May Letter From the CWC
May 2019
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 May report. By sharing these reports with you through the website, we hope to continue the tradition of transparency and engagement.
May Overview
In May, the Central Wasatch Commission staff started the hiring process for both a Deputy Director and a Community Engagement Intern. Both of those processes will continue into June. CWC staff made significant strides working with UDOT on the Cottonwood Canyons Transportation Action Plan, formally moved into the office space at the Gateway, began drafting the Environmental Dashboard Interlocal Agreement with DIGIT Lab, with work anticipated to begin July 1st, moved forward on the next draft of Congressional legislation, and continued interaction with Central Wasatch Mountain interests, community groups, and individuals.
Stakeholders Council
During the May Stakeholders Council meeting, Stakeholders Council Chair Greg Summerhays reviewed the Stakeholders Council Rules and Procedures, and Central Wasatch Commission Board Chair Chris McCandless reviewed the CWC 2019 Objectives. The Stakeholders engaged in a conversation about carrying and visitor capacity in the Cottonwood Canyons as a follow-up to the Stakeholders Council’s initial carrying capacity discussion during the April meeting. Representatives from the Forest Service will present on carrying capacity to the full Commission during the July 1st board meeting. Greg Summerhays, Chair of the Stakeholders Council will update the CWC Board on the outcomes of the May Stakeholders Council meeting during the June CWC Board meeting.
The Stakeholders Council meetings are open to the public. If you would like to listen to these meetings, you may access the each meeting recording on the Utah Public Notice website.
Transportation
The scoping and comment period for the revised Little Cottonwood Canyon Environmental Impact Statement opened on March 5th, and was extended until June 14th. UDOT released a revised Notice of Intent on the National Register that includes the consideration of a dedicated transit lane for Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Environmental Dashboard
In May, CWC staff worked with University partners to re-scope the work necessary to bring the project to completion. Staff and representatives from the University of Utah will proceed with an Interlocal Agreement, which will stipulate the scope of services to be provided, timeline for work, and the designated research group housed within the University of Utah that will be primarily responsible for carrying the project to completion. The Interlocal agreement will allow for the primary organization to partner with secondary organizations as necessary to complete the project. The draft Interlocal Agreement is under review by University departments, and it is anticipated that it will be ready for review and approval by the CWC Board during the July 1st CWC Board meeting.
CWNCRA Legislation
Staff worked with partners to redraft the Central Wasatch National Conservation Recreation Area Act. This will be the third redraft of the legislation, and will be ready for release after a summary of changes is drafted. The anticipated release for the summary of changes and the new draft of the legislation is mid-June. Once the new legislation is released, CWC staff will open a 30-day comment period.
Outreach
CWC staff met with the Park City Council, the Sandy City Council, and other community groups to present the work of the CWC and answer questions on the CWNCRA, transportation studies, the environmental dashboard, and other issues. If you are a part of a community group and would like CWC staff to present, please get in touch with the staff to coordinate.
Administration
Construction on CWC office space at the Gateway reached completion, and staff moved into the space. The May 6th Board meeting was live-streamed, and future CWC Board meetings will also be live-streamed. The live stream will be accessible from the CWC website.
CWC staff will deliver this report to the full Commission during the June public meeting, happening Monday, June 3rd, 4 — 6 p.m. at Cottonwood Heights City Hall. We hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Chris, Ralph, Jesse, and Lindsey
