Mayor Dana Williams in April intends to travel to China at the expense of Park City taxpayers, a mission to the world's most populous country to discuss City Hall's environmental efforts and promote the city as a tourism destination.
The Park City Council on Thursday night agreed that the trip is worthwhile. Had the City Councilors opposed the outing, it would have been more difficult for the mayor to justify the cost.
The itinerary covers 11 days and brings the mayor to the Chinese capital of Beijing as well as Xian, a major city in the interior of China located approximately 700 miles southwest of Beijing.
The trip is estimated to cost $5,490. A shorter trip had been under consideration that would have dropped Beijing from the schedule. The trip to Xian only, extending seven days, was estimated at $3,910. Williams has been invited to speak during an environmental conference in Xian. The invitation prompted the discussion about a trip.
The City Council wants City Hall officials to ask the Park City Chamber/Bureau to fund a portion of the trip, particularly the Beijing leg, since the mayor will be promoting tourism while he is in China. The elected officials, though, indicated the trip does not hinge on assistance from the Chamber/Bureau.
Diane Foster, who manages City Hall's environmental programs, said in a report distributed this week there could be 20 million skiers in China by 2014, according to a national ski association in China. Foster's report recommended the City Council endorse the trip.
The City Councilors did not spend lots of time discussing the trip. City Councilman Alex Butwinski, though, said he hoped the Chamber/Bureau agrees to a "significant amount" of assistance for the stay in Beijing. City Councilwoman Liza Simpson said the trip is as valuable to City Hall as the annual City Tours to other communities in the West.
The mayor received an invitation to address the 1st Annual World Congress of Biodiversity, organized by the Beijing Institute of Technology and scheduled from April 25 until April 28 in Xian. The program lists a 25-minute slot in the middle of the afternoon on April 27 for Williams to speak during a session dedicated to mountain biodiversity. He will speak alongside professors from the University of Georgia and schools in countries like Russia, Germany and Austria.
The title of his remarks is to be determined, according to the program, which lists Williams as "Dr. Dana Williams" although the mayor does not hold a doctoral degree. He said he has informed the organizers he does not hold one.
"This isn't a 12-day vacation by any means," Williams said in an interview before the City Council meeting.
He said he received an invitation to speak 1 1/2 months ago. The organizers told him a United Nations official who is based in Rome and is interested in mountain communities recommended he be involved in the conference, Williams said.
The mayor said his remarks will include topics like City Hall's land conservation program, economic development and the socioeconomic makeup of Park City. He said he plans to touch on the successes of public-private partnerships in Park City, such as the relationship between City Hall and Summit Land Conservancy, the not-for-profit group that enforces restrictions on open space under municipal ownership.
City Hall's wide-ranging environmental programs have been a hallmark of the Williams administration. The mayor and others in the municipal government ascribe to an idea that a warming planet could eventually threaten the ski industry that is critical to the local economy.
Williams said he plans to spend his time in Beijing visiting a Park City High School sister school and visiting travel councils to promote tourism in Park City.
The trip would be his second to China as the mayor. He traveled in 2007 with a group from Park City High School as part of a friendship program. Williams paid for his flight on that trip and the friendship program paid other expenses.
Source: http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_19690469?source=rss_viewed
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