City of Ketchum
P.O. Box 2315
480 East Avenue N.
Ketchum, Idaho 83340
"Small Town, Big Life"
|
|
A Message From Mayor Nina Jonas: Starting Our New Fellowship Program
 I am thrilled to announce the city's new fellowship program. Last year the Council graciously agreed to fund an internship program for this year's budget at $10,000. The city will put that money to work beginning now.
The program will go beyond simply asking an applicant to lend a hand to existing city functions, as is typical of internships. We are asking the applicant to bring forth solutions and management to current challenges the city is facing, a typical expectation of fellowships.
This year the application asks creative minds to assist the city in developing solutions for the unintended effects of the short-term rental market on affordable housing, moving city departments towards net zero energy use, interactive website enhancements to simplify public access to useful information, and furthering the city's strategy on a real estate transfer fee to fund community housing.
The goal is to get valuable assistance on city initiatives, inject the city with fresh perspectives and introduce Ketchum to a new audience.
The fellowship will be advertised in colleges and universities, government offices and regional newspapers.
The city is looking forward to welcoming the 2016 fellows. Please forward the proposal requirements to any interested party.
Thank you,
|
|
ASK NINA
|
Q. What is the difference between design-build and design-bid-build?
A. Design-bid-build has been the traditional method of selecting contractors, particularly for public projects. In this process, an architect is commissioned to design a project, bids from contractors are solicited and a contractor is selected. The contract typically goes to the lowest bidder.
Design-build is a process that has been used more frequently in recent years. In this case, a single company is in charge of both designing and building a project.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
In design-build, the contractor is responsible for guaranteeing a final price. "Value engineering," or finding ways to reduce costs, is built into the process. Because of this, factoring in public input on the design is more challenging. In addition, the client is usually committed to spending the entire budget. The question is how much can be accomplished within that budget. Delivery time is sometimes faster because the design and construction phase of the process can overlap.
Proponents of the traditional design-bid-build system note that this process keeps the interests of the designer and the builder separate. There is more incentive for the designer to seek out innovative solutions that will save the client money. Contractors bidding on the project have an incentive to submit the lowest possible bid, coming in under budget if possible. The criteria for selecting a contractor also are less subjective. About 60 percent of non-residential projects use the design-bid-build method.
Note: If you submit a question to "Ask Nina," your name may be published unless you request that it be withheld.
|
CHICKEN VS. EGG? DESIGN VS. FUNDING FOR NEW CITY FACILITIES?
|
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The proverbial question is very similar to the question facing Ketchum when it comes to new police, city operations/emergency network communications and fire facilities.
We hear these questions: Where is the design? What is the location? Is there a way to reduce the costs?
Finding the answer to all these questions takes money and staff time. It would be futile to take these resources to design buildings unless we know that citizens are willing to pay for them. It would be equally wasteful to explore various locations and alternative budgets unless we have a commitment from citizens to move ahead once the answers are found.
One question we hear is whether a smaller budget would be adequate. We are optimistic that the actual expenditures could be less than the proposed $23.1 million bond issue. If it passes, we can seek other funding such as urban renewal agency funding. We can explore ideas to reduce the ultimate cost, possibly trim elements of the proposed project and analyze other locations. Passage of the bond issue does not obligate the city to spend the entire amount, and tax assessments would reflect only the actual amount spent.
It would be a much larger risk, however, to propose a smaller bond. That would create the risk of having an incomplete or inadequate project.
Passage of a $23.1 million bond issue on May 17 is the first step toward securing new facilities for the city. New facilities have been under discussion since 2001. If citizens are willing to fund the projects, we can then spend time and funds refining plans and locations.
|
|
CITY AWARDED $50,000 TRANSPORTATION PLAN GRANT
|
The city of Ketchum will receive a $50,000 grant for a transportation plan from the state Local Highway Technical Assistance Council.
Ketchum placed second overall in the grant applications, which are administered by the Local Rural Highway Investment Program.
Annually, the Blaine County Regional Transportation Committee prioritizes regional projects. This year, Ketchum was ranked as a "No. 1" priority, earning points toward receiving the grant.
Ketchum's most recent city-wide transportation study was completed in April 2004. "The study will evaluate current and future traffic loads and make recommendations to maintain or improve the level of service on our roads," said Public Works Director/City Engineer Robyn Mattison. "It will also help the city prioritize transportation projects."
