County residents get time with the mayor

Teenagers Laura Whittaker and Hayley Waldbillig were concerned about the future of Brighton Meadows Equestrian Center, so they decided to do something about it.

Whittaker and Waldbillig took advantage of Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon's first open-door session Thursday, meeting with Corroon and telling him their concerns that the equestrian center stay put.

It's been operating under a year-to-year lease for the past several years.

"This is what we like to do, where we like to go," Waldbillig said. "It keeps us out of trouble."

So, how did Corroon respond?

"He said it would be there two more years, then they're going to put in trails for jogging and riding, but where are the horses going to come from?" Waldbillig said.

Corroon himself called that "the million-dollar question."

From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, various county residents showed up to have 10 minutes with the mayor, discussing concerns ranging from horses to roads to parking to internal county government.

"I had my time with him," county resident Harlan Bengtson said. "That's all you can ask."

Bengtson's issue was his desire to have a parking lane along 700 East from 2100 South to 4800 South, like Salt Lake City does.

"It's not good for that thing to be a major lane right along the curb," he said.

Corroon is continuing a tradition begun by former Mayor Nancy Workman, who held two such open-door meetings herself.

"We would have had more, but — well, you know the rest of the story," communications director Jim Braden said.

Fred Sanders was concerned about wasteful spending at the county.

"I'm concerned about the council office," he said. "They don't have a clear structure there."

Dick Hadfield took exception to having to pay $70 for a permit to cut down a tree on his Big Cottonwood Canyon property.

As for Corroon himself, "It was great. It was fun. . . . We're following up on all of it." And indeed, Corroon had deputy mayor Karen Okabe and intergovernmental relations specialist Nichole Adams in his office immediately after the session, issuing them marching orders.

As for the equestrian center, Waldbillig and Whittaker have been sending Corroon letters urging him to ensure its permanent status. While they're glad they came Thursday, Waldbillig's mother, Jill, said, "He'll still be getting letters."

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E-mail: aedwards@desnews.com