Collage by Dan Mabbutt
On October 26, the Springdale Town Council rejected a proposal from the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah bicycle race to be a host city. However, regardless of this action by the Town Council, Zion National Park had already previously approved the use of the park for the race, and in the regular meeting of the Springdale Town Council on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the issue arose once again in the form of a proposed resolution: that the Town Council of the Town of Springdale supports and welcomes the 2016 Tour of Utah to Springdale.
Springdale Mayor Stan Smith opened the discussion by telling those in attendance that he had received an email accusing him and the other members of the Council of not listening or caring about the transportation problems in Springdale. Smith said that he had spent countless hours meeting with congressmen, county officials, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and others. Smith said that providing the infrastructure the town needed was a “huge problem” and that the Tour of Utah in Springdale would draw more attention to the situation. Smith said he spent 45 minutes talking to Herbert as a result of the Council’s vote to reject the Tour of Utah. The Governor asked if the money the town receives should go to advertising or infrastructure, and Smith said he replied, “Without a doubt, it should go into infrastructure.” Smith added that the County has also promised money to help out Springdale.
Smith then announced that it won’t be necessary for Springdale to host the Tour or be financially responsible in any way because Zion Canyon Village and Cable Mountain Lodge have volunteered to take on that responsibility and that the resolution was only a non-binding statement of support. After Springdale rejected the proposed hosting agreement in October, Zion Canyon Village and the Tour met and reached a preliminary agreement for Zion Canyon Village to host the Tour instead. However, both groups wanted to know if the Tour would be welcomed in Springdale. The resolution before the Council was intended to clear that up.
Smith concluded his appeal in favor of the resolution by stating that the one thing that he doesn’t want to happen is for the discussion to tear the town apart.
Mike Alltucker said he still supported the Tour and that he had a hard time understanding the animus toward this event when other events impact the town more. He said that it was easy to be against things, but he thought that the resolution of support will start to “rebuild our political capital” with the State, Zion National Park, Washington County, and the bike groups which he said would be most important in the future.
Town Manager Rick Wixom noted that Zion National Park had asked that the lines in the proposed resolution highlighting the connection of the Tour of Utah with the National Park Centennial be deleted.
Smith was under no obligation to allow public comments in the meeting, but he announced that he would take them anyway. He appealed to the audience to keep them short and to the point.
Springdale resident Marcel Rodriguez said he was disappointed that this had come up again since the people and the Council had already spoken. He said that it didn’t seem democratic to him. The support of Canyon Village didn’t change the impact of the Tour on the town, and he considered the resolution to be an “end run” on the will of the people. Rodriguez said that the Mayor had appealed to the people of the town to come to Council meetings so their voice could be heard and that reversing this decision now sent the wrong message.
“There is no point in coming to these meetings because we don’t have a say,” Rodriguez said.
Betina Lindsey asked if approval of the resolution would make it possible for the Tour of Utah to obtain a permit. Smith and Town Manager Rick Wixom said they could get a temporary use permit just like any other organization.
Lindsey said that when the Tour went through Park City, “it was a mad house.”
Town Councilor Bill Weyher said that the reason three members of the Council voted against hosting the Tour was the problems it would cause and additional attention Springdale would get.
“We can’t handle crowds we have now, and that hasn’t changed,” Weyher said. He said most of the public comments supported that opinion.
Matt Rayner, who had been a racer for ten years in events like this, said that Park City was known as a “stage finish,” confirming that they are chaotic like Lindsey said but that “stage starts” are more ceremonial and wouldn’t be anything like the chaos that Lindsey saw in Park City.
Alltucker said that the Tour would happen with or without the resolution, and he made a motion to approve the resolution.
The motion died for lack of a second, and the Springdale Town Council moved on to the next agenda item.
The Independent will continue to follow this story.
Ed. note: Since the publication of this article, Mayor Smith has been in communication with The Independent and expressed the fact that while his statements at the Nov. 10 meeting seemed to indicate he had spoken directly with Gov. Herbert, he actually only spoke with someone at the Governor’s office.
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Seems like Springdale already spoke their preference on this and now some businesses are throwing their weight around so they can make money on the deal. What does “rebuild our political capital” with the State, Zion National Park, Washington County, and the bike groups mean anyway? Springdale can’t keep up with the visitation it experiences now and rebuilding political capital is needed? Come on! There are other places where these events can be held. Perhaps you should head for Kanab. They’re not nearly as overrun as Springdale – at least not yet – and they’re building a new hotel. People will have places to stay, bike. Let Springdale have a rest for Pete’s sake!