Volume 43 | Number 40 | 3 Sections | 4 4 Pages S U N
V A L L E Y
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018 •
K E T C H U M
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H A I L E Y
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B E L L E V U E
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C A R E Y
IDAHO MOUNTAIN
Ketchum approves library remodel plan
HAILEY F LOODING City spends $25K on fixes Page 12
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Will Idaho accept more nuclear waste?
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Hailey floodplain law nearly complete Page 10
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Normal snowpack reduces risk of flooding Flooding started last year on May 5 By PETER JENSEN
A Express photo by Roland Lane
READY, SET, QUAFF! Team Nacho Libre entertains a large crowd during the fifth annual Sawtooth Regional Gelande Quaffing Championships on Picabo Street in Warm Springs on Saturday. From left are Austin Shea, Russell Train, Jordan Levin, Ford Van Fossan and Logan Frederick. Rain and wind didn’t halt the colorful and thrilling quaff-off. Teams of five people took turns sliding mugs of beer down a 10-foot-long table to beer-adoring teammates. As the beer flew off the end, a teammate had to catch it midair and quaff it down. More than $800 was raised for skier Bryce Newcomb, who was injured recently in an accident at Jackson Hole, Wyo. Other proceeds benefit the Sawtooth Avalanche Center. “Another successful year and no one got hurt. We’re trying to keep Warm Springs alive,” co-organizer Rick Lethbridge said. Zack Venzon and John Kaiser also helped organize the event.
Blaine Manor site piques new interest Senior housing, entertainment complex are options By MARK DEE Express Staff Writer
Now that the former Blaine Manor complex is torn down, interest is heating up around the county-owned plot on Main Street in Hailey. On Tuesday morning, the Blaine County commissioners heard a mixeduse plan from ARCH Community Housing Trust Executive Director Michelle Griffith and Ketchum developer John Sofro for a portion of the lot that would bring senior housing back to the site of the former nursing home. Griffith asked the county to give ARCH 0.7 acres of the 2.75-acre lot to build 30 units of rent-controlled housing for seniors. She amended her concept after meeting with Sofro, revising it to mesh with his dormant plan to build a bowling alley on
another portion of the land. A third lot would be zoned for commercial use. While Griffith asked for ARCH’s portion for free, Sofro suggested that the entertainment complex—which would include a bowling alley, arcade and restaurant—operate a rent-paying nonprofit, built by and run on community donations. Eventually, he said, any revenue could subsidize the senior apartments. “This body has a social duty to the citizens of Blaine County,” Griffith said. “And I can tell you that affordable housing for seniors on this level is not possible without free land. It does not pencil.” Deeding a portion to a public agency would give the commissioners some control over what goes up on the lot; though owned by Blaine County, it’s in Hailey, subject to city zoning and land-use rules. In February, the county received a $2.3 mil-
lion bid from a Portland, Ore.,-based developer to build apartments on the site. Citing frustration with the public hearing process in two jurisdictions, he ultimately pulled the offer. Now, though, the lot is completely clear—and interest is spiking. During Tuesday’s hearing, Commissioner Angenie McCleary said she was contacted by Paul Conrad of Conrad Brothers Construction seeking a date to present his own proposal to the board. “It’s nice to have the building off the property,” McCleary said. “A number of people said to me that they can finally envision the potential for the property.” Griffith hopes to see it look like a property on River Street in Hailey, where ARCH operates a 24-unit housing complex for seniors. According to Griffith, that building is full, with 52 people on a waiting list to get in. See COUNTY, Page 13
Express Staff Writer
fter last spring’s devastating flooding along the Big Wood River, Blaine County residents are undoubtedly hoping to avoid a repeat this year. Their fortunes appear favorable. The snowpack in the mountains above the Wood River Valley typically hits its peak in early April, but some wet weather at high elevations may slightly extend that this year. A mix of rain and snow is in the forecast for today and Thursday for Ketchum, with more possible on Monday, according to predictions. Still, the snowpack in the Big Wood River basin was at 98 percent of normal Tuesday, which reduces the chances of severe flooding in May and June, said Chris Corwin, disaster services coordinator for Blaine County. On April 1, 2017, the basin snowpack’s water-content was 178 percent of normal, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. “That’s in our favor,” Corwin said Monday. “There’s less chance of it. We’re just kind of monitoring the snow levels at this point.” He urged residents in flood-prone areas to monitor information about potential flooding, such as the U.S. Geological Survey’s hydrographs and reports from its stream gauges. “It’s the same thing every spring— keep a vigilant eye,” he said. “Just be prepared to react to potential flooding.” The NRCS issued its water supply outlook for Idaho earlier this month. For the Big Wood River at Hailey, the agency predicted a flow volume between April and July that would be 85 percent of the average. For the Big Wood above Magic Reservoir, the flow volume would be 76 percent of average between April and July, according to the report. In March, precipitation in the Wood River Valley was far above normal, the report said. “Other than one late March high-elevation rain event, most of the monthly precipitation arrived as snow to these mountains,” the report said. See FLOODING, Page 13