Downtown convention hotel gets committee approval

Utah's capital city is one step closer to having a new hotel adjacent to the Salt Palace Convention Center.

On Tuesday, the Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee passed SB267, which establishes a tax credit for the proposed hotel.

Many community members testified to the enormous economic impact the hotel could have on the city and state.

Bill sponsor and Senate Majority Whip Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said the hotel would give more validity to the convention center.

Under the proposal, a private developer would finance the construction of the convention center hotel, while public funds would be used to purchase the land for the property and to build a parking structure, costing taxpayers $99.5 million up front.

The projected public investment would be paid back in 7½ years and would yield a 14.6 percent return on the investment, according to Jeff Sachs, of Strategic Advisory Group, the consultant hired by Salt Lake County to assess the economic impact of the project.

Once built, the hotel would receive a 20-year sales tax rebate from the state, contingent upon its success.

But some lawmakers and local business leaders say the plan would create an uneven playing field. Clint Ensign of Sinclair Industries, representing the Grand and Little America hotels, said Grand America could not compete with the convention hotel if it received the proposed $20,000 per day tax subsidy.

Gov. Gary Herbert said he'll look at the proposal for a convention hotel but isn't convinced government needs to be involved in the project. Deseret News

Snowcat tours being offered in Mineral Basin

Guided, backcountry cat skiing tours will be offered this spring in Mineral Basin at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort.

Half-day tours will cost $300 in the Snowcat Skiing for Nature program, so named because proceeds will go to the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation and the Wasatch Water Legacy Partnership, a public/private partnership designed to improve the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and Salt Lake City’s drinking water supplies.

This is the first time since Mineral Basin opened in 2000 that Snowbird has offered guided cat skiing in that bowl, said resort spokeswoman EmilyMoench, noting that participants "must be expert skiers in physical condition for high altitude exertion in variable snow and weather conditions."

Half-day sessions begin with breakfast and an orientation at the Forklift restaurant at the Snowbird Center. The group then gets to ski in Mineral Basin before the lifts open to the public.

 After that, snowcats take participants to the backcountry terrain and aspen glades of Miller Hill and the north-facing slopes of Mineral Basin, Moench said.

Advance registration is required for individuals and private groups of up to 10 people, said snowcat guide Spencer Storm. To sign up, call 801-947-8222 or go to the Snowbird Mountain School office on the plaza deck. Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake lands agronomy society conventions for 2015, 2025

Visit Salt Lake has announced it has agreed to deals that will bring two agronomy societies to Salt Lake City in 2021 and 2025 for conventions that are expected to attract 6,000 visitors and generate more than $5 million in spending each year.

The annual meetings of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America are set for November at the Salt Palace Convention Center.

The societies are dedicated to the conservation and wise use of natural resources to produce food, feed and fiber crops, while maintaining and improving the environment.

Visit Salt Lake said competition for the bookings was intense because of the conventions’ size and because they are scheduled at otherwise slow times of the year.

Visit Salt Lake is a private, nonprofit corporation responsible for the promotion of Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination. Salt Lake Tribune

Industry leaders share best of what’s to come at trade show

The semi-annual Outdoor Retailer trade show has become a well-known point of pride for Utah.

Politicians and local businesses look forward to the estimated revenue of $40 million that the show brings in while outdoor enthusiasts appreciate the opportunity to show off their state's incredible outdoor recreation amenities and access.

Within the walls of the Salt Palace, companies big and small set up booths to show off next year's goods. Tens of thousands of buyers and sellers of outdoor gear travel from all over the world to conduct business and attend the trade show. But, due to the show's growing popularity, the show is strictly limited to those in the outdoor industry as well as the media. Daily Herald

Utah offers $2.66M in hopes to secure Outdoor Retailer show

Visit Salt Lake is getting a $2.66 million grant from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to build a huge exhibitor tent that tourism and economic development officials hope will ensure that the twice-a-year Outdoor Retailer trade show will stay in Salt Lake City at least through 2016.

GOED’s board of directors on Thursday approved the grant, which Visit Salt Lake will use as part of a package it will present to the owner of the ever-growing trade show, said Scott Beck, CEO of Visit Salt Lake.

