Today, we cover…

• An exciting property acquisition that will help preserve open space in the Kamas Valley
• Summit County challenging the constitutionality of Senate Bill 84
• 2023 Rain Harvest Program
• Summit County visioning project called “Our Summit.”

Ure Farm 

At this week’s County Council meeting, the Council approved and entered an option agreement with the Ure family to acquire their approximately 834-acre farm in the Kamas Valley.  

To fund the purchase, Summit County will combine 2021 GO Bond (Open Space) funds with funds from Summit Land Conservancy, the development community, state and federal grants, and other open space partners. The majority of the property acquired by this option will become protected open space. 

“The Kamas Meadow is a critical part of the Summit County water ecosystem and its preservation has been prioritized by the County as well as the Open Space Advisory Committee’s guidelines for open space acquisitions in the South Summit region,” County Council Chair, Roger Armstrong, said. “This purchase is an important step in preserving the Kamas Meadow and supports the preservation of agricultural values in the Kamas Valley.” 

To read more, please visit the homepage of summitcounty.org and click the Ure Family Farm item under the Summit County News section. 

Dakota Pacific 

On March 15, 2023, Summit County Attorney, Margaret Olson, filed a 46-page complaint in the Third District Court in Summit County against Park City Junction, LLC dba Dakota Pacific Real Estate (Dakota Pacific) and the State of Utah. The complaint challenges the constitutionality of Senate Bill 84 (SB 84), seeks to enforce Summit County’s rights under the 2008 Park City Tech Center Development Agreement (Development Agreement), and asks for the Court to find that Dakota Pacific breached its covenant of good faith and fair dealing under the Development Agreement. 

Read more and find the full complaint on the homepage of summitcounty.org right under the Summit County News section.  

Rain Barrels

We are excited to announce that Summit County is partnering with the Utah Rivers Council for the 2023 Rain Harvest program! Summit County residents can now purchase an American-made, 100% recycled, rain barrel made by Rain Water Solutions for a discounted price of $55. There is a limited number of these subsidized barrels so place your order TODAY! Rain barrels are an easy way to affordably conserve water and improve water quality. 

To purchase a rain barrel, visit bit.ly/urcbarrels. Rain barrels can also be purchased for the price of $83 after the subsidized barrels run out or if you are not a Summit County resident.

Community Visioning 

And, last but certainly not least, Summit County is undertaking a community visioning plan to establish a roadmap for the future of our County! Community members have the opportunity to take the “Summit County Talks” questionnaire now through March 31.

The questionnaire is an important opportunity to share how you view Summit County as it is now, what you love about our community, and what opportunities you see for it in the next 10-20 years. The survey is available at oursummitcounty.com.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This week we cover…

• An update regarding the Dakota Pacific Development Agreement
• Exciting energy-related news for Summit County
• Info on the Summit County visioning project, “Our Summit.”

Ok…let’s get into the news. 

Dakota Pacific Update 

At this week’s County Council meeting, another public hearing took place regarding Dakota Pacific Real Estate’s application to amend their development agreement for the land commonly referred to as the Park City Tech Center. Once again, more than 100 community members showed up to express their opinions about the amendment application to the council. 

What to expect next: on Wednesday, March 15, the Council will meet again with Dakota Pacific representatives and, hopefully, on that date make a final decision regarding the proposal. 

Community Renewable Energy Agency 

Also on the Council agenda this week was an update from Summit County Sustainability Program Manager Emily Quinton on The Community Renewable Energy Agency. This agency is an interlocal cooperative of 18 Utah cities and counties working together and with Rocky Mountain Power to establish the Utah Community Renewable Energy Program.

For a little more background: The goal of the Utah 100 Communities is to acquire renewable energy to serve residents and businesses in participating communities so that by 2030, the amount of electricity participating communities use every year is matched by the same amount of renewable energy delivered to the Rocky Mountain Power system. This “net-100%” goal shared by all the Utah 100 communities sets the Agency on the path to create the Community Renewable Energy Program. 

