Transportation & Environment Issue: Changes to 900 West cause controversy • Pg. 3 TRAX Air Quality Monitoring Project • Pg. 6 The West View www.westviewmedia.org Community news focused on west Salt Lake City Winter 2018 Air quality not a priority for major players at recent Utah Inland Port discussion By Liesa Manuel businesses are drawn to a concen- Office of Economic Development trated area, and significantly impact and the Salt Lake City Department tah’s proposed state-spon- that area. of Economic Development. sored inland port would The subject of the Salt Lake The implication throughout the comprise about 20,000 Valley’s air quality was not a key panel discussion of the inland port Uacres of mostly unused land, in- focus of discussion at the Utah was that changing the state’s busi- cluding wetlands, in Salt Lake City’s World Trade Center’s annual Global ness freight model was an essential northwest quadrant. An inland Forum in November, but it was priority for Utah’s future success port is a trade hub of commercial mentioned in a breakout session and that increased rail traffic was transportation options – train, discussing the Utah Inland Port. It the focus of the port project. truck, and air – with links to was not the stated topic of discus- Robert Grow, CEO of Envision major seaports. Inland ports have sion at any other session during Utah (a non-profit dedicated to the infrastructure and customs roughly six hours of the Utah growth planning) moderated the operations to handle high volumes Global Forum, although sponsors panel. The members included of freight. Therefore, a variety of included the Utah Governor’s Lance Bullen, Managing Partner of Colmena group, a major property developer in the quadrant; Lara Fritts, Director of Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Develop- ment; Inland Port Authority Board member Wade Garrett of the Utah Farm Bureau; and Darin Parker, Managing Director of Parker-Mi- gliori, a large Utah-based meat exporter. Bullen, whose company spon- sored the forum, described Utah’s project as an “intellectual idea.” He also said, “I don’t think that we can afford not to do the inland port because of air quality,” adding later, PHOTO BY MICHAEL EVANS “Trucks will come anyway...Rail Since the 2002 Olympics, the LDS Church Office Buillding Plaza in PHOTO BY DAVID RICKETTS beats any form of transit.” downtown Salt Lake City has featured international Christmas Nativity Light smog covers the valley below the Utah State Capitol at the beginning of the Grow challenged the panel displays made by many hands from around the world. inversion season in mid-November. Inland Port opponents fear that the project will SEE MORE HOLIDAY PHOTOS ON PAGES 10 & 11 SEE INLAND PORT PAGE 17 worsen air quality. PG 2 WWW.WESTVIEWMEDIA.ORG THE WEST VIEW STAFF be pleased to know of the recent west side that has the potential to From the Editor announcement of Salt Lake City dramatically aff ect our air quality and UTA’s partnership to bring and the amount of traffi c on our WINTER 2018 ABOUT US increased bus service to the city, roads and rails. Th is future global Th e West View is a product and more specifi cally, to the city’s distribution trade hub has been EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/ of West View Media, a non- west side. billed as the largest economic de- EDITOR profi t, 501(c)(3) community And, with the addition of new velopment project in Utah’s history. Charlotte Fife-Jepperson news organization that off ers an transportation options, such as It is our hope that this issue will authentic look into Salt Lake City’s e-scooters and bikes from com- get you thinking about transpor- DESIGN/LAYOUT west side through stories written panies Bird and Lime, that fi rst tation and how it relates to our Vegor Pedersen primarily by community members. (or last) mile between home and quality of life and our environment. CONTRIBUTORS TRAX just got a little easier. Published quarterly, Th e West Atticus Agustin View is mailed to 22,000 homes Th ere are also some conveniences Michael Evans and businesses throughout the of living on the west side, such as Charlotte Fife-Jepperson Fairpark, Glendale, Rose Park, By Charlotte Fife-Jepperson the proximity to downtown and Evan George Westpointe, Jordan Meadows and the airport, and convenient access Marcie Goodman inter is upon us, and to the Jordan River Parkway trail Th e West View off ers an authen- Sky Hatter Poplar Grove neighborhoods. An along with the joy of for transportation or recreational tic look into an area of Salt Lake Pamela Holman additional 2,000 copies are hand- Cameron Jepperson distributed to local businesses and the season, it can bring purposes. City that has traditionally been public spaces in nearby areas. Wincreased