Shows are held twice a year, usually in January and August. During last year’s shows, the events provided more than $16 million in wages for 611 temporary jobs. GOED’s grant would help the retailers group, which stages the show for the 4,000-member Outdoor Industry Association, continue to provide roughly 550 jobs a year that would pay close to $75 million in new wages through 2016. The group would also pay more than $14 million in taxes to the state over the next four years.

Nearly 26,000 buyers and sellers attended the 2012 summer show, bringing $25 million in visitor spending to the state, according to GOED. Another 18,000 people attended the winter show. Together, the summer and winter shows bring about $40 million in spending to the state.

Sullivan cited research that found show participants have demonstrated a fondness for Utah that goes beyond the semi-annual show. Twenty-eight percent return with family members to Utah to vacation within a year of the show. A survey released by the Outdoor Retailers and the Outdoor Industry Association in October showed that Salt Lake City is the top choice for both retailers and exhibitors. Salt Lake Tribune

Donations Add Up to a Visitor Center for the Great Salt Lake Marina

Utah State Parks

There are no official numbers on how may buses make the stop at Great Salt Lake State Marina annually, but Shaw feels there are easily enough to warrant a building to provide information about the Great Salt Lake and the marina —and eventually, a gift shop.

After approval from Jeff Rasmussen, his supervisor and now deputy director of Utah State Parks, Jeremy Shaw explored options for the building.

He didn’t have to go far to find something at a great price. Shaw had previously spotted an empty building —really a triple-wide trailer configuration —on 7200 West just off of Interstate 80, about 11 miles east of the marina.

A little research showed the building was no longer in use by the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau as a welcome center. Shaw discovered the building was now owned by a private entity, which owned the land on which it sat. He inquired about the facility and was pleased when officials with Suburban Land Reserve told Shaw they would donate it to Utah State Parks.

Once it’s moved, the building will sit at the end of the parking area closest to the lake shore.

"This will give visitors something to see with historical and geological information about the lake so people have a sense of what they are seeing when they stop," Shaw said.

The visitor center will be staffed by Great Salt Lake State Marina personnel and Shaw hopes to have it running by early summer. The gift portion of the shop may take a little longer to complete. Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Among Top 10 New Year’s Eve Spots

Even before officials announced national acts would be added to the mix this year, Salt Lake City’s New Year’s Eve celebration was building a national reputation.

Travelocity, the well-known travel website, has named Utah’s capital one of the Top 10 destinations for those seeking a fun-filled vacation as they welcome in the new year.

The list, compiled by Travelocity’s travel experts, is based on popularity, affordability and best celebrations.

 Travelocity said this of Salt Lake City, which was 10th on the list: "The sights and sounds of this mountain town are turned up a notch on New Year’s Eve with three full days of exhibitions, concerts and celebrations. For families or single travelers, there’s something for everyone. Don’t miss live music at Gallivan and cool shows at the Clark Planetarium that the kids will love."

This year’s three-day EVE 4.0 celebration, which began Saturday, features such touring acts as Nick Waterhouse and Blind Pilot.

"From bustling cities to laid-back ski destinations, to the nation’s most notorious party towns, the Top 10 New Year’s Eve destinations offer a vacation to remember," Courtney Scott, Travelocity’s senior editor, said in a statement.

He added that "when shopping for flights and hotels, it’s important to know the average price to beat and average daily rate at hotels so you are certain you’re getting a good deal, and you can save your money for celebrating." Salt Lake Tribune

Ski six of the best resorts in Utah

A glorious but demanding traverse of 1.9 miles up in Utah's Wasatch Mountains forms the most testing part of the Utah Interconnect, a 27-mile ski route between the state's six best resorts.

Utah prides itself on having "the greatest snow on earth", and however hyperbolic that may be, this guided adventure is one of North America's greatest days out on skis. It's a thrilling ski journey that uses a combination of lifts and easy backcountry skiing that any decent intermediate skier could manage and visits, in around six hours, Deer Valley, Park City, Solitude, Brighton, Alta and Snowbird. You are taken back to the start point in a minibus at the end of the day.

