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The Lady and the
Tram
by James Bohne
“Well, it’s a double-edged sword. I
mean I could never have this place if it wasn’t
for all the visitors, but it’s just not the
same town anymore.” It was a long time ago
and the lady’s name was Michelle, the
chestnuthaired owner of a second-floor bistro on
14th Street in downtown Steamboat Springs, Colo.
It was a slow morning at the bistro as I watched
the evening snow shower breaking up and satisfied
myself that the ski-mountain would open. The lady
and I spoke on and off during breakfast about how
the town had grown as a destination resort. I
engaged her in conversation as she took down my
contact information on the charge slip. I left
quickly to test my skill and stamina on the
slopes, leaving my credit card behind on the
counter. It was a calculated risk. Maybe she
would call to return it. If not, I’d simply
have to return to claim it. Either way, I would
know more about her story.
Ogden is a lot larger than Steamboat Springs and
located further from its neighboring ski
mountains. It will never experience the kind of
direct impacts of resort growth, as have other
western ski towns. In fact, Ogden is in
competition with Ogden Valley, Park City and Salt
Lake City for any economic spillover benefits
from the newly developed Snowbasin Resort. If
Ogden wants to benefit from tourism, it will have
to provide its own attraction. Nonetheless, the
nearby frontal mountains and local ski areas are
a major selling point for Ogden. They are
spotlighted, for example, as part of the
marketing strategy to attract aerospace business
to the Ogden Gateway Center currently under
construction at the airport. Once constructed,
the center will provide an attractive skypark for
corporate jets and visitors traveling by private
aircraft.
The expected influx of tourists to the Snowbasin
Ski Mountain is just one of the reasons for
revisiting an old issue: the construction of a
tram to carry passengers up the west slope of
Mount Ogden. There seems to be a groundswell of
grassroots interest in the tramway being
expressed by Ogden citizenry.
"I've had a number of people call my office
to ask about reopening the tram proposal,"
said Mayor Matthew Godfrey. According to a
similar quote by the mayor in a recent Standard-Examiner
article, local business owners and hoteliers have
particularly expressed interest. The community's
interest in the tramway apparently attracted the
attention of the Standard-Examiner. They
approached the mayor's office for an interview
that resulted in the front-page headline article:
"Ogden ski tram a topic of debate again"
by Cathy Mckitrick in the Nov. 20, 2003 issue.
The Mount Ogden Tramway has been shown in a 1998
feasibility report to be a potentially profitable
major attraction for Ogden City. The recommended
tram facility will be able to transport 800
people per hour to the top of Mount Ogden. With
an initial ticket price of $12.50 the study
concludes the tram operations should break even
within two years and begin turning a profit.
These projections and others from the study were
drawn from comparisons with several existing
tramway operations.
The last time this proposal was seriously
considered was prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The issue died largely as a result of objections
by bench-area residents over the resulting
increase in traffic to their neighborhoods. At
that time the Intermodal Transportation Center
was just being constructed on Wall Avenue just
north of Union Station. Today, the Wasatch Front
Regional Council Transit 2030 Committee is
commissioning a study to be conducted in 2004 to
find the best way to form a rapid-transit
corridor between the Transportation Center and
Weber State University – one of the two
areas proposed for the base of a tramway facility.
The best mode of transportation – bus, rail,
trolley, etc. – will be determined by the
study. The corridor is a proposed solution to the
traffic and parking situation near the university.
It hasn't escaped notice that a mass-transportation
facility to carry students quickly from Wall
Avenue to Weber State University could also carry
visitors to Mount Ogden. "The possibility of
a rapid-transit corridor connecting downtown
Ogden to Weber State University has breathed new
life into a sleeping dragon" stated Mayor
Matthew Godfrey. The sleeping dragon to which he
is referring is the Mount Ogden Tramway. It's a
very attractive vision. The Mount Ogden Tramway
Feasibility Study projects the tram will draw 300,000
to 400,000 visitors to the city each year, with
the most activity during the summer months.
At least half the annual passengers will be
residents from within 50 miles of the tram. Most
of the remaining passengers will be tourists
visiting Northern Utah, and only a small
percentage will actually be skiers. A rapid-transit
corridor will enable them to park downtown at the
Wall Avenue Transportation Center to begin their
visit to Mount Ogden. While they're here, the
corridor will allow them convenient access to
businesses in the Weber State area and downtown
Ogden — including Historic 25th Street and
Union Square, the new Ogden City Market (formerly
"the mall"), and the future Riverwalk
area. Their patronage will add additional fuel to
the engine of the local economy just as a century
ago, on a grander scale, the inflow of railroad
passengers through Union Station transformed
downtown Ogden from a struggling agricultural
community to a thriving city center.