This is a multistep process….and the step the agency is on now is having each community to review and sign a Utility Agreement with Rocky Mountain Power, hopefully later this month or in April. This will be one agreement, approved by the board of the Community Renewable Energy Agency, and signed by each individual community involved so that the communities continue to be eligible for the Community Renewable Energy Program that will hopefully get approved later this year! The Utility Agreement will address a number of topics, such as how the communities will work with Rocky Mountain Power to cover the costs of mail notices sent to customers once the program launches (potentially towards the end of 2023).

To learn more about the Community Renewable Energy Agency, and what communities are involved visit utah100communities.org. Guess what? Out of the 18 communities involved, five are in Summit County! In addition to the County, there is Coalville, Oakley, Francis, and Park City too. There will be public engagement about the topic later this year, so stay tuned for information on that too!

Energy Burden Study 

Did you know? Energy burden is the proportion of residents’ income that goes toward paying for heat and electricity in their home. Summit County and Park City are concerned about the energy burden of households with lower incomes in our community.

We are seeking input regarding ways that local governments can help decrease utility bills and increase the level of comfort in the homes of our residents through a survey studying residents’ energy burden.

Please visit: bit.ly/energyburdensurvey

Our Summit Promo 

And, last but certainly not least, Summit County is undertaking a community visioning plan to establish a roadmap for the future of our County! Community members have the opportunity to take the “Summit County Talks” survey now through March 31.

The questionnaire is an important opportunity to share how you view Summit County as it is now, what you love about our community, and what opportunities you see for it in the next 10-20 years. The survey is available at oursummitcounty.com. 

We’ll also be at the Summit County and Park City Art Council’s Winter Art Showcase THIS weekend (March 10 and 11). Stop by and support local artists at the Winter Arts Showcase and find Our Summit Project representatives at the event. You’ll have the opportunity to help us visualize what elements make up Summit County to YOU! Together, we’ll create a fun art installation about Summit County that was built for and by the community who calls it home. 

For more information, please visit pcscarts.org.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Intro 

Hey everyone! Welcome back to another week of news here on Summit in 6.

We’ll kick things off with the latest info involving the Dakota Pacific Development Agreement. Then, we’ll talk about some important information regarding the County’s Restaurant Tax Grant application process. Finally, we’ll finish up with info about another survey opportunity involving the Summit County visioning project, “Our Summit.”

Ok…let’s get into the news. 

Dakota Pacific 

At this week’s County Council meeting, a public hearing took place regarding Dakota Pacific Real Estate’s application to amend their development agreement for the land commonly referred to as the Park City Tech Center. More than 100 community members showed up to express their opinions about the amendment application to the council. 

From here, there will be one more public hearing opportunity for the public to provide input on Dakota Pacific’s latest proposal to both the developers and the Council before a decision is made. The final hearing will take place next week on Wednesday, March 8 from 6 pm-8:30 pm at the Ecker Hill Middle School Auditorium. 

Then on Wednesday, March 15, the Council will meet again with Dakota Pacific representatives and, hopefully, on that date make a final decision regarding the proposal. 

RAP Tax

The Restaurant Tax Grant Application is now OPEN. To apply or to learn more about the restaurant tax grant, please visit summitcounty.org, then hit the “services” tab and navigate to “grant information”.

There is also an opportunity to join a workshop this Monday, March 6th at the Coalville Courthouse Executive Conference Room (located at 60 N Main Street in Coalville). The workshop will start at 10AM and will cover the application process, review application guidelines/deadlines, and discuss financial reporting guidelines. We hope to see you there!

Community Visioning 

And, last but certainly not least, Summit County is undertaking a community visioning plan to establish a roadmap for the future of our County! Community members have the opportunity to take the “Summit County Talks” survey now through March 31.

The questionnaire is an important opportunity to share how you view Summit County as it is now, what you love about our community, and what opportunities you see for it in the next 10-20 years. The survey is available at oursummitcounty.com. 

We’ll also be at the Summit County and Park City Art Council’s Winter Art Showcase NEXT weekend March 10 through the 12th. Stop by and support local artists at the Winter Arts Showcase and find Our Summit Project representatives at the event. Help us visualize what elements make up Summit County to YOU! Together, we’ll create a fun art installation about Summit County for and by the community who calls it home. 

