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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 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. Jim Bohne is a realtor in Ogden. You can reach him at jim@streetmagazine.net. |
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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.