Although the city will not receive funds until after October, it can begin collecting needed data such as road and sign assessments and traffic counts during the spring and summer.
|
|
BUILDING INSPECTOR: 'GOOD TIMBER IS FOUNDATION'
|
 "In trees and men good timbers grow. Where thickest lies the forest growth, we find the patriarchs of both."
Ketchum Building Inspector Jim Lynch believes the poem "
Good Timber," by Douglas Malloch, explains a lot about life.
"I've always built things in my life, and good timber is where you start," he said. "I rarely read poetry. A friend brought this to me and a good poem like this stays in your memory," he added.
Lynch recently read the poem at the weekly meeting of the planning and building department, which begins with staff members sharing a recent meaningful experience. Careful workmanship and selection of materials explain not only his philosophy of life, but what he likes about working in Ketchum.
"We have the best projects in the state," he said. "Ketchum is a proving ground for alternative methods and technology and for the initial use of some of the best products," he said.
"For example, I believe the solar industry is the wave of the future. We have contractors and residents with foresight and budgets that allow the use of alternative energy methods," Lynch explained.
Lynch, actually an employee of the State of Idaho, serves as the building inspector for both Ketchum and Hailey. At one point both cities had their own building inspectors, but the need diminished during the economic downturn and decrease in construction.
Because the
Idaho Division of Building Safety was already providing inspection services for plumbing, electrical and HVAC elements of projects, it was natural for the two cities to join together to request the state to provide structural inspections as well. Ketchum contracted with the state three years ago. "This is more economical for the city, and also gives the city access to better services and technology," Mayor Nina Jonas said.
"Although Lynch is 6-feet, 4-inches tall, he moves around the office quietly, almost seeming to tiptoe," Jonas noted. "He also makes sensational candied jalapenos that he shares."
Lynch was working as a building inspector in Rigby when the position was advertised. He applied because of his respect for the quality of construction in this area. "The craftsmanship in Ketchum is some of the best I've ever seen," he added.
Lynch grew up in Ogden, Utah. He specialized in building log homes in Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming before becoming a building inspector.
An added plus for Lynch is the proximity of his fiancée, Sandye Quintana. "Any article on me needs a special shout-out for Sandye," he said. "I met her when I was 10 years old and then we went our separate ways. We reconnected on social media and she's been the love of my life ever since."
|
|
REGISTRATION OPENS APRIL 25 FOR SUMMER YOUTH ACTIVITIES
|
Looking for summer youth activities? Registration begins April 25 for the Ketchum parks & recreation department Summer Youth Recreation Program.
Various registration options are available. Children can sign up for the full 10 weeks, June 15-Aug. 18, or for one five-week session, one week or one day. Payment plans and scholarships are available. Space is limited in some activities so make sure to sign up early.
Activities include something for almost everyone. There is active outdoor recreation such as soccer, swimming, golf, tennis, mountain biking, skateboarding, social games or ball sports, or stewardship and creative activities such as arts and crafts, gardening, birding and geocaching. Geocaches placed in parks by children in previous programs already are bringing compliments to the city.
Optional Friday Adventures offer excursions to nearby attractions and include river rafting, mountain biking and caving. A special soccer camp presented by U.K. International Soccer Camps will be held Aug. 22-26.
Recreation division staff members, including John Kearney Jr., Bobby Noyes, Doran Key, Poo Wright-Pulliam and Sydney Pfau, will be on hand with other popular coaches and mentors. The city also is hiring additional recreation assistants.
The program is open to children who have completed the second grade and through eighth grade.
Click here
for more information. Click on the registration portal (green button), or here, to sign up and pay online starting April 25. For assistance, call 726-7820.
Ketchum has been offering summer youth programs for more than 40 years.
New this year
There will be two pickleball courts! One will be located near the Bike Park and the other will be at the tennis courts at Atkinson Park.
Opening in summer
The Rainmaker Splash Park at Atkinson Park will open in June or July, depending on the weather.
Other parks that will open as the snow recedes are the Ketchum Bike Park and the Guy Coles Skate Park. Park reservations and availability may be found here
. Spaces are available for family reunions, weddings and neighborhood barbecues and other private events.
