An enriching experience
A sophomore in high school, I managed to stumble my way through every presentation and essay. History class, English, you name it. I wasn’t able to compose any clear or concise arguments, just enough to get an A in the class.
Entering junior year, I decided that I wanted to change that for the better. So, I joined the debate club. When first entering the classroom for debate, I was astonished by the complexity of debate, with the option to choose from multiple events, including public forum, policy, Lincoln-Douglas, and countless speech events.
After a couple of debate meetings, I chose to compete in policy. Although it has only been a month or two, learning and practicing policy has completely opened my eyes to a new way of interpreting information, and later using that information to develop stronger arguments.
Policy involves listening to an opponent’s case and refuting with your own plan that shows why their case is bad. This requires a whole plethora of skills, including listening, analyzing information and speaking concisely. I just started debate club this school year, but I have already dramatically improved in all of these areas, leading to more success in not only my other classes, but real-life arguments as well.
Joining the debate club has enriched my learning process, and I believe that every student should have the opportunity to practice these key skills with us at PCHS debate.
Please consider donating to give other students this education opportunity that I have gotten: livepcgivepc.org/story/Pchsdebate.
Clay Hicke
Park City High School junior
*****
Park City has a great mayor in Beerman
Dear Park City,
Recently Park City hosted a meeting of 50 leaders from Utah, Colorado and Wyoming mountain ski and resort towns for the Colorado Association of Ski Towns conference. Park City was a great host, and Mayor Andy Beerman and the Park City administration did a top notch job presenting on many shared issues, challenges and opportunities. We were all very impressed with Park City and the leadership that your community has.
Mayor Beerman did not ask me to write this endorsement, but we feel strongly compelled to support Andy Beerman in this current election and hope the voters of Park City know what a great mayor you have in Andy. Mayor Beerman has helped create the highest level operating government, he truly represents every Park City resident and business, and he works hard for the best and brightest future for Park City. Park City is a champion and shining example for so many issues, and we all learn from the great community leadership you have.
Vote Andy Beerman for mayor in this election! Andy is highly respected and regarded among all of his peers, and we recognize Mayor Beerman as a true leader and excellent community representative. Park City should be very proud of your mayor, council and staff. Vote Andy Beerman for mayor and allow him four more years of doing great work for all of Park City!
Torre
Mayor of Aspen, Colorado
*****
A change is needed
Managing the state’s school trust lands is a well-compensated and time-consuming job. It is hard for me to imagine a person could do this and pursue a 1,600 home development (Park Record, Oct. 14) at the same time. Mr. Ure should step down so he can pursue his interests and someone less conflicted should manage the trust lands for current and future generations.
Michael Cooper
Oakley
*****
Worel exhibits service above self
I have had the pleasure of knowing Nann Worel for over a dozen years. We first began working together when she was the executive director of People’s Health Clinic, and I oversaw community relations at the hospital. I remember meeting her for the first time and thinking — this is a woman dedicated to improving life for everyone her community. I was impressed with her leadership style, her inclusive nature, her lack of ego and her work ethic. Her only agenda is service above self.
While we’ve both since moved on in our careers, Nann’s tireless dedication to this community has never wavered. In fact, she has since sought additional positions where her impact can be even greater — on the Planning Commission and as a city councilwoman. Now her commitment to serve has her seeking the mayor’s office, and I cannot think of anyone better equipped to hold that position. I hope you will join me in voting for Nann Worel in this election.
Amy Roberts
Prospector
*****
Demand better for Park City
Yeah, I can’t vote in the mayoral election because I’m outside the city limits. But I do “live” in Park City, shop here, participate in lots of activities here, followed the lame explanations of how the BLM message came to decorate our Main Street, watched the demolition of small businesses so that we could have a $100 million “arts district,” seen competing city and county buses, and read the virtuous comments from our current mayor about his plans to turn our town into California. I recall a comment from a friend: “You get what you demand or what you tolerate.” I urge my friends and neighbors who live within the city limits to go out next week and demand better for our town.
Ken Miller
Jeremy Ranch
*****
Your vote for Beerman matters
Our little town needs a City Hall that balances resident’s interests ahead of business profits — Andy understands this. He’s lived here since the ‘90s and is one of the few people left in city government who remembers what the town was like before the new development pressures of the last few years.
We met Andy in 2000. As a private citizen he worked with both his Park Avenue neighbors and Main Street merchants to build support for rebuilding our dilapidated street. Years later Park Avenue has gone from one of the worst to one of the nicest streets in our Historic District.
