STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREEN BOSSICK
ARCH Community Housing will rename the Ellsworth Inn the “Herberger Hideaway” on Thursday, July 10, in honor of Jeanne Herberger.
New signage will be revealed at the dedication, which will take place at 10 a.m. that day at the inn at 702 South 3rd Ave., in Hailey.
Herberger has been ARCH Community Housing’s housing hero since moving to the Wood River Valley from Phoenix, Ariz., five years ago. As she tells it, she looked around the valley to identify the valley’s greatest need. And she determined what was need most was affordable and workforce housing.
Herberger has given four $1 million dollar matches to ARCH to help galvanize community donations for housing for school teachers and, most recently, the Ellsworth Inn. The current match is the fourth and matches all gifts at 50 percent as ARCH focuses on completing new housing on the site of the Ellsworth Inn.
Work on the caretaker unit and inn has been completed and ARCH is about to embark on building 12 new units, which is expected to cost $5.2 million.
“We are thrilled with all the activity and transformation at Ellsworth Inn,” said Courtney Jellaco, spokesperson for ARCH. “Residents are active, the landscaping is coming along and the sidewalks look terrific. We are ready for the next phase.”
Those attending Thursday’s dedication will include Jeanne Herberger, ARCH Community Housing Director Michelle Griffith and the mayors, council members and staff of the cities of Hailey and Sun Valley.