Some anonymous comments:
"Needs to be done, but legislature can't seem to get a plan to get the money together."
"$650 Million or more is too much to come across in a year or two. Spreading it out will work. Utah doesn't have the bonding anytime soon, but might not need to a bite at a time."
"Not a wise allocation of water resources already in too high of demand and expected to decrease year over year."
"A scary idea. It should not be built, but I fear that the developers who really want it will convince the politicians that they must finance it, and will get it built. Eventually, when the lake dries up, the people who got talked into it will realize they got snookered."
"The projected costs will continue to climb. Washington County should be increases fees now to raise the upfront money. I don't see a lot of interest in the state fronting the money with the vague promise that eventually Washington County will pay for it."
"This is a bad idea: pipe water that will probably not be available to an area where water conservation has hardly been considered. This one looks worse with every passing season."
"The Lake Powell Pipeline will provide needed water to the vital human and economic base serving the St. George MSA, and will be considered one of the master economic and investments in infrastructure reflected on many decades into the future. Water is the lifeline of our community. If we were not willing to invest in the southern part of the state we wouldn't have invested privately in the great medical facilities, university level planning and delivery of bachelors and master level courses. The airport is an example of a piece of infrastructure some would call a boon-doggle, however it is key to many established and successful businesses moving their base of operations or expanding them to this area. Finally, we opened the door to developing Utah's Dixie when the I-15 gorge corridor was built -- undoubtedly many disagreed with that decision as well. Washington County is defined by beautiful environmental surroundings that are cherished by our current residents."
"I can't keep a straight face. Lake Powell is basically a bathtub now with a discernible ring where the water line used to reach--30 years ago. It can't possibly be built.Let's stop adding second homes and golf courses in the desert. It's a DESERT, people."
"We need to stop subsidizing the true cost of water first."
"It's a terrible idea, of COURSE it will be approved and built: with bribes-a-plenty and Herbert/Lockhart approved cost overruns and kickbacks."
"It won't happen. If the environmental impact doesn't stop it the cost will. It will be too costly for Washington County to build it themselves and I don't see the Federal Government or the rest of Utah picking up the tab, at least in my lifetime."
Some anonymous comments:
"Will be built, in spite of the burning question: why? Sadly, live theater is a medium whose ticket prices continue ot rise while the quality of theater continues to decrease. We would rather sit home and watch Netflix. This will be a tax burden paid for by people who will never be able to afford tickets to use this."
"The only place it makes sense is across the street from City Creek on 1st South, West of Main, center block. The City wants to put it where it can't be any use to the County. The City can't afford it alone. Unless it goes back to the Zion's bank property on 1st south, it won't happen."
"I think this will eventually go through. I would prefer it gets built with PRIVATE $$. I think too much public funding goes to people and entities that already have too much."
"It's hard for me to understand why we need a theater that will only be used a few times a year, especially when there are numerous other venues in Salt Lake that are sufficient for our needs. It's even harder to understand why people would allow public money to be used (the usual proposal) for a project that would benefit only a few."
"I understand the theater people are excited. But for my money, I am not a supporter."
"If you can justify using tax dollars to fund a soccer stadium, there are no limits as to what you can fund with tax dollars.
Some anonymous comments:
"It's absoutlely needed and essential if Salt Lake wants to continue to be seen as a venue for conference planners. If not, we could lose business to Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Denver as preferred western destinations."
"This is a dumb idea. There are thousands of rooms in the valley and the Little America and the Grand America has enough rooms that can be accessed free via Trax from the Salt Palace. if the County would stop competing with the private sector and actually working to help each other."
"There is too much potential loss of economic development to not do this."
"Amazing that it's even on the table. Interesting that elected officials didn't get the memo that the Berlin Wall came down in 1989."
"Definitely needed. I know several large groups who wanted to do a convention here but were told by tourism officials that they didn't have enough hotel rooms. Sort of sad frankly."
"This will happen, but only if it can be financed without public money."
"This would significantly affect the ability to attract top flight convention business to SLC. However, it is important for private enterprise to work on this. The Marriott Hotel group across from the Salt Palace missed a golden opportunity during the City Creek Construction project to become this anchor hotel for the city center and the convention business."
"Every study that has ever been done - going back to 2004 - shows that this hotel will benefit the local economy and pay for itself with normal/limited tax increment financing used on every other major project in Salt Lake County. There are four private investors chomping at the bit to invest hundreds of millions in our community and build this hotel. It's time for local and state governements to take a hard look at how these kinds of hotels have re-energized other communities and commit to work with the private sector to help make this economic development tool a reality for Utah."
"Bringing tourist and business revenue to Salt Lake City? The Utah County led Legislature will squash this one like a bug."
"Utah needs a massive convention hotel. Conventions create a lot of low-wage hotel and restaurant jobs which increases demand for immigrant labor. More low-wage immigrants means more economic prosperity, lower crime, lower poverty, lower taxes and better schools, or at least that's what we read in the newspapers."
