Live music hits Summit County stages

Greg Marshall
Posted: 07/10/2009 04:36:24 PM MDT

Nothing says summer in Park City more than free music.
Weekly concerts are slated for Deer Valley, Newpark, The Canyons and Quarry Village with smaller afternoon concerts playing daily on bandstands on Main Street and elsewhere.
The stages are programmed by Mountain Town Music and Park City Concerts. They offer a mix of regional, national and student bands.
Early turnout for shows at Deer Valley has been strong, according to Brian Richards, executive director of MTM. Disco Drippers, another MTM show, attracted a sizeable audience at The Canyons July 3.
The Canyons' Summer Concert Series doesn't officially begin until July 18, when Grace Potter & The Nocturnals takes the stage. In nearly 10 years of programming the stage, MTM has rarely booked the same act on The Canyons' stage.
"We're here for musicians," Richards said. "We want to give local artists the chance to play our stages" while showcasing lesser-known acts from out of town, Richards added.
Although Deer Valley's Snow Park Amphitheater and The Canyons remain the most trafficked music venues for people in Old Town, the Newpark plaza has broadened the scope of live music in the Snyderville Basin.
The stage is in the midst of its first full season. Concerts didn't start last summer at Newpark until the second week in July and "no one knew about us," Martin said.
This season has been a different story. Clumsy Lovers and Tim Wray attracted about 200 people despite rainy weather July 2, a strong turnout for early in the season, according to Martin. He expects some bands, like Erin Berra & New York Funk Exchange, to attract as many as 800 people. "Newpark is big enough it's a real celebration and small enough you're still close to the music," he explained.
Shows at Newpark run every Thursday.
Quarry Village, Park City Concert's other free summer stage, has also grown in stature as a local hangout for people who live near Kimball Junction, Martin said. It will host nine acts through late August. "
Free summer concerts abound in Park City

INFO BOX:
http://parkcityconcerts.org/
Wednesdays
Frontier Bank Community Concert Series
6-8 p.m. at Deer Valley's Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater
Thursdays
The Village Concert Series at Lower Main Street
6-8:30 p.m. at the Courtyard located next to
Newpark Town Center
7-9 p.m.
Saturdays
The Canyons Summer Concert Series
6-8:30 p.m.
Miner's Park Concert Series
Saturdays 1:30-3 p.m., then again from 3:30-5
Sundays
Concerts at Quarry Village
5-7 p.m.
Miner's Park Concert Series
Sundays 2:30-4, 4:30-6

Sweeney idea: build crucial stretch of sidewalk

Family outlines measure to keep pedestrians safe as a big meeting looms
by Jay Hamburger OF THE RECORD STAFF
Posted: 07/10/2009 04:36:26 PM MDT

