Park City leaders on Thursday honored Myles Rademan at the Marsac Building after a long career with the municipal government. He was the public affairs director for years and led the Leadership Park City program. Rademan had broad influence on the community’s modern era, ranging from City Hall’s open space program to the 2002 Winter Olympics. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordMyles Rademan was hired in Park City as the planning director at City Hall in 1987, arriving at a time when there were widespread questions about the community’s future.The ski industry was established, but it was not thriving as it is nowadays. There were vacancies up and down Main Street. And the tourism economy had not fully established itself in the years after the silver-mining industry collapsed.Rademan in the ensuing decades would become one of the pivotal figures of Park City’s modern era. He became the public affairs director shortly into his career at City Hall and from that office played key roles in issues ranging from the municipal open space program to the 2002 Winter Olympics. He also founded and led the Leadership Park City training program for 30 years.Park City officials on Thursday marked Rademan’s retirement with a resolution acknowledging his work for the community. Mayor Nann Worel and the Park City Council spoke kindly of Rademan before the resolution passed unanimously. He received a standing ovation during the appearance at the Marsac Building with his family.The elected officials talked about his role in the Leadership Park City program, his depth of knowledge and Rademan’s propensity to look for the greater good of Park City.The “community is forever grateful,” City Councilor Bill Ciraco said.Rademan provided brief remarks at the meeting, saying his career left him “fulfilled” and he was full of gratitude.Rademan was a core staffer as the extraordinary growth of the 1990s transformed Park City. He remains closely associated with the municipal government’s lauded open space program, which has protected tracts of land along the entryways and elsewhere. The conservation acquisitions are credited with creating a buffer between Park City and the Snyderville Basin and the program has enjoyed widespread popularity among Parkites.The resolution noted his involvement in the acquisitions of land like the McPolin Farm and acreage in Round Valley.“When you come in now, it looks like coming into a resort town,” Rademan said in an interview prior to the City Council meeting on Thursday.He was a critical figure during the Winter Olympic era more than 20 years ago. Rademan worked closely with City Hall’s director of Olympic planning, Frank Bell, as Park City prepared to host many of the competitions in 2002.Rademan, 79, lives in Park Meadows. He will remain with the municipal government in a retainer role until early February, and he plans to stay in Park City afterward.“I’m still here in Park City,” he said, describing the city as continuing to be a vibrant community. “I love it here.”Rademan recalled the direction he received early in his time with the municipal government before the rise of Park City in the 1990s. He said leaders at the time wanted Park City to become a “world-class” tourism destination. Rademan was one of the figures who envisioned a better future for Main Street after it became dilapidated in the post-silver mining era. In the time since, there have been preservation efforts on the shopping, dining and entertainment strip and the expansion of the commercial core.He is ready to turn the work over to others as Park City enters another Winter Olympic era in anticipation of the Games of 2034, as talks continue about the future of Main Street and as the community still grapples with growth.“There’s a whole generation of people who feel just as passionate,” he said.The one-page resolution the City Council passed during the meeting says Rademan’s “countless contributions to the Park City community have fundamentally improved the fortunes and outlook of the town, and those who have and will reside here.”Myles Rademan’s wife, Joy Barrett, left, speaks during public comment about his impact on the community and her perspective of his career. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordBryce Rademan speaks during public comment about his dad, Myles Rademan. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordCredit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordMyles Rademan receives a standing ovation after being recognized at the city council meeting on Thursday. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordThe post Park City marks retirement of a pivotal figure in rise of community’s modern era appeared first on Park Record.