STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Blaine County School Superintendent James Foudy cut the ribbon Tuesday morning on an affordable housing project for teachers that could become a model for projects in Idaho and other states.

“It’s perfect that this is a red ribbon because we love cutting through red tape,” he said as the ribbon fell on the porch.

A small crowd of about 40 school personnel, Hailey police officers and others watched as representatives of ARCH (Advocates for Real Community Housing) and school board trustees took part in the ribbon cutting next to the school district offices on Bullion Street.

School teachers were already buzzing about moving their things into their two-car garages ahead of Aug. 1 when they will get the keys to move in, said Michelle Griffith, executive director of ARCH.

The completed project, features one studio apartment and four 3-bedroom houses on what had long been an empty lot across from Hop Porter Park. The units designed voluntarily by retired architect Martin Kaplan, feature LVP or luxury vinyl plank floors that look like wood but are durable for pets and high usage. They also feature attractive Formica countertops and low water vegetation, such as bunchgrasses.

Griffith insisted that the units feature three bedrooms so that young families can grow into them.

“They were designed to live bigger than they are. There’s storage under the stairs and the closets are designed so you can store cans of chicken noodle soup in there with your coats,” she added.

The school district provided the land while ARCH raised the money to design, develop and build the homes.

“ARCH had a conversation with the school district in 2007 before I was part of this,” Griffith said. “My first conversation with the current leadership team took place two years ago. To go from conversation to this so quickly is amazing, especially when the labor shortage and supply chain is still real.”

A $1 million matching grant came from longtime philanthropist Jeanne Herberger, who identified affordable housing as one of the top needs she wanted to address after she moved to Sun Valley from Arizona a few years ago.

“I’ve never seen an organization like ARCH,” said Herberger, who beamed as the ribbon was cut. “It’s amazing what they’ve accomplished and I’m so proud of them.”

Affordable housing isn’t an option—it’s a mandate, said Cynthia Hull, president of ARCH’s board. “It’s partnerships like this that gives our organization the credibility to continue.”

The Blaine County School District has more than 500 employees, including 300 teachers. And the lack of affordable housing in Blaine County has made it difficult for the school district to attract and retain teachers and staff, said Trustee Dan Turner.

“The need is much greater than our supply,” he added.

The units are not intended to be long-term housing but, rather, transitional housing until staff can find more permanent solution. Rates will be adjusted so that someone at the low end of the pay scale pays a lower rate than someone at the higher end.

The board is considering an equity program that will help teachers buy homes, Turner added.

“It’s gratifying to see this come to fruition after such a short period of time,” he said. “ARCH has been a great partner, adding its expertise. They even helped us work through a 150-page 99-year lease that addresses every possible contingency that could happen in the next 99 years. If you have a dance partner like ARCH, you never want the music to end.”

Foudy said that others have asked how they can replicate the project. Among them, a group from a resort town on a Michigan lake.

“Good ideas resonate and strike a chord,” he said. “This is going beyond just helping Blaine County.”

Seven more units for teachers are planned in housing developments on Croy Street and McKercher Street in Hailey.

THEY’RE CUTTING MORE RIBBON TODAY

ARCH will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the first unit of the historic Ellsworth Inn in Hailey at 10 a.m. today. The public is invited to attend the ceremony, which will take place at 10 a.m. today—Wednesday, July 31—at 623 S. 4th Ave. in Hailey.