Emily Means

Electric vehicle drivers now have a few more options for charging their cars in Park City.   

Park City Municipal has installed 14 new electric vehicle chargers: four at the Wasatch Brew Pub, four at City Park and six in the China Bridge parking garage.

Those chargers cost about $40,000, which the city paid for through capital funds as well as support from Rocky Mountain Power. Park City Sustainability Project Manager Celia Peterson says this was the first wave of charger installations. The next will happen during the spring construction season.

The U.S. Federal Transit Authority awarded Park City Transit funding to upgrade its bus communications technology. 

Park City Transit received $400,000 to upgrade software and hardware related to dispatch services, scheduling and data.

The funding is part of a program awarding $423 million nationwide for projects related to bus equipment and facilities. Another Utah-based transit district, the Utah Transit Authority, was awarded $3.2 million for bus stop improvements.

The Park City Rotary Club put a Thanksgiving twist on their Tuesday meeting, with a service project benefitting students in need.

Park City residents Val Chin and Shirley Smith were recently recognized by the Park City Council for their contributions to the Park City community through a student exchange program with China. 

Park City community members who participated in a think tank for Park City’s 2020 visioning process came to an agreement in July on what they think they want Park City’s future to look like. Two members of the think tank share how they interpret that future.

The Park City Council approved a resolution recognizing two Park City community members for their creation of an exchange program that 270 local and international students have participated in since its inception. 

Shirley Smith and Val Chin started the student exchange program between Park City High School and Beijing Number 4 High School in 1993. After a trip to China, Smith and Chin decided to model a student exchange program with China after one that was already happening in the school district with Russia.

Broken gates, denied parking validations, visitors not realizing they can park for free until 5 p.m.—Park City’s China Bridge parking garage has a few struggles in the way of its success. Park City Municipal may soon pursue a different option for getting people in and out of the Old Town garage safely and efficiently.

Park City Parking Manager Johnny Wasden says many people struggle with parking in China Bridge. It starts with ease of use.

Some 200 Park City community members attended the Park City Future Summit Wednesday evening to discuss issues and opportunities on Park City’s horizon. 

Park City Municipal and project consultant Future IQ presented data collected from the city’s Vision 2020 process so far, including 810 community survey responses since June, results from a 35-person think tank session and information from dozens of community workshops.

As Park City works toward a goal of bringing 800 affordable or attainable housing units online by the year 2026, the city has an update on the status of some of its upcoming housing projects.

Park City Housing Development Manager Jason Glidden says the city is in the investigation stage for the prospective affordable housing development at 100 Marsac Ave. After taking public feedback, consultants are evaluating the feasibility of the project, and Glidden anticipates reporting to the city council with an update at the beginning of next year.

The Park City Council will consider a request to authorize the city manager to enter into a $130,000 contract for employee compensation evaluation services. The city is looking into the services because of employee recruitment and retention challenges.

The Park City Council will consider leasing city-owned property at Quinn’s Junction to Mountain Trails Foundation and Summit Land Conservancy, to house the two organizations’ office space. 

Summit Land Conservancy Executive Director Cheryl Fox and Mountain Trails Foundation Executive Director Charlie Sturgis presented their proposal to the city council in May. Now, council will consider the terms of the potential deal between the city and the two organizations, which interim City Manager Matt Dias says are pretty straightforward.

The Park City Future Summit takes place Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Park City Library’s Santy Auditorium. Park City Community Engagement Manager Linda Jager says it’s a time for community members to talk about the themes and ideas that have emerged from the 2020 visioning process and react as a large group.

The Park City Planning Commission will consider an Empire Pass condominium project during Wednesday’s planning commission meeting. It’s another item in the Empire Pass area that has come up under the Flagstaff Development Agreement this year, triggering conversations about developers’ responsibilities for historic preservation. 

Park City Municipal is now accepting pre-applications for its affordable housing program, which, coupled with the city’s selection process, will put qualified applicants on the waitlist to purchase city-developed units.

People who work within Park City School District boundaries can get a jump on applying for homeownership under Park City Municipal’s affordable and attainable housing program. To be eligible for the current selection process, pre-applications are due Dec. 6. Applications submitted after that time will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist.

Park City’s Halloween festivities bring some 5,000 visitors and locals into town, drawn by trick-or-treating and the Howl-o-ween dog parade. To encourage taking public transit to the events, Park City changed its policy for one day to allow dogs on buses. 

Prospector resident Harold Shambach often rides Park City Transit around town. On Halloween, he had a new travel buddy. Shambach and his dog, Torrey, rode a crowded bus to and from the Howl-o-ween parade on Park City’s Main Street. Shambach says Torrey was a pretty good passenger, all things considered.