Canyons Village: A Disturbance

The report from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office regarding the Canyons Village incident is, frankly, tedious. A phoned threat to a restaurant—a distraction, naturally—requiring a full response from both deputies and the Park City Fire District. One expects a certain level of…enthusiasm for chaos in this county, but the expenditure of manpower on a false alarm feels particularly wasteful. Simultaneously, multiple reports of impaired drivers along S.R. 224, U.S. 40, and Interstate 80 demonstrate a consistent lack of judgment, necessitating UDOT resources for vehicle impoundment and Summit County Jail personnel for processing. Old Highway 40 continues to be a magnet for regrettable decisions, evidenced by the open container citation. One notes the repeated impoundments; perhaps The Marsac Building should revisit parking regulations near entertainment venues? These are not emergencies, they are avoidable inconveniences. A competent system anticipates, and then eliminates, such bottlenecks. The color palette of these incidents—safety-orange barrels along the highway, the faded municipal beige of the Sheriff’s vehicles—is relentlessly depressing. The answer, of course, is layered access. A private helicopter to One Ski Hill Place, or, for the marginally less discerning, a bypass via Richardson Flat and the High Valley Transit bus system.