In a bid to convince the Park City Planning Commission pedestrians will be kept safe once the Treasure development is built, the Sweeney family has tinkered with the ideas for the project, proposing what the family's side sees as a crucial stretch of sidewalk close to the Treasure site.
The idea comes as the Planning Commissioners and project opponents continue to deride the Treasure blueprints, and it was mentioned as another round of talks between the panel and the family approaches. An important meeting between the Sweeneys and the Planning Commission had been slated for late June but was delayed until July 22.
Pat Sweeney, who represents his family, said in an interview his side will present the plan for the sidewalk during the upcoming meeting. According to Sweeney, the new stretch of sidewalk will ensure a "convenient, safe" route for pedestrians close to Treasure.
Under the revised plans, the Sweeneys would build the sidewalk on the downhill side of Empire Avenue and then loop it to the uphill side of Lowell Avenue. The sidewalk would run between the Treasure site and the Resort Center. Sweeney calls it a "circular pedestrian system." There are generally not sidewalks at the location now.
"That way people can walk up or down the street," he said.
The project would be built on the slopes of Park City Mountain Resort just off the Empire Avenue-Lowell Avenue turnaround.
There have been widespread concerns among people who live along the nearby roads and Planning Commissioners about whether pedestrians can be kept safe once Treasure is built. The critics contend that the traffic heading to and from Treasure will endanger people walking on the roads.
The Sweeneys have thus far been unsuccessful in their efforts to convince the critics that the roads can be kept safe for pedestrians. People who live on streets like Lowell Avenue and Empire Avenue have shown wintertime pictures of cramped streets with little roadway available for two vehicles traveling in opposite directions to pass each other.
With the alterations that the Sweeneys expect to present to the Planning Commission, the family says it is confident as it prepares for the upcoming discussion with the panel.
"I feel good about what we're doing. I think it's an improvement on what we've proposed in the past," Sweeney said.
Meanwhile, the Sweeneys in recent weeks have emphasized the idea that Lowell Avenue should be the primary access to Treasure. In a document put on Treasure's Web site, the Sweeneys say Lowell Avenue is a "modern street" with houses required to have off-street parking. It says the former owner of the Treasure land helped finance the construction of Lowell Avenue years ago through assessments.
Other road upgrades outlined on the Web site include putting in more landscaping, limiting the width of travel lanes and enforcing lower speed limits on Lowell Avenue and Empire Avenue.
The Sweeneys hold longstanding rights for the Treasure development as part of an overall plan that dates to the 1980s and included nearby projects that have since been built.
The family is seeking an approval that allows a hotel with approximately 200 rooms and approximately 100 condominiums. They are also asking for 19,000 square feet of commercial space. Work force housing would also be built at the site.
The project, though, has perplexed the Planning Commission through the more than five years that the talks have been ongoing. The panel remains concerned that the project will have wide-ranging impacts on the neighborhood, with much of the discussions focused on traffic.
An agenda for the July 22 meeting had not been released by midweek. If Treasure is put on the agenda, it will likely be a well-attended meeting. Opponents have dominated recent hearings about Treasure.
The Sweeneys have made information available on the Treasure Web site in anticipation of the July 22 meeting. The address is www.treasureparkcity.com. Once at the site, select 'Presentations' and then select 'Traffic Presentation 7.22.2009 (Draft 1)" on the bottom of the left side of the page.

Owners dislike terms of repayment from David Holland Resort Lodging

Some say money should be promised without resigning

by Andrew Kirk, OF THE RECORD STAFF

Posted: 06/23/2009 04:15:31 PM MDT

There's a lot of grumbling going on about the most recent proposal from David Holland Resort Lodging to pay back condominium owners owed nightly rental income since February.

David Zatz, owner of the company, sent a letter to condominium owners Friday morning announcing a partnership with Phoenix Realty who will take equity ownership in the company.

As part of the new arrangement, Zatz is requesting owners agree to sign a three-year contract. Under the terms of that contract, owners will receive 75 percent of all rental revenue after fees and commissions. The company will hold at least 50 percent of advanced deposits in trust. Owners will be paid back for owed money in four installments of 25 percent, plus interest, with the first payment coming one month after signing. The three following payments will be made on March of each year through 2012.

But while owners willing to speak on the record are hard to find, they do want it said that they don't like being told the conditions upon which they'll receive money owed them.

Jim Jenkins, an owner in All Seasons who has only done rentals for one year, wants the company to acknowledge that.

"It doesn't matter to me that he's promised if I sign up with him for a new contract he will pay me for the old one. He still owes me the money whether I sign up with a new contract or not," he said Monday. "I think generally speaking, people in the rental program feel the same way. That's our money and he owes it whether or not we sign."  Although people on homeowner association boards have expressed patience and loyalty to Zatz in the past, none of those same people wanted to be quoted or could be reached for this story.

They're not the only ones. Zatz himself has not returned three requests for interviews in the past two weeks. Because of the silence, it is unclear if Zatz has a proposal for paying back owners who choose not to sign another contract.

Two owners filed in small claims court against the company on June 1, one for $2,000, the other for $5,650.

Detective Robert DeBotelho with the Park City Police Department said their investigation of a fraud and theft complaint against the company on May 8 for unpaid rental income is ongoing.

DeBotelho said he's mostly waiting to see what Zatz does to resolve the issue himself.

County attorney David Brickey said that's wise because like other disputes over failure to pay for a product or service, the best cure for everyone is a civil resolution. It's sound advice to wait and see what happens, Brickey said.

"As far as we're concerned, we're looking at it on an individual level," DeBotelho said.