Outro 

Alright, that’s all the news we have for this week, tune in next week for more on Summit in 6.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Hey everyone! Welcome back to another week of news here on Summit in 6.

We’ll kick things off with the latest info involving the Dakota Pacific Development Agreement, and then we’ll talk about the Summit County Travel Dashboard and the Summit County Trash Dash. Finally, we’ll finish up with info about another survey opportunity involving the Summit County visioning project, “Our Summit.”

Ok…let’s get into the news. 

Dakota Pacific Update 

Last week, we briefly talked about Senate Bill 84, a bill that, in effect, seizes land use authority from Summit County concerning Dakota Pacific Real Estate’s amendment application for an existing 15-year-old development agreement. 

The Utah House passed SB 84 on February 15, and the Senate concurred on February 16. Now, the bill awaits the Governor’s signature (or veto).

Despite SB 84, the Summit County Council proceeded with a fair and open process concerning Dakota Pacific’s Amendment Application at this week’s County Council meeting. The Council  held a work session with Dakota Pacific representatives to discuss the final issues concerning the “Plan C” proposal they submitted just a few weeks ago on February 1. 

From here, there will be two public hearings for the public to provide input on the new proposal to both Dakota Pacific and the Council before a decision is made. Those hearings will take place on Wednesday, March 1 from 5 pm-8:30 pm and Wednesday, March 8 from 6 pm-8:30 pm both at the Ecker Hill Middle School Auditorium. 

Roads Dashboard

If you haven’t heard yet, together with UDOT and Park City Municipal, Summit County launched the brand new Summit County Travel Dashboard! You can use this brand new tool to get updates every 10-20 minutes on travel times & road conditions for state routes in Summit County. It’s a great way to help ensure a safe trip, especially with all this snow! Visit summitcounty.udot.utah.gov to check it out! 

Trash Dash 

Speaking of all this snow, we also wanted to remind listeners to keep an eye on the Summit County Trash Dash for information from Republic Services on weather-related service delays. The dashboard is updated every weekday evening at summitcounty.org/trashdash. 

Before we move on, a very heartfelt thank you to all the drivers, our summit county snowplow drivers and Republic Services crews, who are operating in these snowy conditions. Our community appreciates all you do.

Community Visioning 

And, last but certainly not least, Summit County is undertaking a community visioning plan to establish a roadmap for the future of our County! Community members have the opportunity to take the “Summit County Talks” survey now through March 31.

The questionnaire is an important opportunity to share how you view Summit County as it is now, what you love about our community, and what opportunities you see for it in the next 10-20 years. The survey is available at oursummitcounty.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Intro
Hey everyone! Welcome back to another week of news here on Summit in 6.

We’ll kick things off with the latest info involving the Dakota Pacific Development Agreement, and then we will share some important info for parents of students in 6th, 8th, 10th, or 12th grades regarding the SHARP survey. Then we’ll end the episode with info about another survey opportunity involving the Summit County visioning project, “Our Summit.”

Ok…let’s get into the news. 

Dakota Pacific Update
This week there has been so much going on regarding the Dakota Pacific Development Agreement and we recommend our listeners visit summitcounty.org and on the homepage you can view a press release titled Senate Bill 84 Seizes Land Use Authority From Summit County Concerning Dakota Pacific Real Estate to read more.

Stay tuned on our social media and the website for updates on upcoming public hearing opportunities involving the Dakota Pacific Development Agreement as well.

SHARP Survey
Attention Summit County Parents! Have you heard about the SHARP survey yet? It’s an anonymous, voluntary, and confidential survey administered state-wide to students in 6th, 8th, 10th, or 12th grades every two years. Topics include mental health, substance use, bullying, and other health issues. It is the only survey offered in Utah that collects this level of risk and protective factor data used to identify community needs.

The results of this survey play a heavy role in helping secure funding for grants that the Summit County Health Department and other nonprofit organizations focused on behavioral health receive in the area.