traffi c and winter inver- With our valley’s winter inver- undervalued and misrepresented. Chad Jepperson Liesa Manuel sions. Th is Winter Issue focuses sions, transportation and air qual- We strive to do this not only with Daniel Mendoza STORY SUBMISSIONS on transportation, mobility, and ity are inextricably related. Some professional staff , but also by em- Justice Morath If you would like to contribute environmental issues that aff ect Salt community members are doing powering people who live and work Marilyn Shelton a story to Th e West View, please Lake City’s west side. their part to reduce emissions into in west Salt Lake City to tell their Nigel Swaby pitch your story idea to our Getting around the city as a our air by using public transit or own stories, in their own voice. Ann Pineda Community Newsroom by west-sider can be challenging – bicycles, or carpooling. If you live or work on the west David Ricketts sending an email to wvm.editors@ trains inevitably delay travel in In this issue, you’ll read about a side of Salt Lake City, or care about gmail.com. Include your full multiple directions, bus service is project that monitors air quality this community, we invite you to COPY EDITORS name, address and phone number. less than adequate, and unless you from the top of moving TRAX get involved – as a writer, photog- Charlotte Fife-Jepperson You will be invited to attend a Liesa Manuel live near North Temple, TRAX is trains. You’ll also read about a huge rapher, volunteer, board member, Community Newsroom meeting Robert Trishman not easily accessible. planned industrial project called or donor. to discuss story ideas and to However, public transit users will the inland port on Salt Lake City’s Together, WE are Th e West View. receive feedback from newsroom BOARD OF DIRECTORS participants. Troy Mumm, Chair Davey Davis, Vice Chair Th e West View reserves the right to Jason Stevenson, Secretary edit all submissions and letters for Joseph Arrington libel, slander, clarity and length. WARM UP IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN Turner Bitton All submissions become the Dorothy Owen property of Th e West View upon publishing. OUR MISSION To strengthen community identity, CONTRIBUTORS WANTED! increase civic involvement, and Th e West View invites you to join foster social justice for the diverse our Community Newsroom to community members in west Salt help produce content for future Lake City. issues. All Community Newsroom meetings are held on the third FIND US ONLINE Tuesday, 6-8 p.m. and the third Visit our website at Friday, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. of every www.westviewmedia.org. month. Location is subject to “Like” our West View Media change. Facebook page, follow West View For more info and to RSVP, email Media on Twitter, and “thewestview” [email protected] or call on Instagram. 385-355-0910. TO GIVE FEEDBACK Th e West View welcomes comments, suggestions and corrections. Contact us at: [email protected] or 385-355-0910 or P.O. Box 271516, SLC, UT 84127 Valda E. Tarbet Ice Rink THE WEST VIEW WWW.WESTVIEWMEDIA.ORG PG 3 AERIAL PHOTO BY CAMERON JEPPERSON Traffic backs up for blocks on Dec. 5 around 5 p.m. because of a blocked railroad crossing at South Temple. Changes to 900 West remain contentious topic in the community By Atticus Agustin cons, and bulb-outs were installed. have difficulty finding a gap in traf- If there is a train stopped at South tional crash data to this page every Additional Reporting By The point was to make the street a fic to enter the main roadway. Temple, then cars traveling north six months.” Charlotte Fife-Jepperson safer place for different modes of Michael Clára, a Glendale get backed up for several blocks.” According to Jonathan Larsen, transportation, including motorists, resident and community organizer Torres has noticed a large increase Director of Salt Lake City’s Division ommuting on 900 West pedestrians and bicyclists. employed by Crossroads Urban in accidents as well, especially of Transportation, it’s still unclear if has changed ever since Salt The 900 West project runs from Center, is a vocal critic of the road between 200 and 300 South. She the rise in rear-end accidents are a Lake City’s lane reconfig- North Temple all the way to 1700 diet. Through the Poplar Grove attributes the accidents to drivers direct cause of the road diet, adding Curation project was completed in South. Similar projects, or “road Neighborhood Alliance, a group who are in a hurry to get home that the cause could be a combina- November of 2017. Some commu- diets” as they are called, have been that he organized, Clára represents from work and who are not paying tion of more people following too nity members disapprove of the completed in other U.S.