In addition to the letter sent Friday, Zatz included the new contract to read and presumably sign as well as a "contract comparison matrix" comparing the services and promises offered by his company to those offered by ResortQuest, Lespri and Park City Lodging to argue that his company is worth sticking with.

In the letter, Zatz promotes his proposal as a good resolution.

"This is good news for all," Zatz wrote in the letter. "The contract we have provided is a big departure from our previous contract based largely on the feedback we have received from unit owners and the changing rental management playing field in Park City."

Mountain Town Music concerts begin for summer.

Silver Star will begin hosting bands in July

Greg Marshall, Of the Record staff

Posted: 06/19/2009 04:37:02 PM MDT

Click photo to enlarge

John Boy's Mule.

The summer of love starts Saturday for Parkites who love free concerts.

Joy & Eric, a favorite duo in town, plays Miners Park Plaza June 20 at 1:30 p.m. The kickoff is one of about 100 shows that will play free of charge at stages across Summit County through August thanks to Mountain Town Music, the nonprofit organization formerly known as Mountain Town Stages.

Mountain Town announced its new moniker Tuesday to represent a broadened mission of education, outreach and support for musical talent and audiences. "We wanted to get the word out about who were are and what we do," said Jack Walzer, president of the board of trustees. "We are more than just a platform for musicians. He listed sing/songwriter workshops and jam sessions at the top of his wishlist.

Mountain Town programs summer concerts with local acts at Woodenshoe Park in Peoa, The Village Stage on lower Main Street and Miners Park in Park City as well as a popular home concert series. A new music series at Zoom restaurant comes to town this year.

Mountain Town's crown jewels, though, are weekly shows at Deer Valley's Snow Park Amphitheater and The Forum at The Canyons. The Frontier Bank Free Concert Series at Deer Valley begins Wednesday at 6 p.m. with Rich Wyman.

The Forum at The Canyons returns with Disco Drippers July 3, a new-fangled tradition on the eve of Independence Day. The show starts at 7 p.m.

Student bands from will open for Wyman and other Wednesday acts at Deer Valley. The groups will be selected from Paul Green's School of Rock, the Kimball's recent Battle of the Bands competition and other sources, according to Brian Richards, executive director of Mountain Town Music.

Sound checks, staging and the chance to play with professional musicians are some of the perks of the program. "We've never done this before," Richards said. "It's been an organic process. I wanted to get younger kids out there so they can feel the power of being on stage and making music. If we make one kid want to become a rock star, we've done our job."

Richards wants to reach out to the old as well as the young. He plans to dispatch bands to care facilities and serenade new arrivals to Summit County. "We're still doing all the things we've always done. We're just adding different elements," Richards said.

"We want to be a central resource for everyone who does live music in town." Mountain Town manages parkcitylivemusic.com, a website with weekly live music listings, and a profile site for bands called gigsdirect.com.

With the Peoa stage scheduled for construction for much of the summer, Mountain Town plans to offer free concerts at a new stage in the Silver Star development, adjacent to the Park City Municipal Golf Course, beginning in July. "Having a new venue is kind of exciting," Walzer said.

Richards said he is perhaps most proud of Miners Park and the Village stages on Main Street, which will boast largely fresh lineups compared to previous years.

"We want to be really inclusive," Richards said. Inclusiveness has meant partnering with other nonprofits to weather lean economic times. "We have so many great musicians and artists, we just want to provide venues for them," Richards concluded.

Accompanying the name change is a new logo. The silhouette of an old-fashioned microphone sits in the middle of a yellow crest. "Visually, it's going to give people an idea of who we are and what we do," Walzer said. For now, although the name has changed, the website remains the same. Check out mountaintownstages.org for a complete list of shows, home concerts and upcoming events.

Calendar

The Canyons

Except for Disco Drippers, shows start at 6 p.m.

July 3, Disco Drippers 7 p.m.

July 18, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

July 25, Band Of Heathens

Aug. 1, Georgia Satellites

Aug. 8, Shannon Curfman

Aug. 15, Panjea With Michael Kang

August 22, The Wilders

Aug. 29, The Mother Hips

Deer Valley

June 24 Aug. 26

June 24, Rich Wyman, 6 p.m.

July 8, Fat Paw, 6 p.m.

July 22, Swagger, 6 p.m.