But like the lady said, development is often a
double- edged sword. Every action, no matter how
well conceived and planned, has a downside. For
some, that downside will be more important than
to others. There will be a lot of arguments
raised. Some will have merit and others will not.
As the issue moves forward, this city will again
have the opportunity to weigh the concerns of
their fellow citizens against the promise of
broader benefits.
Residents who objected to parking and traffic
problems from the tram facility had a legitimate
complaint. The topic was not addressed by the
1998 feasibility report. Those concerns would be
answered by downtown parking with mass
transportation to the base.
The visual impact of the tramway should not
impair the view of Mount Ogden from the valley.
The feasibility study determined that a base
terminal at the Weber State location would not
substantially change the vista from Harrison
Boulevard. If located at the Taylor Canyon
location, the first towers would be visible at 27th
Street and Harrison Boulevard. At either
location, the lower towers would become more
apparent as the base tower is approached. There
will be no "scar line" up the face of
the mountain.
Environmental impacts are expected to be minor
and easily avoided or mitigated. Mayor Godfrey
stated, "I consider myself to be an
environmentalist, but I don't know of any
compelling environmental objections to the tram."
The environmental databases summarized in the
feasibility study backs this perception. It
reported no apparent impacts to watercourses, old
growth areas, nor threatened or endangered
species. A sensitive plant species might be
located along the Weber State route, but could be
avoided by consulting a botanist during
construction of the towers. Wetland areas near
the lower elevations of the proposed tram routes
would require attention during design and
construction, and are of lesser concern if a full
parking lot is no longer necessary. Likewise, any
identified cultural resources close to the either
of the proposed tramline routes could be easily
avoided. Also, since the mountainside above Weber
State University is federal land under the care
of the forest service, a more comprehensive
environmental impact study will be required if
the tram is built at that location.
Secondary environmental impacts are more likely,
resulting from the population making use of the
tramway to tour Mount Ogden. Recreational use of
Mount Ogden's summit might impact the natural
environment. Proactive management will be needed
to mitigate the possible effects of overuse. This
seems to be an area of concern for local
environmental advocates. The Web site for the
Ogden Group of the Sierra Club lists the
recurring proposals for a tramway to be a
potential threat without mentioning any
particular threat of concern. Oddly enough,
although the Mount Ogden Feasibility Study
specifically mentions requests for comments were
sent to the Sierra Club, Save Our Canyons, and
Ogden Trails Network, the community input section
of the report has no record of a position
statement against the tram from any of these
organizations. However, one official of the local
Sierra Club group did express his concern for
impacts on land and wildlife in the November
Standard- Examiner article. Comments from another
official of the Sierra Club and from an official
of the Ogden Trails Network did not include any
environmental concerns. Instead they questioned
the wisdom of a financial investment in the
project and suggested a lack of public support.
There has been strong opposition from residents
of nearby East-bench neighborhoods. Nearly 500
different people attended five east-bench
hearings in September of 1998. Although not
unanimous, the sentiments were overwhelmingly
negative. Opponents mainly mentioned concerns of
increased traffic and disruption of lifestyle.
These are obviously substantial issues. While the
rapid-transit corridor will reduce these impacts,
it is yet to be seen to what extent it will
alleviate the concerns of local residents.
So the debate continues between those who believe
the tramway will be a valuable contributor to the
city's economic success, and those who see it as
conflicting with their interests. It is up to the
city leaders and the collective citizenry to
decide how much they desire economic development,
and whether the tram is a workable means to that
end.
To the lady in Steamboat Springs, the development
of her local economy meant she could support
herself and her daughter in a manner that a small
rural town would not otherwise allow. It meant
she could look forward to moving out of her
rented mobile home and becoming a homeowner in a
decent neighborhood. It meant she could help her
daughter have a better start in life than she had
herself. For her and many like her, the
opportunities created by economic development
mean hope for a prosperous life and a better
future.
Ogden City is filled with hopeful entrepreneurs,
local merchants, civil servants and laborers with
their own stories, their own hopes, and their own
dreams. Just browse through the pages of this
magazine and consider that there will be many
more filling the merchant space that comes
available because of Ogden's current
redevelopment projects. These are people who take
their own personal risks each day and place their
bets on the future of this city. It's up to you
whether it will include a tram as part of its
legacy.
James
E. Bohne, Jr., REALTOR®
Mobile: (801) 791-9579
Office: (801) 476-9500
Fax: (801) 476-9581
E-mail: j.e.bohne@att.net |
Crest
Realty Inc.
Equal Housing Opportunity.
Equal Opportunity Employer. |
Copyright
© 2003-2005, James E. Bohne, Jr., All Rights
Reserved
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