"As continued pressure from outside groups builds, SLC will be forced to respond or face the repercussions of dwindling attendance and tourist dollars."
"This should be a no-brainer. The Salt Palace was expanded but we don't have hotel capacity in the city to land the big conventions. We are also in jeopardy of losing some of the conventions we have. This is a matter of protecting an investment we have made and collecting money that is there for the taking."
Respondents include -
Fred Adams, Stuart Adams, Jess Agraz, Scott Anderson, Laura Arellano, Patrice Arent, Bette Arial, Neil Ashdown, Bruce Baird, Tom Barberi, Heather Barney, Steve Barth, Jeff Bell, Tom Berggren, Mike Bertelsen, Ron Bigelow, Emily Bingham-Hollingshead, Rob Bishop, Laura Black, Nanci Bockelie, Charles Bradley, Jim Bradley, Ralph Brown, Chris Bleak, Curt Bramble, Joel Briscoe, Ralph Brown, Aaron Browning, Dave Buhler, Ken Bullock, Ric Cantrell, Maura Carabello, Marty Carpenter, Rebecca Chavez-Houck, Kay Christensen, David Clark, Kim Coleman, Peter Corroon, Tim Cosgrove, Fred Cox, Lew Cramer, Gene Davis, Richard Davis, Brad Daw, Alan Dayton, Margaret Dayton, Mike Deaver, Brad, Dee, Joseph Demma, Jake Dennis, Dan Deuel, Jeff Dixon, Brian Doughty, Carl Downing, Randy Dryer, Susan Duckworth, Donald Dunn, Alan Eastman, Becky Edwards, Scott Ericson, Chase Everton, Jessica Fawson, Janice Fisher, Wendy Fisher, Lorie Fowlke, Ronald Fox, Claire Francis, Ryan Frandsen, Adam Gardiner, Jordan Garn, Ernie Gamonal, Luke Garrott, Dave Gessel, Sheryl Ginsberg, Natalie Gochnour, Robert Grow, Karen Hale, David Hansen, Neil Hansen, Joe Hatch, Jeff Hartley, Dan Hauser, Lynn Hemmingway, Deidre Henderson, Neal Hendrickson, Casey Hill, Lyle Hillyard, Kory Holdaway, Randy Horiuchi, Ben Horsley, Bruce Hough, Scott Howell, Greg Hughes, Miriam Hyde, Allison Isom, Casey Jackson, Eric Jergensen, Mike Jerman, Jonathan Johnson, Michael Jolley, Gordon Jones, Leslie Jones, Pat Jones, Kirk Jowers, Jeremy Keele, Brian King, Scott Konopasek, Steve Kroes, Chris Kyler, Carter Livingston, Fred Lampropoulos, Clark Larsen, Douglas Larson, David Litvack, Larry Lunt, Matt Lyon, Ben McAdams, Daniel McCay, Gayle McKeachnie, JT Martin, Maryann Martindale, Jason Mathis, Bob Mayhew, Karen Mayne, Bret Milburn, Derek Miller, Rob Miller, Ethan Millard, Brett Millburn, Karen Morgan, Jeffery Morton, Mike Mower, Holly Mullen, Wayne Niederhauser, Mike Noel, Randy O'Hara, Ralph Okerlund, James Olsen, Val Oveson, Kelly Patterson, John Pearce, Helen Peters, Karen Peterson, Frank Pignanelli, Becky Pirente, Marie Poulson, Jason Powers, Tami Pyfer, Joe Pyrah, Mike Reberg, Jill Remington Love, Lauren Richards, Holly Richardson, Robin Riggs, James Roberts, Luz Robles, Ross Romero, Carol Sapp, Don Savage, Bryan Schott, Shauna Scott-Bellaccomo, Jay Seegmiller, Jennifer Seelig, Patrick Shea, Randy Shumway, Soren Simonsen, Jeremy Slaughter, Brendan Smith, Brian Somers, Carol Spackman-Moss, Robert Spendlove, Barbara Stallone, Howard Stephenson, David Stringfellow, Mike Styler, Shinika Sykes, Juliette Tennert, Gary Thorup, Kevin Van Tassell, Royce Van Tassel, Doug Thompson, Michael Waddoups, Laura Warburton, Chuck Warren, Christine Watkins, LaVarr Webb, Todd Weiler, Alan West, Mark Wheatley, Larry Wiley, Ted Wilson, Carl Wimmer, Mike Winder, Travis Wood, Thomas Wright, Crystal Young-Otterstrom
Results from the UtahPolicy.com/KSL Insider poll can be heard on KSL Radio every Friday and are published on Utah Policy.com every Monday.
Post a Comment
I sincerely doubt that either the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or the Roman Catholic Church would favor a one child only policy to reduce the demand for water. Conservation can reduce per capita water consumption, but the overall demand will still increase. I doubt if the residents of Washington County and southern Utah will favor a "two holer" outhouse solution to solve the water crisis.
Agriculture will need additional water supplies as well. This year's drought demonstrates that to avoid a world wide famine Utah needs to be a major source of agricultural commodities.