July Letter from the CWC

During each monthly public meeting, the CWC Executive Director delivers a staff report to the Commission on all that CWC staff accomplished or made progress with during the preceding month. Please see below for the July report. By sharing these reports with you through the website, we hope to continue the tradition of transparency and engagement

July Overview

In July, the Central Wasatch Commission staff moved forward on the next draft of Congressional legislation, worked with its transportation partners on the Cottonwood Canyons Transportation Action Plan, made progress with the Environmental Dashboard, met with its Stakeholders Council, and continued interaction and communication with Central Wasatch Mountain interests, community groups, and individuals. Blake Perez began work with the Central Wasatch Commission as Deputy Director, and member jurisdictions began making respective annual contributions to the Central Wasatch Commission.

Stakeholders Council

During the July Stakeholders Council meeting, UDOT project manager. John Thomas and CWC Executive Director Ralph Becker presented on the work and progress of the Cottonwood Canyons Transportation Action Plan, and the Little Cottonwood Canyon Environmental Impact Statement, and engaged stakeholders in a discussion about the process and intended outcomes for the projects.

Stakeholder Brian Hutchinson updated the Stakeholders Council on the progress of the Millcreek Canyon Shuttle subcommittee. At the initial meetings of the Millcreek Canyon Shuttle subcommittee, the subcommittee identified three immediate needs, including incentivizing shuttle use through tollbooth fee restructuring, additional exploration into a shuttle fee structure and crowd management mechanism, and improved safety and in-canyon maneuverability.

The Stakeholders Council meetings are the third Wednesday of every month from 3-5 p.m. at Cottonwood Heights City Hall in the Community Room. These meetings are open to the public, and we encourage you to attend. If you would like to listen to these meetings, you may access the each meeting recording on the Utah Public Notice website.

Transportation

CWC staff continued to work closely with jurisdictional and transportation agency partners on the Little Cottonwood Canyon Environmental Impact Statement, and the Cottonwood Canyons Transportation Action Plan. Analysis for parking, tolling, transit, and other considerations continued through the month of July.

CWNCRA

Work on a new draft of the legislation continued as staff and partners are reworking the Draft to  implement technical and possible substantive changes to the bill. After the new draft is released, there will be a robust public comment period before bringing a new Draft of the legislation for CWC Board recommendations.

Environmental Dashboard

After the University of Utah and the Central Wasatch Commission both signed the interlocal agreement directing work on the Environmental Dashboard project, Jim Ehleringer assembled a team of biologists to assist his work bringing the environmental indicators that provide the framework for the dashboard — soil, water, air, plants and wildlife, and ecosystems to completion. Throughout the month of July, steps were taken to set up the contract administratively in order for substantive work to begin in August. Phase 1 of the project is projected to finish in November/December 2019. Phase 2 will begin after the start of 2020.

Administration

Blake Perez began his work Deputy Director for the Central Wasatch Commission on July 22nd. CWC staff took steps to hire an office manager and a Utah-based government affairs consultant. It is expected that those roles will be filled during August and September. The Central Wasatch Commission began grassroots outreach efforts at community events, including the Range to River Relay race in July, with outreach efforts continuing into August and September. Additional GRAMA requests have been responded to, public comments have been recorded and responses prepared, and administrative costs have been carefully monitored.

CWC staff will deliver this report to the full Commission during the August public meeting, happening Monday, August 5th, 4:00 — 6:00 p.m. at Cottonwood Heights City Hall. We hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Chris, Ralph, Blake, and Lindsey