Sports fields users meeting set for April 20
The field use meeting for groups that wish to schedule regular times and days for organized sports or activities at Atkinson Park will take place on Wednesday, April 20, from 5:30-6:30 at the Atkinson Park recreation building located at 900 Third Avenue North.
|
|
SCULPTURES NEARING COMPLETION
|
|
|
 |
| Jason Middlebrook, unnamed (in progress), 2016* |
|
Work is nearing completion on two sculptures that will have a permanent home in Ketchum following their exhibition at Craters of the Moon National Monument. Their creation is a part of a project co-sponsored by the National Park Service and the National Endowment for the Arts to celebrate the park service's 100th anniversary this year and the endowment's 50th anniversary in 2015.
The sculptures are being created under a grant received by the Sun Valley Center for the Arts (the Center), a partner in the exhibit "Imagine Your Parks" that will open May 20 at both the Center in Ketchum and Craters of the Moon.
The $48,000 grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation is the largest grant the Center has ever received. Additional support has come from private donors and the city of Ketchum. The city has contributed $17,500 to the project thus far through its annual budgeting process.
The selection of the Center as a participant places it in top-level artistic company. Other grant recipients include the Whitney Museum in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh.
"The grant shows national recognition of the commitment to the arts in Ketchum," Mayor Nina Jonas said. "We appreciate the Center's foresight in seeking the grant and the time spent collaborating with the Ketchum Arts Commission and a host of other organizations. We are proud to be a part of this national celebration."
|
|
|
John Grade, Spur (in progress), 2016* |
John Grade's sculpture, "Spur," is fabricated from reclaimed cedar and takes its form and inspiration from a volcanic feature at the park. Its scale will allow visitors to move through it as if they were entering a lava tube. Fabrication started two weeks ago, according to Kristin Poole, artistic director at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts.
Grade, based in Seattle, is known for his undulating carved-wood works.
Sculptor Jason Middlebrook, based in Hudson, N.Y., is known for his spindly-legged steel and fiberglass trees that resembled spiders. He has yet to name his work, which will be a tree-like structure of bent steel.
The sculptures are designed for specific sites in the lava flows that make up the 1,100-square-mile national monument 90 miles east of Ketchum. While the sculptures are on display at Craters of the Moon, the center will display original artwork inspired by Vietnamese-American photographer Binh Danh and paintings by Cindy Tower. Both were inspired by the monument, where Tower served as the inaugural artist-in -residence several years ago.
The Center also plans a study guide, exhibition tours, artists' talks, videos, field trips to the park and a day of activities geared toward families in the Ketchum gallery.
*Commissioned work by the Sun Valley Center for the Arts with support from the City of Ketchum. Additional support from the Andy Warhol Foundation and private donors.
|
|
FOOD INSECURITY
|
An estimated 9.4 percent of Ketchum residents are "food insecure," according to a food assessment study recently completed by
The Hunger Coalition. Food insecurity is based on affordability, availability and accessibility.
National meal cost statistics from 2013 put Blaine County as the fifth most expensive county in the nation, with food costing about 1.5 times as much as the national average. Food also costs more in Ketchum than in Bellevue and Hailey, according to the report.
Click here for additional findings of the report.
|
|
BUSINESS NEWS
|
Alpine Championships Are Boon for Ketchum
Although the numbers are still coming in, the recently completed U.S. Alpine Championships clearly were a boon to Ketchum. An estimated 500 to 1,000 people watched the races each day, according to Sun Valley officials. Large crowds also came to the parade of athletes and opening ceremonies in downtown Ketchum on Thursday. NBC coverage of the super G race also brought national attention to Ketchum. The races are expected to return in 2018.
|
|
WHAT WE'RE READING
|
Mayor Nina Jonas 
Josh Solly, member of Ketchum Energy Advisory Committee
|
|
NEWS AT A GLANCE
|
Thank You for Helping City Programs
Thank you to the recent donors to programs that make the city a better place to live.
- Adam and Cami Elias for a $2,500 gift to the Cover Art program of the Ketchum Arts Commission.
- Hardiman Family Foundation, $1,000, Ketchum Arts Commmission
- James and Barbara Cimino Foundation, $5,000, Ketchum parks & recreation department
- L & H Foundation, $300, Jazz in the Park Fund
Donations to city programs are tax-deductible as permitted by law. For additional information, contact
[email protected]
.