If they were linked, these resorts would easily make up the largest ski area in North America. The Interconnect offered a chance for a little backcountry expedition and a way to avoid any crowds as we skied from one hill to the other.

Greeting our mixed group of British, Texan, Canadian and Swedish skiers at the start point in Deer Valley, our guides Bob and Calvin told the nine of us that we'd need no special ski touring gear to complete the Interconnect and we should look upon it as much as a chance to ski Utah's best resorts, as a backcountry adventure.

When I booked the Interconnect I was given a ski pass that covers all the resorts to be visited – plus avalanche transceivers and a brief lesson in how to use them. In theory there's nothing to stop you doing the Interconnect independently, but I was glad to have the knowledge of a qualified guide. (And there could be legal implications should you get into trouble beyond the resorts' boundary ropes – this is the US after all).
Alta and Snowbird are linked by ski lift so it's easy getting from one to the other. It's hard for any keen skier not to love these two quintessential Utah resorts. They offer lots of steep, very challenging off-piste terrain plastered in dry chalky snow, fast and furious groomers and a friendly, old- school feel. Alta is so old-school that snowboarding is still banned there.

As we stood on the summit of Snowbird's 3,353m Hidden Peak ready for the last run of the day, my fellow traveller Lewis said, almost as if to himself: "Imagine this in powder …"

Whether he was talking about our last run, Snowbird or the entire Interconnect I'm not sure, but having experienced all three in far from ideal conditions and still had a ball I knew that like me, he was already talking himself into returning. Alf Anderson of The Guardian

Utah’s Ski Resorts Rate an ‘A’ for Awesomeness

 Forbes.com thinks Utah’s ski resorts are "awesome."

At least the areas rank high in "Pure Awesomeness," according to the business website, which this week published its list of "The Top 10 Ski Resorts in the United States for 2013." 

Seven of Utah’s resorts —Alta, Snowbird, Park City, Deer Valley, The Canyons, Brighton and Solitude — all landed in this year’s rankings based on Forbes’ hardly scientific and decidedly dorky "Pure Awesomeness Factor," or PAF.

"We only rank one thing: Awesomeness," the site said of its measuring algorithm. "It’s the most important thing we can measure. If you can know a place’s awesomeness, do you need to know anything else?"

The top spot went to Jackson, Wyo., for what Forbes said was the "best skiing mountain in North America. It still has the best continuous fall line, the best terrain and the best backcountry of any mountain not in the Himalayas."

Second were both Alta and Snowbird for "the terrain against which all others are measured," according to the site. "The snow is dependable and comes in a density that’s user friendly, like a stiff dollop of whipped milk on a cappuccino."

Park City, Deer Valley and The Canyons as a group were in fifth place, praised not only for the level of skiing but for the fact that they surround Park City, a place that is "picture perfect in every sense."

Brighton and Solitude landed eighth and ninth places on the list, respectively, not only for their quality of the snow but their comparative lack of crowds.

The rankings didn’t include resorts east of the Rocky Mountains because the website favored the West’s powder to the ice it claims covers ski areas in the eastern U.S.

"No resort east of the Rockies has the snow or terrain to crack our Awesomeness rankings — something that matters for both beginners and experts," the site said. Salt Lake Tribune

Study to Analyze Economic Impacts of Historic Preservation

Nobody knows precisely the impact of historic preservation on the economy of Utah and its cities.
Some have a notion that a core of historic buildings draws people and economic activity. Others say
renovating old structures doesn’t make economic sense.

Soon, Utahns may get new insights into the costs and benefits of historic preservation. A study
commissioned by the nonprofit Utah Heritage Foundation will analyze various aspects of the economy
taking preservation into account.

The Washington D.C.-based consulting firm PlaceEconomics was awarded a contract and will begin
research next month, said Kirk Huffaker, executive director of the Utah Heritage Foundation. A report is
expected by the end of June.

It also will evaluate the role heritage tourism plays in the state economy.

Huffaker declined to disclose the cost of the study.

The analysis will look at such things as the economic impact of commercial building renovations versus
demolition and rebuilding, said Donovan Rypkema, who will lead the project for PlaceEconomics.


The study also will attempt to analyze the impact of historic structures on community commercial areas.
In addition, it will examine property values of residential housing in local historic districts in contrast to
values of homes outside those boundaries.

