STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS BY HOLLIS ZIMMER AND KAREN BOSSICK

If you had come to the last Coffee Talk, you would have learned that the Idaho Transportation Department plans to get started on its road construction project from Elkhorn Road to River Street in Ketchum…gulp…right after President’s Day Weekend.

Never mind that the World Cup Final is expected to bring hundreds of people to the valley in mid-March!

NourishMe’s Julie Johnson wanted to talk about KURA’s proposal for affordable housing on what is now a parking lot.

You can learn more of the latest tidbits around the valley when The Chamber and Sun Valley Culinary Institute host a Coffee Talk open to the public from 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4.

Normally, the monthly Coffee Talks, which started last May, are held on the first Tuesday of the month but this one was moved because of the Labor Day holiday.

The talks are open to the general public and you never know what’s going to be on people’s mind—Terry Murphy talked of the need for Ketchum to step it up a notch during the Christmas holidays during the first one; a number of people wanted to talk about the city’s proposal to build affordable housing on the First and Washington streets parking lot during the last Coffee Talk.

The host provides the coffee and nibbles, and all-comers are invited to network, offer opinions and ask questions of the City of Ketchum staff.

Paddy McElvoy, who hosted the August Coffee Talk at Backwoods Mountain Sports, noted the importance of affordable housing for employees of Ketchum businesses.

During the last talk Ketchum city staff explained that Idaho Transportation Department needs to work around bridge over Trail Creek at Ketchum’s entryway in March when the water’s low, and that will likely mean shutting down half of the road to allow workers to work.

If they put that off this year, the alternative could be to shut down the bridge completely for a week the following year.

The 2027 the highway north of town to the SNRA headquarters is scheduled to be rebuilt.

This is what happens when we’ve had this much deferred construction—30 years, said City Administration Jade Riley.

The Main Street Construction Project was a subject of discussion.

ITD hasn’t focused much on Blaine County for the last 30 years, and it shows with what many say are the worst roads in Idaho. It stems in at least in part because of the pushback Wood River Valley residents gave ITD on expanding the highway, said Ketchum Mayor Neil Bradshaw added.

“So, for us to build the relationship is so important. Now we’re playing catch up. But the money is coming back to Blaine County,” he added.

In fact, Ketchum was able to add some sidewalk features to its Main Street Project that are not typical of an ITD project, Riley added.

The Main Street project took longer than expected in part due to a shortage of labor and supply issues. More road work needed to be done than originally envisioned. The project was complicated due to power and water line work.

Paddy McElvoy and Harry Griffith share a laugh as the Coffee Talk included plenty of good humor along with some serious discussion.

Additionally, there was no bidders for the project. The idea of paying moving and living expenses for workers out of Boise to get the same return as they would get on a project in Boise was not attractive, said Riley: “It’s easier for them to do I-84.”

The remainder of the work from 4th to 10th should be done before Fourth of July next year.  

“If we can do 4 through 5th streets this fall, we will,” said Riley. “But we’re learning from our experience with Second to Fourth not to overpromise.”

Once things are done, the city will try to organize a celebration…maybe closing Main Street down as soon as it’s just been reopened for a community potluck, said Bradshaw.

Jade Riley told those present that the city expects Main Street construction to go much smoother next spring when it finishes off the northernmost part because it learned a lot this summer. The city has also learned that it needs to overcommunicate and do more door-to-door knocking and talking to keep business owners in the loop, he added.

“This is a once-in-30-year- project,” he said. “We need to sacrifice to get something good.”

As for the KURA project at First and Washington, Ketchum Mayor Neil Bradshaw said the project is intended to address the middle workers—those making $80,000 who can’t find housing. And, yes, the city is looking at ways to contribute more parking, including underground.

“We’re looking at where can we find more money out of capitol improvement projects and apply to parking? This lot project has been looked at for four years so to slow down and pause would not send a good message to others about affordable housing developments.”