A Message From Mayor Nina Jonas:  

Reliable and safe water is one of the most important services that a city provides for its residents. Those of us who have traveled in other parts of the world realize how lucky we are to take clean and safe water for granted. We want to keep it that way, particularly as the drought continues.

On May 19, the city will have a special election for a $450,000 water revenue bond that would enable the utilities department to discontinue use of a portion of the water system that is more than half a century old. A private water company, acquired by the city in the 1980s, installed steel pipes that have long outlived their expected life. You can see their condition in the video in this newsletter.

The old system incurs frequent leaks and breaks that disrupt service and waste water. In the winter, water needs to be circulated through the pipes to prevent freezing because they are buried so shallowly. This, too, wastes water and the energy that is required to pump the water.  

Customers on the old system have no water meters, and pay according to the size of the connection rather than according to how much water they use. Passage of the bond measure would allow the city to install meters for all customers, encouraging conservation. It also could reduce high maintenance costs, improve reliability of our water system and conserve water and energy.

The polls at Hemingway School will be open on May 19 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Please vote.

Nina 

Please mark your calendars and remember to vote in the water revenue bond election Tuesday,  May 19. The map below may not represent all properties currently connected to the Ketchum Water Springs system. For questions about specific properties, contact the Water Division at 726-7825 or [email protected]. Click here for common questions and answers.

When honeybees start looking for spring flowers, their favorites are the early dandelions. And when you see a bee or a dandelion in a Ketchum park this spring, think of it as a reminder of the city's pesticide free park policy.

Ketchum banned the use of pesticides and herbicides in pubic parks in 2011 unless they are necessary to protect public health. Why?

Children and pets are the creatures most commonly affected by pesticides, and their small size means they are affected disproportionately by chemicals. The ASPCA estimates that about 30,000 pets in the country die each year because of exposure to chemicals in lawns and gardens.  

Ketchum, rather than scheduling treatments to prevent weeds according to the calendar, uses them only when pests become a problem. Alternatives to pesticides and herbicides are always the first choice. Solutions include improving soil fertility to encourage desired plants to out-compete pests, mechanical removal of pests, and biological control practices such as releasing ladybugs and other natural enemies of pests.

Pesticide-free parks also keep chemicals out of the rivers, where even minute amounts can harm fish.

Is there a downside to the policy? Only that you may see a few more weeds and wildflowers in the parks. Ketchum officials believe these are a much better alternative than exposure to chemicals.

If an herbicide must be applied to eliminate noxious weeds on city property, as required by the state of Idaho, the public always is notified in advance. Signs are posted 72 hours in advance, and spot spray applications are marked with blue dye. Signs are placed to inform residents when it is safe for people and pets to enter the area.

Adjacent property owners may contact Juerg Stauffacher, the city parks & natural resources superintendent, at 726-7820 or [email protected] if they wish to hand-pull the weeds themselves. The parks & recreation department is sometimes able to provide tools and garbage bags for this purpose.

A complete copy of Ketchum's integrated pest management policy can be viewed here. 

A city workshop will be held on Thursday, May 28, to discuss standards and regulations on working in city rights of way and the riparian zone near the river, as well as requirements for working on trees.

The city will no longer allow improvements such as irrigation, landscaping, fencing and pavers in the right of way, Ketchum Public Works Director/City Engineer Robyn Mattison said. However, improvements currently in the right of way will be allowed to remain unless they are creating issues such as reducing parking or limiting visibility at intersections. Property owners may be required to remove them if major work is done.

Permits are required for work in the right of way other than minor repairs and maintenance, work along streams or rivers, and work on trees in the right of way.

The city is studying whether additional changes may be necessary, she added, and will ask for comments at the meeting.

Senior Planner/Building and Development Manager Rebecca Bundy will discuss riparian zone regulations and required permits.

Director of Parks & Recreation Jennifer L. Smith will describe the city's responsibility for trees in the right of way.

The meeting will be held in City Council chambers at Ketchum City Hall, 480 East Ave. N, at 9 a.m.

Reservations are requested but not required for the free workshop. Call 726-7801 or email [email protected].