Rypkema noted that while he has yet to look at such districts in Utah, in some other cities, homes in
historic districts retained property values at a higher rate than those outside of them.

Salt Lake City Council Chairman Soren Simonsen said the analysis is timely because Salt Lake City is
wrestling with such topics as demolition of old buildings, as well as the formation of local historic
districts.

The economics of preserving old structures may be difficult to quantify, said Stephen Goldsmith,
professor of architecture and planning at the University of Utah and former Salt Lake City planning
director. But it’s well recognized that a community’s cultural identification and social fabric are reflected
in its buildings.

Goldsmith noted that a new school of thought sees demolition as wasteful in aesthetic as well as
economic terms.

Reusing old buildings not only keeps communities from becoming "Any Place U.S.A." but can rekindle
vibrancy in neighborhoods, according to Huffaker.

As an example, he pointed to the offices of Big D Construction on the corner of 400 West and 400 South
in Salt Lake City that used to be the Fuller Brush building. The 1922 structure was renovated by the
construction firm. Not only did that save the building, but its employees are helping revitalize the area,
Huffaker said, because they dine and shop in the neighborhood around Pioneer Park.

"Historic preservation is often ranked at the bottom when it comes to a project because of the belief there
is a higher cost," he said. "But you can look at preservation as an investment." Salt Lake Tribune

Canyon Transportation Plans Gathering Momentum

Never has there been more momentum than now for finding solutions to transportation problems in Wasatch Front canyons, particularly Little Cottonwood and Big Cottonwood.

A chorus of disparate voices echoed that sentiment Wednesday as Salt Lake County formally released three canyon transportation studies produced locally during the past year. Those voices included Carl Fisher, executive director of the conservation group Save Our Canyons, and David DeSeelhorst, owner of Solitude Mountain Resort, individuals who don’t often share similar perspectives.

"Even though there’s a lot of diatribe in the media, we’re not really that far apart," DeSeelhorst said of their mutual hope that a transportation plan can be developed that would accommodate future growth while attempting to prevent environmental harm in the canyons.

"We’ve seen these political dialogues come and go, but I think this one has traction," he added. "The timing is now because there is so much information in the public domain and the politicians seem eager to deal with it."

Added Fisher, "With such broad-based buy-in from multiple jurisdictions with interests in the canyons, and everyone from environmentalists to ski resorts wanting this to happen, we can push each other to get things done. The risks of not doing anything are too great to not do something." Salt Lake Tribune

New Dining Options at Salt Lake City International Airport

The Salt Lake City International Airport is offering 13 new dining options.

The eateries were showcased during ceremonies on Thursday at the airport.

The dining venues are Salt Lake City Pizza & Pasta, High West Distillery & Saloon, Café Rio Mexican Grill, Mill Creek Coffee Roasters, Vivace by Cucina Toscana, Greek Souvlaki, Market Street Grill, Auntie Anne’s, Smashburger, Great Wraps, Fresh Market On The Go, French Meadow Bakery & Café and Starbucks.

Last year, airport officials also showcased businesses as part of the first overhaul of eateries and shops in half a century. The Salt Lake airport makeover began in August 2011.

The businesses are under the management of HMSHost, one of seven umbrella vendors operating the airport’s concession areas. HMSHost is a part of Italy-based Autogrill Group, a provider of food and retail services that manages 5,300 stores in more than 1,200 locations, including the 20 busiest airports in North America. Salt Lake Tribune

State Fair a Great Venue for some Utah Businesses and a Melting Pot of many Cultures

Long-time vendors, attendees and organizers of the Utah State Fair say the fair remains a well-attended event and a relevant venue today for Utah-owned businesses trying to get their names in the public eye.

Far away from the food realm, Clay Zimmerman said the fair serves as the only advertising of the year for his business, High Uinta Pack Goats.

Utah State Fair executive director Clark Caras said the fair attracted 292,000 people over 11 days in 2011, and he hoped the number might surpass 300,000 in 2012. He characterized the state of the event as strong. It has finished "in the black," he said, every year in recent memory. He also pointed to the fair's ability to land acts like impersonator Frank Caliendo, Lonestar and Blues Traveler.

