For several months now, the Utah Inland Port Authority board has provided time at each of its monthly meetings for community members to voice their concerns about the project.
Now that several months have gone by, a troubling pattern is emerging. Public comments are read into the record, but there is never any response back from port board members. There is no public conversation going on. It’s a one-way stream of concern from community members to a silent board. And the board’s suggestion to those concerned — to contact its public process partner, Envision Utah — is not sufficient. There are so many unanswered questions about this project. It seems the board can’t define what the port will be because they’re still trying to figure it out themselves.
And with no solid definition, it’s a moving target, making it tough for concerned community members who have meaningful questions, to get answers. To build trust and credibility, the board needs to show respect to those who are taking time to prepare and deliver comments and figure out a way to give them the courtesy of a response.
Ann Floor, Salt Lake City