Hey everyone! Welcome back to another week of news here on Summit in Six! In today’s episode, we have details on next week’s Dakota Pacific public hearing, some election day reminders and lots of local environmentally-focused opportunities to learn and engage. Alright, let’s get into the news!

Council Recap – 10/30/24

Summit County Council will hold a public hearing regarding the Dakota Pacific development application on Thursday, November 7 at 5: 30 p.m. The public hearing will be held at the Newpark Hotel Conference Center (second floor). The public can also join and comment via Zoom. The Zoom ID number can be found in our show notes. (Zoom ID: 772 302 472)

Elections

The 2024 General Election is happening NEXT WEEK on Tuesday, November 5. For information on early voting, election day voting, and dropbox locations and hours, please visit summitcountyutah.gov/elections. As a reminder, if you plan to vote by mail, your ballot must be postmarked by MONDAY, November 4, 2024 – the day before Election Day.

Green Business Program Lunch + Learn

Join the Green Business program on November 13 from 12-1pm at the Blair Education Center for a Lunch and Learn to discuss sustainable commuting options for employees. During this session you will hear from City and County representatives about available incentives, the short and long term plans for reducing traffic, what local businesses are doing to address the traffic issue, and how your business can be a part of the solution. For more info and to sign up, visit recycleutah.org and go on their events page.

Be a Dark Sky Steward

Pollution of our natural environment is not limited to daytime hours only. Light pollution hinders access to viewing the starry night sky, and has negative impacts on our area’s beloved wildlife, human health and more. This is why your local leaders at both the city and county level have committed to encouraging dark sky-friendly lighting practices!

Need a New Year’s Resolution? Save our night sky! According to area development codes: by the end of this year, on December 31, 2024, all outdoor light bulbs in Park City and unincorporated Summit County must be 3,000 degrees Kelvin or less, and all outdoor lighting fixtures must be fully shielded and down-directed. If you have any questions about this ordinance, visit summitcounty.info/darkskies.

And if you want to dive even deeper on this topic, attend Recycle Utah’s next “Green Drinks” event on November 12 from 6-8pm at Park City Mountain’s Legacy Lodge. Attendees will hear from Axel Pearson of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory who will address the intersection of outdoor lighting and human health, energy efficiency opportunities and emerging research. Register for this event at recycleutah.org.

County Lands – Willow Planting

You’re invited to a Willow Planting event at the 910 Cattle Ranch next Wednesday, Nov. 6th from 9am – 2pm hosted by our County Lands and Natural Resources Department. This is a unique opportunity to help restore critical riparian areas and contribute to the long-term health of our local environment.

We will be cutting and planting willows, as well as planting up to 1,500 aspens along a tributary of East Canyon Creek to protect the streambank against erosion and improve wildlife habitat. The work will involve walking across uneven terrain and possibly working near or in water. To learn more about the event and sign up, please visit: summitcounty.info/willowplanting.



General Plan Activities

There is still time to participate and provide input on the Snyderville Basin and Eastern Summit County General Plan updates. Last year, the community identified 5 objectives to guide future planning and decision-making across Summit County. Now these surveys will be used to determine when, where, and how these objectives should be implemented. 

Visit https://summitcounty.info/gpupdates to get started. Surveys are open for both plans until November 18.