Can you imagine Ketchum without any of our local businesses?

If you want to help create a year-round economy here, one of the best things you can do is shop locally on Nov. 29 - and every other day, for that matter.

Nov. 29 is "Small Business Saturday," created by a Senate resolution in recognition of the role that the nation's 28.2 million small businesses play in the economy.

Consider these statistics:

• An estimated 141 million shoppers spent $57.4 billion on consumer purchases during Thanksgiving weekend last year. Shopping at independent, locally owned businesses puts 52 cents of every dollar back into the community.
• Small businesses employ more than 48 percent of the employees in the private sector.
• Small businesses pay more than 42 percent of the total payroll in the private sector.
• Small businesses generated 63 percent of the net new jobs during the past 20 years.

Small businesses also make it possible for people to live in places like Ketchum. It is our local businesses that help attract tourists from all over the world, and provide the services that we need while we enjoy living here. Ketchum would be a very different place without our local businesses. Let our local businesses know that you value them by shopping here.

Meanwhile, enjoy the early snowfall and the cold snap. They're good omens for a prosperous and fun winter.

Nina

Email me at [email protected] 

Does the city of Ketchum still enforce the dark sky ordinance? Several times over the past six to eight years I have called about neighbors who have 14 very obvious and bright "uplights" at the base of their trees. I watched these light fixtures be installed and was surprised the electricians were unaware of the ordinance. And now for the catch -- the 14 lights are owned by the city of Ketchum and are on city property! Please be the person who does something about this ridiculous situation. --Barbara Hurlbutt

The city has conducted a site inspection and found the lighting to be in violation of the Ketchum Municipal Code, Chapter 17.132 Dark Skies, which prohibits lights that point skyward. The city does not own the lights. As far as we have been able to determine, they were installed in the city's right of way without permission. We have sent an enforcement letter to the owner of the adjacent property and will remedy this situation. Thank you for your persistence. I am very sorry that this has not been handled previously.

Jason Fry and Brian Dirksmeier

This is the fourth year of concentrated efforts on sustainability, with projects ranging from LED lighting to the use of sphagnum moss in the pool filtration system. The sphagnum moss and the earlier switch to saline water reduce the use of chemicals and lower costs.

Approximately 800 lights were replaced with LED bulbs this year, saving more than 300,000 kilowatt hours annually. Although the lights cost about $150,000, the Y will receive a rebate of about $45,000 from Idaho Power and will reduce electricity costs $22,000 to $25,000 a year.

The efforts started in the fall of 2011 with a committee led by board member Page Jenner and Brian Dirksmeier, property manager. Other changes have included an upgraded heating and air conditioning system, improved insulation, installation of water bottle filling stations to reduce plastic bottle use and an annual energy audit.

Future plans include construction of a Greenhouse Learning Lab and a possible complete overhaul of the heating, air conditioning and ventilation system. Replacing the boiler system and installing heat recovery ventilators to save natural gas costs is under consideration, and the Y is exploring whether this reduced energy consumption would make the building suitable for an emergency shelter in the Ketchum/Sun Valley area.

The Y team has worked with the Ketchum Energy Advisory Committee, a volunteer city agency, to gather information about energy savings and spread the word across the country.

Fundraising was an initial challenge. "Some people were reluctant to donate money for what they initially viewed as little more than new light bulbs. Once we explained the importance, they understood," Fry said.

All of the changes are saving the Y from $50,000 to $75,000 a year, a significant figure for an organization with an annual budget of a little under $2.5 million, he said.

The Y's three focus areas are youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

"Our focus on social responsibility is at the forefront of the entire national Y movement," Fry said. "We can share our successes with Y's and other facilities across the country as well as the community as a whole."

What exactly is the Ketchum Traffic Authority? We've had a couple of references to the Traffic Authority in recent newsletters, and learned that many people are unfamiliar with it.