Without a 60 percent participation rate from students, the survey results aren’t substantial enough to write compelling grants. Parents need to provide their consent by the end of February! Visit summitcountyhealth.org/sharpsurvey for more info and access to the consent form.

Community Visioning
Summit County is undertaking a community visioning plan to establish a roadmap for the future of our County! Community members have the opportunity to take the “Summit County Talks” survey now through March 31.

The survey is an important opportunity to share how you view Summit County as it is now, what you love about our community, and what opportunities you see for it in the next 10-20 years. The survey is available at oursummitcounty.com 

Outro
Alright, that’s all the news we have for this week, tune in next week for more on Summit in 6.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Improved Access to Library Resources

On Wednesday, the Summit County Library held a ribbon cutting for the opening of a remote book locker at the Kimball Junction Branch. There’s another one that is outside of the Kamas Branch and one in Henefer too! These lockers provide 24/7 access to patrons’ holds on books, movies or other library resources like wifi hotspots.

After the ribbon cutting, Library Director Dan Compton gave presentation to Council on all the various initiatives the Library has been implementing to provide increased library resource access.

We want to remind listeners about Open Plus program at the Coalville Branch which started in July 2021 and allows registered patrons to access the library before it opens and even after it is closed for certain hours and days of the week

And we also want to spread the word about the Sunday Hours Pilot Program which is coming this Spring to the Kimball Junction Library. From 10 am to 2 pm on Sundays in March and April, the Kimball Junction Branch will be open to help the Library report attendance data during their 2024 budget process.

For more details on all of these resources and initiatives, visit summitcountylibrary.org

Thanks for all you do, Library Staff, Library Board and Friends of the Library!

Council Recap: Dakota Pacific Traffic Information Study

After a presentation from Traffic information Study firm, Fehr + Peers and commentary by Wall Consulting Group, the firm conducting the peer review, the Council did not advise Fehr + Peers to make any modifications to their study or present any new data. Council felt as though they had the information they needed from both the traffic study and the peer review of the traffic study to make informed decisions about the project.

Public Engagement Opportunities

Now let’s shift gears to some upcoming opportunities to give feedback on the Dakota Pacific Development Agreement. There will be two public hearing opportunities for Summit County community members to comment about the Dakota Pacific Development Agreement. These hearings will be held February 22 at 6 pm and March 1 from 6pm – 8:30 pm at the Ecker Hill Middle School Auditorium.

We do want to point out that you don’t have to attend physically in person to make your voice heard:

One way to tune if you’re out of town is via Zoom. For detailed instructions on how to join the Zoom meeting and give virtual public comment, visit summitcounty.org and select “agenda and minutes”. Find the agenda for the upcoming council meeting and you’ll see the instructions link under “Public Hearing”.

Another way to submit your comments is by emailing them to publiccomments@summitcounty.org by 12 pm the day of the public hearing and your comments will made part of the meeting record.

We have all this information up on social media as well so if you don’t already follow us on Facebook, Instagram and NextDoor, you should! It’s just another way to get important information from us.

More Opportunities for Public Engagement

While the Our Summit Kick-Off Events ended this week with a well-attended open house style event in Kamas, you still have the opportunity to take the “Summit County Talks” survey now through March 31. It’s an important opportunity to share how you view Summit County as it is now, what you love about our community, and what opportunities you see for it in the next 10-20 years. The survey is available at oursummitcounty.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Hey everyone! Welcome back to another week of news here on Summit in 6. 

We’ll kick things off with a recap of this week’s Council of Governments meeting. Then, we’ll cover Dakota Pacific’s revised proposal for the Tech Center in Kimball Junction. Finally, we’ll finish up with ways you can get involved in the county’s community visioning process. 

Ok…let’s get into the news.  

Council of Governments 

On Tuesday, January 31 the Council of Governments, or COG, met for the first time in 2023! The first order of business was to introduce Summit County’s new County Manager, Shayne Scott, as well as our new Council Members, Canice Harte and Tonja Hanson, and the new Francis City Mayor, Jeremie Forman. 

