In short order we were talking gondolas, of course, the trendy new idea that's been prominent in the news of late. Everybody in the group seemed well-informed on the subject, thanks to the excellent recent reporting of John Wright, and that flashy sales brochure the "Lift Ogden" people furnished at no small expense as an insert in one of last week's Standard-Examiner editions. For those who haven't been following the news, or have just returned from a Mars mission, the two-stage gondola plan had so far been revealed as follows, at least as late as last night:
Mayor Godfrey's administration and the "Lift Ogden" folks would like to build an urban gondola system, to hook up the new downtown intermodal hub, at 23rd and Wall Avenue, with the Weber State University campus. One object of this project would be to serve the needs of students and other commuters who would arrive in Ogden via the new rail system which is expected to service the intermodal hub some time in 2008. This system, we are told, would relieve some of the campus's current parking difficulties. For purposes of this article, lets just call this system the "Godfrey Gondola."
The second "stage," according to everyone's understanding, is a separate gondola system, the lower terminal of which would be located near the Godfrey Gondola upper terminal, and run up the mountain to the top of Malan's basin, on the west side of Mt. Ogden. This second stage, which I'll call the "Peterson Gondola," would be built and privately financed by the newly-locally-prominent Chris Peterson, who just purchased Malan's Basin. Coincidentally, Mr. Peterson also happens to be the son-in-law of multi-billionaire Earl Holding, who owns Snow Basin, on the eastern side of Mt. Ogden. Mr. Peterson, we have been told, plans to build a year-round resort in Malan's Basin, which would include a small ski area. His father-in-law, by the way, denies any financial interest or connection in Mr. Peterson's venture. In fact he apparently barely even knows Mr. Peterson, according to some reports.
Anyway, my neighbors and I thoroughly discussed the relative merits of both the Godfrey Gondola and the Peterson Gondola, and we all seemed to reach consensus on one thing. None of us had any real objection to the Peterson Gondola as recently as last night, so long as it's built entirely with Mr. Peterson's funds -- assuming Mr. Peterson can get the thumbs' up from the Sierra club within his lifetime. While we didn't actually put it to a vote, I think everybody at last night's small gathering agreed that the Peterson Gondola would be a positive recreational asset.
I only bring this up because it confirms what I've been hearing anecdotally from other people I talk to around town. Although there seems to exist sharp disagreement over the feasibility of the Godfrey Gondola, the privately-funded Peterson Gondola seems to have had little serious opposition in Ogden.
That may change, however. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems here in the Land of Oz. The Standard-Examiner's John Wright has done a little additional information "digging" on the Peterson Gondola topic, and has "ferreted" out disturbing additional facts, which are reported in this front-page article:
WSU officials have expressed a reluctance to devote a portion of campus to a gondola station.
Godfrey said the gondola would travel 23rd Street between Wall Avenue and Harrison Boulevard, and Harrison Boulevard between 23rd Street and the university area.
"It's nebulous at that point," he said, adding that Mount Ogden Golf Course remains a possible location for the station.
The city would annex the property for the resort, Godfrey said, and Peterson would operate the gondola.
While the gondola could be used to deliver food and other supplies, an access road likely will be needed to build the resort, Godfrey said. The resort is expected to include skiing on the western slopes of Mount Ogden as well as a pedestrian village.
Let me see if I have this right. Weber State officials apparently aren't happy about the concept adding a gondola terminal to their already cramped campus, so Mount Ogden Golf Course becomes the Mayor's plan B for a WSU commute?
Do WSU officials object to any gondola station at all, or just the Peterson Gondola station? And in the event that the Weber State stations can't be worked out, are we to understand that the plan is to drop WSU commuters off six blocks north of the campus? That will still require some sort of additional ground shuttle system, it seems to me. Hmmmm....
And what about this "annexation" idea? While it would be fine to add Mr. Peterson's new "resort" to the Ogden City tax-base, the city would have certain affirmative obligations that would seemingly go along with the annexation benefits, such as building and maintaining roadways and such. Will Ogden taxpayers be expected to pick up the tab for the new "service road" that Mayor Godfrey speaks about in today's article? And what other details of the Peterson and Godfrey Gondola plans have not yet been revealed?
I don't know about our gentle Weber County Forum readers, but I'm suddenly finding myself less in favor of the Peterson Gondola plan than I was, even when I awakened early this morning. It seems to me this newest information has been slow in coming. The information seemingly comes in dribbles and drips -- just like much other information that's pried out of our Ogden City government regarding any of its grandiose plans.
What about it gentle readers? Does it seem that "Lift Ogden" may not have been entirely forthright with us so far? What about the candor of Ogden City government? The political combat-hardened cynic in me says that there may be still more information that's likely been withheld from Ogden City's citizens regarding the two gondola projects. Perhaps the "powers that be" are just mercifully administering this information in small palatable doses, to avoid sudden taxpayer shock.
And is there any one among us dumb enough to believe that this whole gondola scheme isn't designed primarily to serve the interests of Mr. Peterson's father-in-law? How stupid do these people actually think we are? Never mind answering that last question. I think we already know the answer to that one, at least.
Perhaps we ought to start thinking about annexing Snow Basin too, as long as we're expanding our tax base.
Comments, anyone?
Our friend UTmorMAN is running a gondola poll over on his the good in Ogden website, by the way. Perhaps some of our readers would like to pay a visit, and vote in his running poll. While you're at it, take the time to view the "electronic voting machine video." It's really very good. There's also plenty of pro-gondola information there too, for any gondola fanatics.
