Leaders of Salt Lake County and Summit County, along with all of their residents, regardless of political party, should be gravely (no pun intended) concerned about the proposed limestone quarry being considered in Parleys Canyon.
Have you ever been in a windy area where the dust being carried in the wind gave your mouth a gritty, dirty taste, like you had dirt in your mouth? I have ridden my bicycle past the gravel pits out by the Utah State Prison when they are operating and have experienced this exact taste every time, and that is precisely what will happen here.
If you have ever had this experience, you don’t have to wonder why the residents of Alpine and the surrounding counties objected to expanding those mining operations. Salt Lake City, Jeremy Ranch, Summit Park and even Park City can expect the same on every windy day, a mouthful of dirt!
We all know that canyon winds are a daily occurrence year round in Parleys Canyon. Who among you wants to live with that taste in your mouth every day, especially with the concerns of the same thing happening from a drying and receding Great Salt Lake? Salt Lake City is one of the most beautiful cities in America, and the fact that someone has even made a proposal to have what is essentially a mining operation adjacent to the city that will have this result, along with destroying the landscape of Parleys Canyon, is ridiculous! None of us wants this! And you should pray that the Utah Legislature doesn’t come up with one of its bright ideas to remove the permitting process for any such mining operation from the local communities and grant the permit to a mine that has been requested, which it has a penchant for doing. The inland port and our schools come to mind, among others. This is about your daily life.
Leonard W. Burningham, Salt Lake City