Your vote for Andy really matters. It’s a vote for an honest, civil, hard-working mayor who is knowledgeable about Park City — both it’s history and the ways it can work better going forward.
Barbara Kuhr and John Plunkett
Old Town
*****
School upgrades are needed
As a Park City area resident, regardless of whether you have children in the Park City School District, on Tuesday please get out and vote “Yes” on the school bond.
Why?
The better the school district, the better the community engagement, neighborhood safety and property values (references below) a town enjoys.
In our experience these last four school years — with three children attending both the Park City School District and an independent school outside the district — PCSD’s greatest “betterment” opportunity lies in facility upgrades.
Like most families, we found virtual learning (at both PCSD and the independent school) less effective than in-person learning. With many high-quality virtual learning options available, it seems our local district best serves via an in-person learning context.
Here’s why:
While in PCSD (McPolin, Ecker), we experienced:
• engaged, high-caliber teachers
• caring, high-impact staff
• welcoming, connected families
• an innovative, solution-driven foundation leadership/team
• supportive, committed school board/district leadership
And, even with quality teaching, staff, community and leadership teams, PCSD needs significant facility upgrades. Challenging campus flows (between TMJH/PCHS) and an increasing need for Pre-K education mean facility improvements.
The options to deliver the upgrades have been well-studied . The solutions presented in the bond plan are sound. And, the economics to support the work are responsible. The PCSD bond funds improvements via the lowest cost debt available in decades and results in very low property tax increases (est. at $8 per month on a $1 million residential home value).
Please vote in your and Park City’s best interests, vote “YES” for the Park City school bond.
Linsly Donnelly
Old Town
*****
A critic turned supporter
I was a member of the group that helped defeat the school bond in 2015. That plan for improving the schools had some serious shortcomings. I took the opportunity to participate in the process that produced the current plan. It has been well thought out with abundant input from the community.
My only concern was the source of funds for the remaining $50 million. I have been assured by district administration that there will be no additional burden on the taxpayers. Please join me in voting “YES” for the education bond.
Jim Tedford
Park City
*****
Contributions are key for debate team
I’m a senior on the Park City High School debate team. I am writing because we are currently raising funds to cover tournament fees, provide summer camp scholarships and fund travel to out of state tournaments. Your donations also help us hire top-of-the-line coaches who are instrumental to our team’s success and education. Without support from the community, PCHS debate would not be one of the top teams in the state and a viable competitor on the national debate circuit.
However, debate is about more than getting wins. The opportunities your funds provide help high school students like myself develop personally and intellectually. Experiences like a three-week long debate intensive over the summer and national-circuit tournaments have taught me important skills and values. Through debate, I’ve developed skills in public speaking, research, critical thinking and writing. I’ve also had the opportunity to explore academic subjects that interest me like ethics, critical race theory and economics. Without debate, many of these topics would have been difficult for me to learn about. Debate has changed me as a person, making me more assertive, hardworking and open-minded. Ultimately, debate has been one of the most important activities I’ve ever participated in.
Your contributions are especially important right now. In this age of political polarization, teaching students to defend their beliefs with sound evidence and reasoning is necessary to preserve our political future. Through debate, students learn to articulately advocate for their position while openly listening to the other side. While politicians and media outlets are often biased, debate teaches young people, the future of our democracy, to value open dialogue based on reasoning and empirical data.
Please donate with this link: livepcgivepc.org/story/Pchsdebate.
Noam Levinsky
Park City High School senior
*****
Bond will more than pay for itself
I am writing in support of the proposed bond initiatives on the ballot this November. The three initiatives the bond will cover come at a very small price and will pay for a major upgrade to our public schools. When you break down the actual cost taxpayers will shoulder, it comes to roughly $8.35 per month, per $1 million of assessed property value.
Initiative 1 will add on to the high school so that ninth grade can be moved out of Treasure Mountain Junior High, an obsolete building in need of a seismic upgrade. This will allow our ninth-graders to be in a four-year high school (as is standard in virtually all high schools.)
Initiative 2 will add on to the Ecker Hill Middle School building to make room for the eighth-grade class that would move out of Treasure Mountain Junior High, which will be decommissioned.
Initiative 3 allows for additions to many of the elementary school buildings, which are already at or near capacity, (many using trailers for classrooms) and it will enable the elementary schools to provide a wider range of important services to our diverse student population.