July 29, Mary Beth Maziarz (with Wild Honey), 6 p.m.

Aug. 12, Sin City Soul, 6 p.m.

Aug. 19, Coverdogs, 6 p.m.

Aug. 26, The Detonators, 6 p.m.

Canyons golf course still in sand trap

Delays could mean some developers are in default

Patrick Parkinson, Of the Record staff

Posted: 06/19/2009 04:37:09 PM MDT

Development of a golf course at The Canyons is stalled.

Lack of financing and major disputes between stakeholders mire the embattled deal as Summit County officials work toward determining who is at fault. Property owners have been at each other's throats for years.

Some blame Wolf Mountain Resorts Managing Partner Kenny Griswold, who owns much of the land at the resort, which he leased to the defunct American Skiing Co., for The Canyons more than a decade ago. Critics say Griswold has stymied growth at the resort by not conveying land and easements he agreed to provide for the golf course.

Griswold refutes those claims.

Others blame the resort. The development agreement required the publicly traded American Skiing Company, former parent company to The Canyons, to complete the golf course at The Canyons in 2002.

With the county cracking down at the resort, within the next few weeks some landowners could be in default of their development agreements for not providing the golf course.

Property owners came together in the late 1990s to form The Canyons Specially Planned Area, which included an 18-hole course and millions of square feet of commercial and residential space.

"It was anticipated that golf would go in first," deputy Summit County attorney Jami Brackin said. "Golf completion was required but did not occur."

All construction at the resort was expected to be complete within 15 years, Brackin said, adding that 10 years later less than a third of The Canyons is built.

Government officials are investigating to determine if any parties have defaulted on their contracts with the county. But at an enforcement hearing Thursday it was unclear whether The Canyons Resort Village Management Association, which oversees course construction, has enough money to even build nine holes.

A crowd filled the Sheldon Richins Building auditorium as the county grilled stakeholders at The Canyons for nearly six hours.

Because he is currently litigating against Summit County, Wolf Mountain Resorts attorney Paul Peters said he refused to answer many questions in a testy exchange with deputy Summit County attorney David Thomas and interim Summit County Manager Brian Bellamy.

What may be preventing the start of golf course construction is conveyance of a land easement by Wolf Mountain in the West Willow Draw area of The Canyons.

"What's holding that up?" Bellamy asked Peters.

Peters replied: "I believe a mediation between the county and Wolf Mountain would be a good start."

The Canyons had hopes of becoming a world-class four-season resort in the Park City area.

But the current plan for four par-3 holes on the back nine makes the golf course shoddy, Peters contended.

"A standard golf course typically only has 2 par 3s in any given nine," Peters explained. "Wolf Mountain believes this is a substandard design."

The design has changed since Griswold agreed to it a decade ago. The Toronto-based Talisker Corp. development firm is now overseeing course construction since buying The Canyons from American Skiing Co.

The agreement at The Canyons doesn't require Talisker to build a "world-class" golf course at the resort, said Mark Thorne, a Talisker senior vice president.

"Where possible we would keep the arid natural vegetation," Thorne said about the par 71 design. "This golf course gives some nice generous landing areas off the tees and it doesn't play overly long."

The golf course is essential to making The Canyons a summer destination spot, Thorne said in a prepared statement Friday.

"Talisker and The Canyons have worked diligently and at great expense to meet all of their obligations with respect to the golf course, but [Wolf Mountain] has not lived up to its obligations to grant land or easements for road access to adjacent landowners," Thorne said.

Meanwhile, Summit County has stopped Talisker from developing at The Canyons until golf-course construction occurs.

Despite not controlling all the land necessary for the course, the Resort Village Management Association hopes to break ground by grading some holes this summer, said Jen Guetschow, the executive director of the RVMA.

But finding financing to complete an 18-hole course will be difficult without all the land, Guetschow said, adding that Wolf Mountain Resorts is the only entity that has not met its contractual obligations.

But Griswold countered that even 10 years ago American Skiing Co. did not have enough money to build the golf course.

"A golf course was the last thing on their mind," Griswold said, adding that ASC borrowed money 10 years ago to stay afloat. "When you're losing your home, you're not planning on building a brand new swimming pool."