Caras said the fair and the 65-acre park that houses it are working to solidify and shape their future. A report recommending best use of the grounds is expected back in the next six weeks.

He expressed optimism and hope that the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food may choose to locate a new headquarters on the ground. He also said the hope would be those plans might include a center where people of various ages could learn about the state's agricultural heritage.

Department of Agriculture and Food spokesman Larry Lewis confirmed the department was desperately in need of a new building and it was on a state priority list. However, he characterized any discussions about the department's future headquarters only as "talks" and said the fair park was just one of a number of possible sites for the building.

Lewis also said it was unclear when in the future the state may green-light the project.

Neighbors who live around the fair park expressed their hopes that the site would thrive in the future. Rick Clark said he gets a yearly boost by allowing people to park in his yard for a fee. KSL

And with Latinos now making up more than 13 percent of Utah’s population, what better place to showcase their culture than the Utah State Fair?

That’s the goal of the Utah State Fair Corp. and Fiesta Mexicana Inc., which are teaming up for the third year to make the annual event more appealing to the state’s fast-growing Latino population. The fair begins Thursday, Sept. 6, and runs through Sept. 16.

"This is where we celebrate our heritage. And Latinos have such an amazing part in Utah history," said Utah State Fair park Executive Director Clark Caras, beginning with the 1776 explorations of the state by two Spanish Catholic priests, Fathers Escalante and Dominguez.

While Sept. 15 will be the big day, the emphasis on Latino culture will be evident from day one of the fair when photographs by Agustín Victor Casasola go on display. Salt Lake Tribune

Wasatch Canyons Master Plan

Consider the importance of the Wasatch canyons to the quality of life of Salt Lake County residents.

They provide water to 400,000 people. Nearly a half-million skiers visit the four Cottonwood Canyon resorts annually, with even more enjoying Park City’s megaresorts on the Wasatch Back. Hikers, mountain bikers, climbers, campers, picnickers and anglers use the area. Private cabin owners consider their property a piece of heaven. Simply taking a Sunday drive to enjoy the autumn leaves or grabbing a meal at a canyon restaurant is an annual ritual for hundreds.

Yet these canyons are currently facing some of the biggest changes since the mining boom of the late 1800s greatly altered their natural state.

Jeff Niemeyer, Salt Lake City’s public-utilities director, put together a map of proposed and rumored ski-resort expansion and Interconnect plans, a sobering exercise that prompted concern from his boss, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker.

The mayor said the map shows that all of the terrain near the top of the Wasatch Canyons not currently within ski areas’ boundaries would be consumed by the resorts.

The Salt Lake City mayor is proposing a grand canyons master plan that may take as long as three years to put together. It would involve Salt Lake and Summit counties, the U.S. Forest Service, the Utah Transit Authority, the state’s congressional delegation, ski-resort owners, private landowners and, of course, the public.

He admits that people might be skeptical that such a grand plan might work or have enough teeth to be effective. But the Salt Lake City mayor said that without such a plan, there will be disjointed proposals for new lifts or expansion such as the SkiLink between The Canyons in Park City and Solitude in Big Cottonwood Canyon without an idea as to the cumulative effects of these developments. Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Greek Festival

According to local history provided by the annual Salt Lake Greek Festival, Nicholas Kastro was the very first Greek to immigrate to this great state, sometime around 1870. And, in case you thought that with one come many, 30 years later, the 1900 census counted just three lonely Greeks who called this high desert home.

Shortly thereafter, with Salt Lake Valley becoming home to mining operations, Greeks flooded the place. By 1905, the first meetings were being held to organize the community, including a plan to build a Greek Orthodox Church. But it wasn’t until nearly 100 years after lonely Kastro settled here that the initial foundation was laid for what has become the annual Greek Festival.

Now, the event is perhaps Utah’s best-known and most popular ethnic celebration. Held in the heart of Old Greek Town, the festival has grown from a simple basement bazaar to a fullfledged, four-day celebration of all things Greek. But, besides being a great way for the Greek community to share its unique and cherished culture with the rest of us, festival liaison Alexis Chopin notes that it has become key in keeping the ever-growing Greek population tightly knit, as well. City Weekly

Utah Arts Festival to bring wide variety of events to Salt Lake

The Utah Arts Festival will bring a wide array of events to Library Square in downtown Salt Lake City from Thursday, June 21, through Sunday, June 24.