Reminder: Turn Off Holiday Lights by April 15
Holiday lights must be turned off throughout the city by April 15 under Ketchum's Dark Skies ordinance. In addition, lights must be completely removed from all publicly owned trees.
Pay Water Bills Online
Ketchum water and sewer customers will be able to pay bills online starting next month. This new service is in response to customer requests for faster and more convenient bill payment options. A link to the service is on the home page of the city website
or go to
xpressbillpay.com. Eventually, the city will move towards monthly billing, improving customers' ability to monitor water consumption. Remember to sign up for
WaterSmart to see how you currently use water.
Welcome to New Public Works Employee
Ben Rausch has joined Ketchum as the building and facilities supervisor in the public works department. Rausch made Ketchum his home 6 months ago.
Be Safe During Floods
Spring and early summer snowmelt is a major cause of floods in Idaho. Flood Safety Week ends Sunday. To learn how to stay safe during a flood, see tips from the National Weather Service
. Additional tips on spring weather hazards are available here.
Ban on Handheld Devices While Driving to Go to Council Monday
City Council Monday will consider final approval of an ordinance banning the use of handheld cell phones and other devices while driving. A study by the California Office of Traffic Safety found that up to 80 percent of vehicle crashes involve some sort of driver distraction and talking on a cell phone or texting is the number one source of driver distractions. An additional study from March 2014 can be viewed here.
Attend Workshop on Tree & Pest Management
A free workshop on tree and pest management will be held
Thursday, April 7, from 9-11:30 a.m. at the Community Campus in Hailey. Topics will include disease and best control practices, soil health, composting and bio-control alternatives for noxious weed control. Sponsors are the Environmental Resource Center, Wood River Land Trust and Blaine County Noxious Weed Department. Reserve a seat at
Tree and Pesticide Workshop
. For more information, call 788-3947.
Absentee Ballot for May 17 Bond Issue Election ...
Here's how to get an absentee ballot, as well as deadlines for voting, in the May 17 election on a bond issue for new police, city operations/emergency network communications center and fire facilities.
- April 22 - Last day for pre-registration if you are not already registered to vote. It also is possible to register on Election Day.
- May 11 - Requests for mailed absentee ballot must be received. Forms for requesting absentee ballots are available here.
- May 13 - Last day for in-person absentee voting. You may vote at the Old County Courthouse, 206 First Ave., S. in Hailey, starting April 25, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- May 17 - Polls will be open at Hemingway School from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots must be received at the Blaine County Election Office at 206 First Ave., S. in Hailey, prior to the close of the polls at 8 p.m.
Apply for a City Job
The city has job openings for summer youth recreation assistants, a facilities maintenance worker and a maintenance operator for the water division. It also is seeking an attorney to provide legal services to the city. Details are at ketchumidaho.org/jobs.
Reminder: Chip Sealing Scheduled for July 11-14
Summer chip sealing of streets is scheduled for July 11-14. Click
here
for schedule.
Coming Up At City Council
The meeting agenda for Monday, April 4, includes a public hearing for text amendments for The Spot, LLC, a six month city budget review, consideration of the addition of new events to the 2016 Wagon Days Weekend, and approval of artist agreements and relocation of the chalk wall in Little Park to Atkinson Park.
|
|
MEETING INFORMATION
|
City Council
 Attend the next City Council meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 4. City Council meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of each month in Ketchum City Hall. Click here to see the agenda and staff reports or scan the QR code.
Planning and Zoning Commission
Attend the next Planning and Zoning Commission meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 18. P&Z meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month in Ketchum City Hall. Click here for agendas and staff reports or scan the QR code.
Public Comment
If you cannot attend the Council or P&Z meetings and would like to express an opinion, please submit your comments via email to [email protected]. Your input and engagement is encouraged. All comments will be reviewed.
|
Subscribers
You are receiving this email because you have requested it or done business with the City of Ketchum in the past. We appreciate our residents, businesses and visitors and look forward to telling you more about Ketchum and receiving your input. To subscribe, click here. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click on the link below.
|
|
City of Ketchum
208-726-3841
|
|
|
|
|