Also at the meeting, the County’s Community Development Director, Pat Putt, gave an update on the master planning process for Emergency Medical Services across the county. 

So far, Safe Tech Solutions, the entity the County contracted to conduct the study, has analyzed data including things like ambulance activity, call volumes for emergency, non-emergency and interfacility transports, and financial data. They’ve also conducted a series of interviews with stakeholders from Summit County, Park City / Snyderville Basin, North Summit and South Summit.

From here, Safe Tech will present a possible EMS system to key Summit County Stakeholders in the coming weeks. After that meeting, they will take stakeholder feedback to modify and adjust a possible EMS system plan by the end of April. Finally, they’ll schedule and conduct three in-person community presentations of the possible EMS system in late April, early May. 

This is an important step in ensuring the County’s EMS system is reliable, viable, and sustainable for all residents and visitors now and into the future. Stay tuned for more over the next couple of months on this topic as we get closer to a final solution option. 

Dakota Pacific 

Dakota Pacific was back in front of the Council this week to present an amended development proposal. 

To refresh our listeners on the Dakota Pacific Development Agreement, in late 2021 the developers presented an original development proposal for the Summit Research Park or Park City Tech Center located in Kimball Junction to the Council. 

Following their presentation, they received significant feedback from the community. The feedback took them back to the drawing board to come up with a revised proposal and update their traffic impact study. It was also agreed at that time that the impact study must be peer-reviewed before moving forward.

How the “Plan C” proposal from the developers differs from past proposals:

• 30 percent of residential units we were decreased
• Eliminated some of the overall density
• Eliminated the full-service hotel which improved the net affordable housing benefit
• Reduced the tallest building of the development by 10 feet
• Increased the ratio of affordable and workforce housing by a small margin
• Increased the ratio of privately-owned residences by almost double
• Added a “Central Park” 2 acre community amenity and retail opportunity
• Added age restricted apaprtments for our senior citizens
• Added 75,000 sq. feet of commercial space to promote economic diversity

In terms of what happens from here, the County Community Development staff have received the Traffic Impact Study peer review, which we mentioned earlier, was completed by the Wall Consulting Group. They are currently reviewing the report and a separate work session on the Traffic Impact Study is scheduled for NEXT WEEK at the Council’s regularly scheduled meeting on  Wednesday, February 8.

Also at that meeting, the Council plans to work with the developers to outline clear-cut next steps in terms of reaching a final decision.

Our Summit Kick-Off Event 

Summit County is undertaking a community visioning plan to establish a roadmap for the future of our County! There’s still one more kick-off event taking place from 6 – 8 PM on Tuesday, February 7 at the Kamas Branch of the Summit County Library. We hope to see you there to learn more about the visioning process and how you can get involved. 

Community members also have the opportunity to take the “Summit County Talks” survey now through March 31. It’s an important opportunity to share how you view Summit County as it is now, what you love about our community, and what opportunities you see for it in the next 10-20 years. The survey is available at oursummitcounty.com 

Outro 

Alright, that’s all the news we have for this week, tune in next week for more on Summit in 6.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Council Retreat 

On Friday, January 20, the County Council and County Department Heads gathered at the Kamas Branch of the Summit County Library to review the Council’s strategic priorities, hear from staff on the successes and lessons learned from 2022, and discuss how both of these will affect and guide the work plan for 2023. 

The group covered topics from transportation and congestion to local housing choice to environmental stewardship to land use and regional planning. Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks when the 2023 Work Plan is established. We will review that when it comes to give listeners a look at what the county will be up to this year.

Public Lands News 

At this week’s council meeting, the Summit County Council approved a recommendation by the Summit County Interim County Manager, Janna Young, to enter a joint funding agreement with Summit Land Conservancy to acquire an agricultural easement for 99 acres in the Kamas Meadows known as Andrus Farm. This easement marks the first use of the $50 million General Obligation Bond funds approved by voters in 2021 to preserve open space in Summit County.