The research is clear that strong public schools and bond initiatives like this one more than pay for themselves through large increases in our property values. In addition, the changes and impact that all these initiatives will have on the quality of our education system and youth is well worth it. Please vote to support the education bond this November!
Kate Moynihan
Park Meadows
*****
Your voice matters
If you’re still undecided about how to vote Nov. 2 — or about whether you’ll fill out that short ballot at all — ask yourself these questions:
What makes this town a pretty great place to live?
What can we do to keep it that way?
Who has the plans, knowledge and partnerships in place to solve the challenges we face?
As a lifelong and career-long environmentalist, I’m passionate about protecting our remaining open space and natural resources in and around Park City. Andy Beerman has led and collaborated on numerous, successful efforts to protect the nature that, thankfully, still surrounds us. This issue is of top importance to me, so votes for Andy, Tim Henney and the open space bond are an easy choice.
As a mother of two young children, I care deeply about good schools, safe neighborhoods, clean air and water and a sense of community. The work Andy has done — and more importantly, the work he already has plans to do — means reduced traffic, more bike lanes and walkability, cleaner air, more family-friendly neighborhoods and a return to community-first priorities. It’s another reason I’ll vote for Andy, and it’s why I’ll vote for the school bond, too.
As someone who loves to ski and explore our hundreds of miles of trails, I hope my kids will have the chance to occasionally return as adults and ski and hike those same trails, marveling at the same plants and wildlife that captivated them as children. Unless swift and decisive action to reduce carbon emissions and make our lands and waters more resilient to climate change is taken locally, internationally and at every level in between, my kids won’t have that chance — and neither will yours. Andy is urgently leading cutting-edge, internationally recognized efforts to reduce carbon and mitigate the effects of climate change, while compelling other government and business leaders around the state to join in.
I hope you’ll fill in the same ballot bubbles I will, but no matter who or what you vote for, please vote. Your voice strengthens our community and ensures we pursue the right priorities for our town.
Cara Goodman
Old Town
*****
A crucial time for Park City
Park City is at a crucial time and needs strong, decisive, open and transparent leadership.
Traffic is near gridlock, parking is difficult at best, and there is no regional transportation plan. Park City must commission a master development and transportation plan to guide our city into the future.
It should be completed by a highly experienced, nationally recognized land planning firm.
This is far too important and complex for any elected officials to create on their own. I fault the current administration, under Mayor Beerman, for not seeking professional solutions, or even recognizing the need, and only focusing on his personal agenda and conclusions.
Business owners can’t find enough quality employees, because staff cannot afford to live and work in Park City.
We need and must set a goal of 2,500 to 3,500 affordable units, with 60% set aside for affordable rentals. If achieved this would have a positive domino effect by having our work force live close enough to also avoid their commute by auto, taking hundreds of vehicles off the road.
The arts and culture district must be revisited. A town with less than 10,000 full-time residents does not need a $100 million complex.
We must decide to redirect that money to affordable housing!
We need a city where people can affordably live and work.
We need a change of leadership and direction in the mayor’s office and City Council. Please elect Nann Worel, Tana Toly and Jeremy Rubell.
Norman Schwartz
Jeremy Ranch
*****
Donors can change a child’s life
One of my favorite community celebrations is just a few days away and, whether you are new to town or a lifelong local, experiencing the energy that Live PC Give PC brings to Park City is always invigorating! On Nov. 5, members of the PC READS team will join others on street corners throughout town to raise awareness for all the wonderful work nonprofits in our town accomplish.
Thank you to everyone in our community who has supported PC READS! Since 2014, we have been working to ensure that ALL children in Park City learn to read by spreading awareness about reading disorders, especially dyslexia. While access to books and time spent reading is certainly important for young children’s learning, identifying when and why a student is struggling to read and providing effective reading instruction is even more vital.
Your donations to PC READS go directly to our programs and services here in the Park City area — providing teachers, parents and students necessary support. This includes providing teachers with grants and resources specific to improving reading instruction, hosting nationally recognized expert speakers on literacy and supporting our local youth mentoring program.
Thanks to this community’s support, we have continued to expand our services and now offer a free dyslexia screening for students in grades 2 or above. If you have a child who is struggling to learn to read, please reach out to us.
We are thankful for the Park City Community Foundation and the many volunteers and sponsors who make this day of giving a success each year! And, we are grateful for all who support PC READS, as you are changing a child’s life by helping them learn to read.
Elissa Aten
PC READS executive director
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Letters, Oct. 30-Nov. 2: Readers are ready for Election Day - The Park Record
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