.gallo@parkcity.org or 435.615.5075.
Community Liaison Rocio Torres wants everyone in the community to consider her a resource."I have a lot of experience working with historically marginalized populations, but in this position I'm here for the community as a whole," she said. With a background in social equity and historic preservation, Rocio will contribute to some of the city's biggest priorities. "I just graduated from the University of Utah with an MPA in social equity, so I'm very excited to help build a regional social equity program with our community partners." Rocio was born in Lima, Peru and moved to Utah in 2013. She and her husband just moved to Park City, and she is most excited about "having residents show me their favorite ice cream spots!" Drop Rocio a line with a recommendation, or just stop in to chat. She can be reached at rocio.torres@parkcity.org or 435.615.5201.
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SIGN UP NOW FOR EMERGENCY TEXT ALERTS
Spring is in the air, and while this evening's bike ride might be the most important thing currently on your mind, let's remember that summer wildfire season is right around the corner. If disaster strikes, you'll need the latest emergency information, and the best way to do this is to sign up for our emergency alerts system. Summit County has recently joined Park City's system, and the two entities now share the same Emergency Mass Notification System. During emergencies, you'll receive alerts about road closures, missing persons, and evacuations. You can have messages delivered to your home, work, or mobile phone, by text message or email. Signup at either summitcountyalerts.com or parkcityalerts.org to register your cell phone. If you have already signed up via the Park City site, you are currently in the system. But if you signed up on the old county Code Red site, you do need to re-register.
You can also download the free Everbridge app.
Sign up today! Next stop: making sure your emergency kit is fully stocked and complete.
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The public is invited and encouraged to attend the following meetings over the next month. Follow this link for additional meeting information and agendas.
Thurs., May 17 City Council | 4:35 pm | Council Chambers
Wed., May 23 Planning Commission | 5:30 pm | Council Chambers Thurs., May 31 City Council | Time TBD | Council Chambers Tues., June 5 Recreation Advisory Board | 6:00 pm | PC MARC
Wed., June 6 Historic Preservation Board | 5:00 pm | Council Chambers Thurs., June 7 City Council | Time TBD | Council Chambers Mon., June 11 Public Art Advisory Board | 5:00 pm | Exec. Conf. Room, City Hall Wed., June 13 Planning Commission | 5:30 pm | Council Chambers Wed., June 20 Library Board | noon | Library Wed., June 20 Special Events Advisory Cttee. | noon | Library Thurs., June 21 City Council | Time TBD | Council Chambers
Can't make it to City Council or Planning Comission in person? Attend virtually or download the recording via the Listen Live link.
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PAVING PROJECT ON SR224 HAS BEGUNTransit stops will experience temporary rolling closures
SR224 is undergoing a makeover to improve road conditions and upgrade utilities. Slow down when driving or biking through the construction zone and always obey all signs and flaggers.
TRANSIT RIDERS: As the crews begin milling and paving the road, there will be rolling temporary closures of bus stops along 224 from Kimball Junction to Kearns Boulevard. Crews will work as quickly as possible to make sure stops are closed for as short a time as possible, but if your stop is closed, please walk to the next one. If this will present a hardship, please call the door-to-door para-transit service at 435.615.5353. Thank you for your patience!
Questions: Contact Kim Clark at 801.903.8327 (call/text) or kclark@utah.gov. Visit the UDOT project website to learn more.
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BE emPOWERed! APPLY FOR THE UTILITY BOX ART PROGRAM
Help beautify Park City! We are seeking local artists and residents to transform the exteriors of 10 utility boxes around the city.
The artwork should reflect the theme of taking action to reduce our use of carbon footprints through renewable power sources, cleaner transportation, recycling and reuse, the preservation of our natural environment, and water and energy conservation, as well as supporting local farmers, artists, and businesses. Park City is also seeking applications for printing and installation of the art wraps.
Proposals due June 1. Download the RFP to learn more.
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HELP STAMP OUT NOXIOUS WEEDS
Spring is here, which means it's noxious weed season! Make sure you comply with city code by controlling control weeds on your property. Weeds are designated as noxious if they create environmental and/or financial impacts. Noxious weeds, if left uncontrolled, can and will limit land use now and in the future. The longer we ignore weeds the harder and more expensive the battle will become.
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MAY UTAH HISTORY LECTURE
Moving Utah Settlements South,
1847-1870: The Colonization
The Utah History Lecture Series is generously sponsored by Rebecca Marriott Champion. You can view the full speaker calendar here.
- Friday, May 25
- 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
- Park City Library, 3rd Floor, 1255 Park Avenue
- Free admission; refreshments will be provided
- RSVP to Malena Stevens at malena.stevens@parkcity.org or 435.615.5505.
Please consider carpooling or taking Park City’s free public transit to the event. Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals needing special accommodations during the event should contact Malena Stevens at malena.stevens@parkcity.org at least 24 hours prior to the event.
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