Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of news here on Summit in Six. We hope you are enjoying the sunshine and crisp air while it’s here. Today we cover an update regarding the Cedar Crest Village Overlay, some history in Summit County and some community engagement opportunities our listeners may be interested in.

CEDAR CREST VILLAGE OVERLAY:
Mark your calendars! On Thursday, April 18 beginning at 6 PM at the Ledges Event Center in Coalville, the Eastern Summit County Planning Commission will meet for a work session and public comment period related to the Cedar Crest Village Overlay. A virtual option for this meeting is also available and can be found, along with a lot more information about the project, at: summitcounty.info/cedarcrest 

ROAD SAFETY OPEN HOUSE:
Did you know? Mountainland Association of Governments is working closely with city and county leaders to develop a Safety Action Plan and roadway safety projects to reduce the number fatal and serious injury crashes in Summit County.

On Tuesday, April 16 from 4:30 – 6:30 PM at the Sheldon Richins Auditorium in Kimball Jct., they are hosting a Roadway Safety Open House to share information about where in our community the greatest number of crashes take place, what’s causing them, and how Mountainlands Association of Governments and our local leaders plan to lower the number and impact of serious and fatal crashes in Summit County.

The agency’s Safety Action Plan is part of a national grant project giving $5 billion in funds to communities for projects that improve transportation safety. So far, the plan has identified “high injury” networks where numbers of serious and fatal crashes are greatest and developed a potential list of projects that will improve conditions in these areas. Once the plan is complete this spring, Mountainlands or local governments may apply for funds to build the identified projects.

Visit their website to learn more about the project and how you can get involved: www.mountainland.org. 

TRAILS TRASH TUNES EVENT ON MAY 11!
The Summit County Stormwater Coalition and the Summit County Planning Department are presenting the THIRD Annual “Trails, Trash and Tunes” event on Saturday, May 11th from 12pm – 4pm at the Wanship Trailhead (1975 Hoytsville Rd). The purpose of the event is to welcome in springtime and celebrate the Earth with some rail trail cleanup, education about stormwater, noxious weeds identification and more!

There will be LIVE music from Pixie and the Partygrass Boys, presented by Mountaintown Music.  There will be food for purchase, a beer garden with brews for sale by local brewery Offset Bier for the 21+ crowd, a “Kids Corner” for the younger ones thanks to the Summit County Library with activities such as coloring, books and games.

Registration is free and not required to attend, but we would like to know who is coming! Please register at: summitcounty.info/trailstrashtunes24

The event is sponsored in part by Big-D construction and Blue Sky Ranch. We are encouraging event goers to bring water and an umbrella or hat for shade. We will have some seating available, but picnic blankets, camp chairs are welcome. Carpooling and biking/e-biking to the venue is highly encouraged.

HISTORY SEGMENT
This episode, we wanted to share some history in honor of National Garden Month about the old Echo Depot that once served as an agricultural and community railway hub. Outside the Echo Depot it is said that Mike Tsoukatos, a railroad employee and native of Greece, designed and planted this garden in the early 1940s. Tsoukatos spent his own money to purchase the plants and flowers. After his retirement, unfortunately the spectacular   garden fell into disrepair. The Echo Depot was moved to Coalville in 1975 where it now serves as the North Summit Senior Center.

HEALTHY FOCUS ON GARDEN MONTH

What better way to celebrate the beauty of spring than by diving into National Garden Month! National Garden Month encourages people of all ages to dig in the dirt, connect with nature, and experience the joy of gardening. But National Garden Month is about more than just growing plants—it’s about fostering a deeper connection to the natural world and reaping the countless benefits that gardening brings. Research shows that spending time outdoors and engaging in gardening activities can reduce stress, boost mood, and improve overall well-being. Plus, growing your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs empowers you to make healthier food choices and reduces your carbon footprint. For some helpful gardening tips this month follow the Summit County Health social media @SummitCountyHD on instagram and Facebook.

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In today’s episode, we cover Summit County’s revised proposal to Dakota Pacific Real Estate, an upcoming Rocky Mountain Power Outage, a Zero Food Waste Compact the County signed this week, and International Dark Skies Week. Alright, let’s get into the news!


> DPRE REVISED PROPOSAL

On Thursday, April 4, Summit County presented Dakota Pacific Real Estate, or DPRE, with a counterproposal to DPRE’s request to modify the development agreement that governs the land commonly referred to as the Park City Tech Center.

Highlights of the revised proposal include: 

• 600 residential units which is an increase from the county’s proposal of 500 units earlier this year, but a decrease of DPRE’s proposed 695 units. 
• A public-private partnership between the county and DPRE that would include a civic plaza, transit center, parking, and more.

You can view the entire revised proposal on the homepage at summitcounty.org under the news item titled: Summit County’s Revised Proposal to Dakota Pacific Real Estate.

So what happens next? DPRE will take time to formally react to the counterproposal. No date has been set for another work session. Stay tuned on summitcounty.org and @summitcountyut on all social media channels for more information as it becomes available.

> RMP OUTAGE
Rocky Mountain Power is conducting a scheduled power outage Wednesday, April 10, 2024 from 8am to 6pm. The estimated duration is 10 hours.

• What neighborhoods are affected?
  All of Summit County Service Area 3 + their constituents + businesses and all of Tollgate and Red Hawk (minus the east creek ranch HOA). You can view a detailed map of the affected areas at: bit.ly/aprilpoweroutage.
• So, what exactly is being done?
  Rocky Mountain Power poles have been relocated on Mammoth Drive. Now that they have been installed, the company needs to transfer the power to these new lines and they estimate it will take 10 hours to complete the task.
• And, how do affected residents prepare?
  Rocky Mountain Power has organized some awesome tips on how to prepare for power outages at bit.ly/poweroutagetips2024.

> ZERO WASTE FOOD COMPACT
At this week’s Council meeting, the County was the first to sign a Zero Food Waste Compact presented by the Park City Community Foundation.

For some context, the Park City Community Foundation announced a goal to achieve Zero Food Waste by 2030 last April. They’ve since released a comprehensive strategic plan that serves as a roadmap for reaching that ambitious goal. The plan focuses on three main objectives and outlines steps to engage businesses, local governments, nonprofits, residents, and visitors in an effort to reduce food waste and divert food waste from Summit County’s Three Mile Landfill.

Summit County’s Solid Waste Superintendent, Tim Loveday, said of the compact:
“I’m excited about this because we have a third party now who is focused on doing something to divert from our landfill which saves money for every resident in the county. Food waste is over 30% volume of what’s going in that landfill so that’s a pretty significant piece that we can divert. What’s also really exciting is that there is no new technology involved. The technology is already there, already in place, there’s nothing experimental about this. This can actually work.”

Andy Hecht, PCF’s Climate Fund Manager, noted in the presentation that these efforts could save $1.47 million per year. If you’d like to read the Zero Food Waste Compact, please visit: summitcounty.info/zerofoodwaste.

> INTERNATIONAL DARK SKIES WEEK
Also at this week’s County Council meeting, the Summit County Council approved a proclamation declaring April 2nd to 8th as, “International Dark Sky Week”. The purpose of the proclamation is to promote International Dark Sky Week as a worldwide celebration to build awareness about light pollution and the importance of preserving the nighttime sky.

To help save Summit County’s night sky, all outdoor light bulbs in Park City Municipal and unincorporated Summit County must be 3,000 degrees Kelvin or less, and all outdoor lighting fixtures must be fully shielded and down-directed by December 31, 2024.

Wondering what all those fancy dark sky-compliant words and phrases mean? Visit: summitcounty.info/darkskies to see examples that help illustrate!

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