Did you know that Idaho was one of three states in the nation to get an "F" for power outages from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration? Did you know that 40 percent of our electricity is generated from out-of-state coal power plants? Did you know that our recent power price increase of 14 percent is costing the city of Ketchum alone $20,000 per year? Did you know that nearly all of the $34 million dollars Wood River Valley residents pay for our power and heating needs leave our valley?

Energy is critical to our economy and quality of life in the Wood River Valley and we face risks that must be addressed. In addition, renewable energy and energy efficiency can save home and business owners money, provide compelling investment opportunities and create local jobs. The Ketchum Energy Advisory Committee (KEAC) was formed in January 2014 to advise the Ketchum City Council on energy including the security, economic and environmental risks and opportunities of our energy system now and in the future. The energy committee is evaluating ways to bring reliable, secure, price-stable and cleaner energy to the Wood River Valley.

To broaden the conversation about our energy issues, the city and our committee are planning four "Town Halls" over the next six months under the title "KetchEmpower: Taking Charge of Our Energy Future." Our first will cover "Our Energy Security: The Redundant Line and Local Energy Sources" on Tuesday, July 22 from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. at Ketchum City Hall in City Council chambers.

Joining me on the panel will be KEAC committee members Rick LeFaivre, clean energy investor, former senior executive at Apple and advisory board member of the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Billy Mann, CEO of Sagebrush Solar in Ketchum; Kerrin McCall, writer and environmental advocate; Alan Richardson, former president of the American Public Power Association, and Vern Porter, vice president of Idaho Power.

Power outages in the United States are up an astonishing 285 percent since 1984, according to DOE's Energy Information Administration as reported in Bloomberg Businessweek. Idaho, Montana and North Dakota all got an "F" for their record of outages. We have experienced this record here in our valley with the costly Christmas Eve outage in 2009 and then just in the past few weeks we again faced short power outages. Nearly all our sustained outages, including the 2009 Christmas outage, have been on the feeder lines from south of our valley. To address reliability for our community, Idaho Power has proposed a second transmission line from Hailey to Ketchum. This first town hall aims to deepen our understanding of the options before us and the economic, reliability and environmental aspects of them.

For additional information, contact Christensen at [email protected]. 

"Musical performance and flying a plane are similarly all-encompassing. And there's certainly risk in both, though as Flying magazine writer Lane Wallace observed, 'In performance you may feel like you could die, but in the end, unlike flying, it's a death you can live with.' A lot of people focus on the risk, but both activities are about feeling joy. ...

 

"When my wife and I first spent summers here and stayed in Sun Valley, we walked to Ketchum to the old Buffalo Cafe every morning. I love the fact that you can walk or bicycle around town, and that you are close to both the river and the mountains. Between the recreation, the art galleries and the restaurants and cafes, there's something for everyone."

--Both quotes from Jeremy Constant, Sun Valley Summer Symphony concertmaster, private pilot, airplane builder and Ketchum enthusiast.

 

Jeremy Constant, concertmaster of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and his wife, Sharon, are Ketchum residents for the summer symphony season.

 

While almost anyone interested in music has heard Constant perform here, fewer people know that he spent seven years building his own experimental aircraft. In this newsletter's video (video and photo courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony where Constant is assistant concertmaster,) he talks about the balance between the tangible act of building an airplane and the intangible experience of music.

 

The Sun Valley Summer Symphony, where he has performed for about 15 years, is very special to him. "Being a fantastic player is just the starting point for being invited to perform here," he said. "There are lots of fantastic players, and you can't just apply.

 

"You have to be invited to apply either because you've worked with some of the musicians or because Music Director Alasdair Neale knows you. We want to know whether someone will not only be a part of the orchestra, but also be a part of the community.

"The orchestra wants people who will blend into the population the town attracts," he added. "People are here to enjoy the natural beauty, and the needs of the year-round residents and the summer visitors seem to dovetail. Even though Ketchum has changed considerably over the years, it is holding onto the charms that keep people coming back." Ketchum is lucky that Constant is one of them.

 

The Sun Valley Summer Symphony is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and Constant will be the soloist in Massenet's "Meditation from Thais" on Monday, Aug. 4. The In-Focus series of "Made in America" chamber music begins July 28, the gala is Aug. 3, and symphony performances begin Aug. 4 at the Sun Valley Pavilion. All performances except the gala are free.  

Blaine County is asking residents to take a short survey to guide the updating of the county Comprehensive Plan. The county describes the plan as "a visionary document that guides the county into the future. It serves as a foundation for county decisions on land use, infrastructure, services, recreation, natural areas and other topics." 

 

The updated plan will be developed around a series of key principles that represent common beliefs shared as a community and that have guided planning since the first Comprehensive Plan in the 1970s. Go online to take the short survey. 

Live broadcasts of Ketchum City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission meetings can now be heard on the Internet.

 

To listen, go to ketchumidaho.org, click on "Public Meeting Information" on the left side of the page, and follow the instructions. Broadcasts of previous meetings, as well as information packets on key agenda items, are available.

 

"Our goal is to make public meetings more accessible to Ketchum residents," Mayor Nina Jonas said. "We see this as a major step, as people can now listen to a discussion as it takes place or at a later time."

 

The city plans to improve the video broadcasts soon. 

Sun Valley Economic Development and Wood River Economic Partnership plan to merge into one organization with a united approach towards economic development in Blaine County. The new organization will retain the name Sun Valley Economic Development.