County Council Chair, Roger Armstrong, shared: “The Meadows are a vital part of the Kamas Valley’s agricultural heritage, scenic open space and vital watershed. We’re pleased to move forward with this agreement in partnership with Summit Land Conservancy and are eager to protect and preserve additional areas of Summit County for future generations, while working together to leverage our public funds with Summit Land Conservancy’s federal grants to extend the life and reach of the GO Bond funding.”

The Open Space Advisory Committee reviewing purchase opportunities for the GO Bond funding made it clear that Eastern Summit County is a high-priority area for the committee to conserve and protect. This is really exciting news in achieving that mission. 

You can read more about the purchase and the history of the property on the homepage of summitcounty.org. 

And, in more public lands related news…On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which included $1 million for Summit County’s Weber River Watershed Resilience Partnership. 

The Weber River Watershed Resilience Partnership includes Summit County, the United States Forest Service, Utah Forestry, Fire, and State Lands, the Weber Basin Water Conservancy, private landowners, and other state agencies and nonprofits. It focuses on watershed restoration and fire mitigation treatments in the headwaters of the Weber River aimed at building landscape-scale resilience to catastrophic wildfire and protecting this critical water source to Summit County and downstream users. 

This funding will go towards planning and implementation of fuel reduction initiatives within the Upper Weber Watershed, such as selective timber harvest and thinning operations. These tactics, when used in conjunction with returning controlled fire to the system, will help make our forested lands healthier and wildfire adaptive, as well as reduce the negative effects of post-fire impacts on the watershed.

Again, you can read more about this funding and the Weber River Watershed Resilience Partnership on the homepage of summitcounty.org. 

Community Visioning

Summit County is undertaking a community visioning plan to establish a roadmap for the future of our County! There’s still one more kick-off event taking place from 6 – 8 PM on Tuesday, February 7 at the Kamas Branch of the Summit County Library. We hope to see you there to learn more about the visioning process and how you can get involved. 

Community members also have the opportunity to take the “Summit County Talks” survey now through March 31. It’s an important opportunity to share how you view Summit County as it is now, what you love about our community, and what opportunities you see for it in the next 10-20 years. The survey is available at oursummitcounty.com. 

Next Weeks’ Preview 

Finally, we just wanted to give a quick preview into some important topics being discussed at next week’s County Council meeting, happening on Wednesday, February 1 at the Ledges Event Center. 

Next week’s agenda includes a public hearing and possible action on a special exception for High Valley Transit, as well as a continued work session and discussion related to the Dakota Pacific Development Agreement. Information on how to participate in or just listen into weekly Council meetings can be found at summitcounty.org/engage.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

RAP Recreation Grant Recipients 

The Summit County RAP Recreation Committee was in front of the Council this week to present their amended 2022 grant recommendations to the Council.

For some context, the RAP Recreation funding is used to finance, in whole or in part, parks, botanical operations and recreational facilities throughout the County. 

The committee received sixteen (16) online applications from across the County for a total funding pool of $1,140,000. They recommended fourteen (14) organizations be funded. 

Council approved the recommendations. You can find a full list of recipients on the news section on the summitcounty.org homepage. 

Community Visioning Open Houses 

Summit County is undertaking a community visioning plan to establish a roadmap for the future of our County! Please attend one of the three kick-off events to learn about the project and how to stay involved. 

The events will all take place from 6 – 8 PM on…. 

1. Tuesday, January 17 at the Ledges Event Center  
2. Thursday, January 26 at the Richins Building in Kimball Junction 
3. And Tuesday, February 7 at the Kamas Branch of the Summit County Library. 

For more information please visit www.oursummitcounty.com 

Kimball Junction Open Houses 

Earlier this week, UDOT hosted two public scoping meetings, one in-person and one virtual, to share information on their Kimball Junction Environmental Impact Study and answer questions. 

In case you missed the open houses, you can still watch a live stream of Wednesday’s meeting on the Summit County, UT Facebook change. It was a great conversation with the project team and members of the public asked some insightful questions. I highly recommend. 

