Mountain Accord Calls For Public Feedback
Mar 06, 2015 10:31AM ● By City Journals Staff
By Blakely Gull Capital West News
The public recently had the opportunity to review and discuss Mountain Accord’s recently released blueprint to transform the Utah experience.
Mountain Accord is a nonprofit collaboration of stakeholders committed to solutions to preserve and ensure the long-term viability of the Central Wasatch Mountains.
The first public meeting on the blueprint which was held at Cottonwood High School, allowed Mountain Accord developers, including government agencies, ski resorts and conservation groups, to hear the public’s critiques of their proposed plans.
Mountain Accord’s blueprint proposals include:
• A connected trail network linking the Wasatch Front and Wasatch Back• A mountain rail running up Little Cottonwood Canyon• A tunnel linking Alta and Brighton• An aerial tram or tunnel connecting Brighton to Park City• Rapid transit buses running up Parley’s, Millcreek and Big Cottonwood Canyons• Faster transit from Salt Lake City International Airport to Park City• Safety and access improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians• Implementation of transit incentives and disincentives including strategies for paid parking
Public comment is vital to Mountain Accord’s process, said Laynee Jones, program manager for the organization. “It’s important for the movers and shakers in Mountain Accord to hear the public’s concerns during each step of the process, especially now (that) there is a proposed blueprint in place.”
Since beginning in early 2014 Mountain Accord has held many public Q&A sessions in an effort to better understand what Utahns want for the future of the Wasatch Front.
“We want to address problems today that will affect our future 100 years from now,” Jones said.
Cottonwood Heights Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore, a member of Mountain Accord’s executive committee, continually urges community members to participate in the process.
“The mountains belong to all of us, and we have the chance to express our ideas, concerns, and hopes for their continued use,” he said. “Together, we can shape the future of the mountains we proudly call home.”
“People care about these issues,” Jones said. “We wanted to give people that voice.”
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill share concerns with Mountain Accord over transportation issues facing the state.
“My biggest takeaway [with UTA] is you can’t as a policy maker pick one mode of transportation. We as a state can’t just say that everything by way of getting around will be by roads,” said Speaker of the House and former UTA Chairman, Greg Hughes, R-Draper. “It’s not one or the other, it’s a multimodal infrastructure and you have all of them complement each other.”
Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, another member of Mountain Accord’s executive committee, said that Mountain Accord’s blueprint for the future seeks to find a balance between wilderness preservation, watershed protection, recreation, and economic opportunities, while finding solutions to Utah’s transportation and mobility issues.
We “still have concerns about some of the transportation proposals,” said Carl Fisher, Save Our Canyons executive director, and another contributing member on Mountain Accord’s executive board. Still, they like the direction the board is moving, he said. All contributing members hope public feedback will help in determining what is best for Utah, and that it will help Mountain Accord find an acceptable balance between recreational uses, new modes of transportation, and preservation.