The festival, in its 36th year, covers all arts genres, including visual, performing, literary and even culinary arts. The event will include street theater, poetry, aerial artists and a film festival. Eugenie Jaffe, media contact for the festival, said it is the variety of the event that attracts people.

This is a large festival that takes place over two city blocks, and close to 90,000 people attended the festival last year, Jaffe said. Deseret News

New dining options at the Salt Lake International Airport

Leaving on a jet plane? If so, plan to arrive early at the Salt Lake City International Airport so you can try Vino Volo Ale House, a new concept that brings together Utah’s Squatter’s Pub Brewery and Vino Volo, a boutique wine shop located in 13 airports across the country.

"It’s the perfect marriage of the wine world and the beer world," said Squatters co-owner Jeff Polychronis.

Customers at Vino Volo Ale House, located in Terminal 2, can purchased several different artisan  beers made in Utah — not just Squatters — as well as wine by the bottle, glass and in tasting "flights." Breakfast is available anytime, along with a lunch and dinner menu.

Liquor laws are different at the airport, so the Ale House is one of the only places in Utah to get an alcoholic drink at 8 a.m., Polychronis said.

Squatters also still operates its 12-year-old pub at the airport. Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art launches ‘Cantastoria’ exhibit of story and history in art

Art in the public square is not a modern concept. It’s been around for centuries, of course, long before it was called "public art." But art as an instrument of communicating story and heritage is something of a bygone era. If it weren’t, the word "cantastoria," to sing history or story, might be more common a word.

"Cantastoria," the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art’s new exhibit of works transmitting unique aspects and themes of nations and cultures, attempts to recapture the old ways art kept societies vital in visual language.

"This theme envelops the basic desire for kinship between peoples and the methods by which we hold on to our histories," said Aaron Moulton, senior curator of exhibitions at UMOCA. "The exhibition analyzes the  museum’s primary function as a storyteller of culture while the artworks poetically decode our diaristic instincts and weaknesses." Salt Lake Tribune

Hogle Zoo Welcomes New Animals

Some unique animals have made their way to Utah's Hogle Zoo over the past few weeks including a trio of grizzly bears, and one blind and aptly named sea lion named Big Guy.

At Salt Lake International Airport, a FedEX plane delivered three seals from LA. and then three young grizzly bears. Loulou, Dolly and Koda are 3 year-old siblings from the Buffalo Zoo in New York. They were driven across the country in 48 hours in a specialized trailer. Next to arrive was Rizzo, a 14-year-old Polar Bear. She came on a DHL plane after an all-night fight from Cincinnati.

It's a very long and complicated process involving many different modes of transportation, especially for the unique animals of this beautiful new exhibit, Rocky Shores. The last of the Rocky Shores animals arrived in Utah early Friday morning. The three sea lions flew in from California: Maverick and Rocky, the two smaller lions, and the aptly named Big Guy.

Big Guy weighed in at the airport at approximately 800 lbs. One of the reasons he had to fly FedEx is because he was too big to drive. Like his size, his story is unique. He was found injured on a Southern California Beach and rehabilitated at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito for two years. He's also blind. Moving him into his temporary home at the zoo took a little convincing with some fishy treats. But once he found the water, he was happy and will really get to stretch his limbs when he moves into Rock Shores and it's new state of the art pool.
Rocky Shores will open to the public on June 1st. By then Rizzo, Big Guy, and all the other new animals will be familiar with their new home. KSL.com

Visit Salt Lake attracts 100,000th Facebook fan

Just 15 months ago, Visit Salt Lake had only 3,500 Facebook fans.

Today, the private, nonprofit operation responsible for the promotion of the Salt Lake area as a convention and travel destination, reports it has reached the 100,000 mark.

"We’ve been able to target a wide audience interested in all the different aspects of what Salt Lake has to offer," President and CEO Scott Beck said in a statement. Salt Lake Tribune