Just a reminder to the community, UDOT is still hosting a public scoping comment period for the project that will be open until Jan. 27, 2023. Community members can give comment online at the bottom of the project website: kimballjunctioneis.udot.utah.gov. The website also has more information on the study, the public meetings so be sure to check it out. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

County Manager 

In a special session on January 5, the Summit County Council unanimously appointed Shayne Scott as the new Summit County Manager. Shayne will begin February 7.

The County Council said the following in a joint statement:

“The Council deliberated in multiple sessions concerning the finalists to ensure we selected the best candidate to lead our organization. We believe Shayne will make an excellent County Manager and look forward to working closely with him in this role.”

A little background on Shayne…he served as the City Manager of Kaysville for more than six years. Before his time in Kaysville, he was the City Manager of Parowan City for six years. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Systems from Utah State University.

Following Tom Fisher’s resignation last July, County Council initiated an extensive process to recruit, evaluate and appoint a new county manager. This process included working with a national recruiting firm and a screening committee of county employees and county residents from a variety of backgrounds. Shayne was selected from three finalists who interviewed with the County Council and groups of elected county and municipal officials, department heads and community members. 

The Council also extended gratitude and appreciation to Janna Young for her dedication serving as Interim County Manager over the past six months. We echo that sincere thanks to Janna for stepping up and leading us well the last ½ a year. 

Welcome aboard to Shayne.

Swearing In Ceremonies

This week’s County Council meeting started out with back-to-back swearing-in ceremonies for the officials who were elected into office by voters this past November. 

Chris Robinson and Canice Hart were officially sworn in to the County Council. 

Margaret Olson was sworn in as the County Attorney; Cindy Keyes as the County Auditor; Justin Martinez as the County Sheriff; and Eve Furse as the County Clerk.

Finally, council member Roger Armstrong was appointed as the County Council Chair and Malena Stevens as the Vice Chair. They will serve in these roles for the next year.

Glenn Farewell 

Also, at this week’s council meeting, we said goodbye to Glenn Wright whose term on the County Council has come to an end. 

Since 2017, Glenn has been a fierce steward of the environment, helping to advance Summit County’s renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals through his leadership on the Community Renewable Energy Agency program and his heavy involvement in the County’s public lands program, as well as fuel reduction and fire mitigation efforts in the Wildland Urban Interface of the County. 

Glenn was a stalwart representative of the County in more ways we can mention. He will be greatly missed in his role on the County Council. Thank you for your service and dedication to improving the health, safety, and welfare of this community. Your work has helped make Summit County an all-around better place for those who live and visit here.

Community Visioning Open Houses 

Summit County is undertaking a community visioning plan to establish a roadmap for the future of our County! Please attend one of the three kick-off events to learn about the project and how to stay involved. 

The events will all take place from 6 – 8 PM on…. 

1. Tuesday, January 17 at the Ledges Event Center  
2. Thursday, January 26 at the Richins Building in Kimball Junction 
3. And Tuesday, February 7 at the Kamas Branch of the Summit County Library. 

For more information please visit www.oursummitcounty.com 

Kimball Junction Open Houses 

Finally, UDOT is preparing an environmental impact statement or “EIS” to evaluate improvements at the I-80 and SR-224 interchange at Kimball Junction, and on SR-224 from Kimball Junction through the Olympic Parkway intersection in Summit County. 

The EIS is building on the work done in the Kimball Junction and SR-224 Area Plan which analyzed several solutions (30 to be exact!) and narrowed the options down to three alternatives. These include intersection and pedestrian improvements and larger, more complex transportation solutions all to be further evaluated in the EIS.

UDOT is hosting two public scoping meetings, one in-person and one virtual, to share information on the study and answer questions. 

The in-person open house is Jan. 10th from 5:30 – 8:00pm at Ecker Hill Middle School. The community will have an opportunity to review the materials and speak directly with team members. 

The virtual public meeting is on Jan. 11 from 6:00 – 7:30 pm on Zoom, with a presentation followed by a question & answer session. 

In addition, a public scoping comment period for the project will be open until Jan. 27, 2023. Community members can give comment online at the bottom of the project website: kimballjunctioneis.udot.utah.gov. The website also has more information on the study, the public meetings so be sure to check it out. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download