David Holland Resort Lodging close to making new deal with owners

Some complain proposal is too restrictive, not good enough

by Andrew Kirk, of The Record staff

Posted: 06/19/2009 04:39:17 PM MDT

David Zatz appears to be close to working out a resolution with his unpaid owners through their contracts with his David Holland Resort Lodging company. He sent a letter to condominium owners on Friday announcing a partnership with Phoenix Realty who will take equity ownership in the company.

As part of the new arrangement, Zatz is requesting owners agree to sign a three-year contract. Under the terms of that contract, owners will receive 75 percent of all rental revenue after fees and commissions. The company will hold at least 50 percent of advanced deposits in trust. Owners will be paid back for owed money in four installments of 25 percent, plus interest, with the first payment coming one month after signing. The three following payments will be made on March of each year through 2012.

"This is good news for all," Zatz wrote in the letter. "The contract we have provided is a big departure from our previous contract based largely on the feedback we have received from unit owners and the changing rental management playing field in Park City."

Not all owners are excited about being locked into the company through June 30, 2012, or being told the circumstances of payment for money owed.

In addition to the letter and a new contract to sign, Zatz also sent owners a "contract comparison matrix" comparing the services and promises offered by his company to those offered by ResortQuest, Lespri and Park City Lodging to argue that his company is worth sticking with.

The Canyons is back in the spotlight

Landowners asked to explain why golf course is still not built

Patrick Parkinson, Of the Record staff

Posted: 06/16/2009 04:55:46 PM MDT

A highly anticipated golf course at The Canyons remains in a holding pattern.

Despite efforts at cooling tensions between landowners at The Canyons, Summit County, which enforces the resort's complex development agreement, has been unable to help jumpstart construction of the golf course.

"Everyone is suing everybody else," interim Summit County Manager Brian Bellamy said about the stalled project.

A patchwork of roughly 25 Snyderville Basin property owners came together in the late 1990s to form The Canyons Specially Planned Area, which required the golf course be constructed in 2002.

"There isn't one down there yet," Bellamy said in a telephone interview.

At a hearing Thursday he will ask stakeholders why. The meeting is scheduled June 18 at 9 a.m. at the Sheldon Richins Building, 6505 N. Landmark Drive.

Penalties could be discussed for anyone who hasn't fulfilled their development obligations for roads and the golf course at The Canyons, according to Bellamy.

"We want to find out why it isn't there and what it's going to take to get it done," Bellamy said about the course. "They all signed an agreement back in 1999 and we're just trying to gather information on where they are and what they're doing and what they need to do to move forward."

When The Canyons formed, Summit County approved millions of square-feet of commercial and residential development at the resort. Talisker Corp., which purchased The Canyons from the defunct American Skiing Company, could violate the development agreement if the golf course is not built.

Property owners agreed to build the course through a series of complex land transactions.

"I would imagine there are some who have done everything they said they were going to do, and there are others who have not quite gotten there," Bellamy said. "If not, we want to find out why not."

Bickering among the landowners has usually scuttled past announcements that resort officials were close to breaking ground on the golf course.

"Maybe not everybody has ponied up their land. Maybe not everybody has ponied up their money," Bellamy said. "I don't know who is in default, if anybody is."

Tim Vetter, who is The Canyons vice president for community affairs, said he plans to attend the hearing Thursday. The Canyons is entwined in litigation with Wolf Mountain Resorts, which leases ski terrain to the company.

Meanwhile, creating more summer amenities like golf at The Canyons could help the resort function lucratively all year, said Lee Hindin, who developed Dakota Mountain Lodge at The Canyons.

"I'm hopeful that it just takes getting the people together. I know all the people, they all have good intentions," Hindin said in a telephone interview.

Hindin did not comment about landowner disputes at The Canyons.

"I don't know that anybody is trying to hold this up," Hindin said. "A golf course at The Canyons makes so much sense to me."

Wolf Mountain Resorts attorney Victoria Fitlow insists her client, which is one of the major stakeholders at the resort, has fulfilled its obligations by already conveying land for the golf course.

"[Summit County] sued us for the land and we gave them the land and the suit was dismissed," Fitlow said. "I know Wolf Mountain has given up all the land we're supposed to give up."

A Talisker official was not immediately available for comment.