As is indicated by its name, the authority discusses all issues concerning traffic. If you have a complaint or a suggestion for improving traffic or pedestrian safety, the Ketchum Traffic Authority will discuss the issue before it goes to the City Council and make a recommendation.

Members also discuss improvements such as the recent decision to allow only right turns at the intersection of Fourth and Main streets, parking considerations such as whether angled or parallel parking is preferable in specific locations, speeding concerns, bus stop locations, RV parking and signage.

The authority was formed by resolution in 2006 and meets monthly or more frequently if necessary. Members are City Council Member Michael David, Chief of Police Dave Kassner, interim Planning and Building Director Linda Haavik, and Street Superintendent Street Brian Christiansen.

If you would like to bring an issue to the Traffic Authority's attention, send an email to [email protected].

A proposal to allow four-story buildings in portions of downtown Ketchum will be the subject of a community meeting on Friday, Nov. 21, as well as be presented to the Ketchum Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday, Nov. 24.

The current zoning code allows four-story community or "affordable" housing in the Community Core Zoning District.

The proposed change would allow four stories in the 12.5-block area bounded by the alley between Main Street and Washington Avenue, Second Avenue, and 1st and 6th Streets for market-rate housing. "The sloping topography in this 12.5-city block area is appropriate for taller buildings," Lisa Horowitz of the Sego Planning Group in Hailey wrote in a letter to the city. This means that the additional height can be accommodated "without compromising our public views of Baldy and the surrounding peaks."

Horowitz said the Sego Planning Group represents several property owners in the area.

The Nov. 21 community meeting will be from 4-6 p.m. at The Community Library. Concepts will be presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 24 at 5:30 p.m. "Our goal is to get feedback at these two meetings before we prepare any kind of formal zoning change to submit to the city," Horowitz said.

Also on the Nov. 24 P&Z agenda is a proposal from Bald Mountain Lodge, to be built on Main Street, to have one floor rather than two floors of underground parking and to lower the building height by a few feet. The redesign will still meet city parking requirements.

Both items are on the agenda for discussion purposes only and no action is scheduled.

Visit KIC's Library for Entrepreneurs

Miss some of the recent programs for entrepreneurs sponsored by the Ketchum Innovation Center? Click here for information from the presentations.

Gourlay to Report on Economic Development

City Council Member Baird Gourlay, liaison to Sun Valley Economic Development, will report to City Council on the organization's activities at the Nov. 17 meeting at 5:30 p.m. This is part of a new schedule of regular reports to the council on organizations receiving city funds.  

1% for Air Nets $1.6 Million in 1st 9 Months

The 1 percent local-option tax for air service has resulted in collections of $1.6 million through Sept. 30 in the cities of Ketchum, Sun Valley and Hailey. This is slightly over the original projection.

City May Give up Right of Way Near Former Bavarian Village

The City Council Monday will discuss giving the right of way for Wick Strasse Street to the owners of nearby lots, Dennis Hanggi and the Glen H. Hamilton Trust. In return, the city may request that water rights for a well on the property be transferred to the city and will require that any buildings constructed on the lots use city water. Wick Strasse Street, south of Rember Street off of Bird Drive, has been privately maintained in the past and served the Bavarian Village apartments, which were demolished several years ago. The property is vacant, and there are no current applications for development of the site. Click here to read the staff report. 

City Clerk Recognized

Ketchum has completed the refinancing of 2004 and 2006 wastewater bonds, saving the city a total of $134,044.24.

Housing Authority to Receive Lift Lower Lodge

Caritas Chorale: 'I Hear America Singing'

The Caritas Chorale will give concerts on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 16, at 3 p.m. at the Church of the Bigwood. The concert, "I Hear America Singing," will feature works from American composers and takes its name from the poem by Walt Whitman. Caritas is a non-profit organization that encourages and promotes musical education and appreciation in the Wood River Valley. 

Outdoor Ice Rink to Open When Weather Permits

The Christina Potter Outdoor Ice Rink at Atkinson Park is expected to open in December, although there is still no firm date for its opening.  

Reminders