I want to first thank the City staff for the hard work done with pursuing subterranean parking coupled with the proposed affordable housing on First and Washington Ave.
KBAC asked them to sharpen their pencil, dig deeper and find a solution to the lost parking in the 3rd quadrant of town.
And they got ‘er done. Twenty two pages of it.
Unfortunately most people could not get through those pages unaided, or at all.
The take away from the meeting of November 18 was that the uniform consensus from the audience was very negative for the urbanization of downtown Ketchum. - that should not have been a shock.
The Mayor lost his temper
Amanda Breen was angry about tax monies being spent !? Since when?
Susan Scovel had her head explode with bewilderment by the community's opposition to this project.
The question begs asking, at what point will we be heard?
Ten years ago? Eight years ago? Six years ago? Four years ago? Two years ago? (I personally was under house arrest healing a shattered shoulder, so not in the room) Nine months ago?
When exactly is the time the community will be heard? It is not fair to keep blaming us for not being heard.
Read the room.
The presentation at the special KURA/Council lacked some details as to the funding solutions. This lack of information did not allow for meaningful discussion with the participants.
This discussion needs to be carried on further.
Underground parking is costly. These costs will not go down as time passes. While quadrant One (Atkinson’s) has a greater need for underground parking. KURA and the City will soon be creating the same need in this area (First and Washington Ave.).
Why wait for chaos? We can plan ahead.
If the city is ‘hell bent’ on building out this block - no matter what, then option 6 is the only way to proceed.
I think your not being heard is not going to change with the Troika in charge. Look at their track record and how they are destroying Ketchum. They have never been swayed by the community—they don’t have to be. To get an appropriate solution will require legal action against KURA sufficient to delay the project until we have a new mayor and council in January of 2026 who will work for Ketchum, not against it.
I trial run of seeing what life will be like without the lot is a fantastic idea. Let retailers and customers feel the pain and scream loudly. I bet it takes only a week for a hue and cry even without the additional residents requiring street parking.
It's already a challenge to park when visiting Enoteca, Warfield, SVCI etc. in the evening after dark. This will get even worse and more treacherous with snow and ice. Will the City increase the amount of shoveling and lighting to enable safer walking?
I already wrote about this in the paper, so they know where I stand. It would be great if they could hear it from people who aren't hellbent on overthrowing their regime like I am 😀
Hi Sharon-the local business community asked the City to commit to sidewalk and lighting safety to response to the City's directive that business customers and employees park further and further away from the downtown core. The response we received was that there was no funding available to meet these needs. We encourage the public to provide public comment to the City about spending priorities and the need for safe and convenient business access. Thank you.
AMEN. I want to submit this whole article to the city council so it goes on public record. I don't know how on earth the Bradshaw, Breen and Hamilton can ALL of this destruction on their conscience.
If you have not done so please fill out the stupid survey from the city regarding the housing project and public parking.
Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency is seeking additional input on whether to include a public parking garage with their proposed workforce housing project at 1st Street and Washington Avenue in Ketchum. Learn about the options and costs and take the survey before December 13 at surveymonkey.com/r/first-washington or visit ketchumura.org.
Sadly, if you just recall the Mayor, then you get Breen in his place. A recall has to be both recalling all three of them plus replacing them with people who care about Ketchum. Fortunately, Tripp and Spencer care (although I don't always agree with them), so really you just need to get rid of Breen or Hamilton and then you can control the council and render the mayor powerless. Given the difficulty with a recall (it's been attempted twice on Bradshaw--which gives you a sense of how reviled he is), I think we are going to have to gut it out for a year until the next election when we will elect a new mayor and two council members. Presuming Tripp and Spencer stay in the mix, we just need to get one anti-Aspen person elected to take back the town from the Aspenizers.
A recall is the only answer. Why wait for a year Perry? By that time more damage will be done by the granting of more irrevocable building permits. We cannot wait. If an action isn't stated now, the city will be largely changed to fit the Troika, despite what the community wants.
BTW-- I should have mentioned that I suggested this approach way back in March. They weren't listening then, either.
https://www.mtexpress.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/can-we-try-less-parking-before-we-commit-to-less-parking/article_9e1318f6-e546-11ee-bca0-679d93cb5f99.html#tncms-source=login
I want to first thank the City staff for the hard work done with pursuing subterranean parking coupled with the proposed affordable housing on First and Washington Ave.
KBAC asked them to sharpen their pencil, dig deeper and find a solution to the lost parking in the 3rd quadrant of town.
And they got ‘er done. Twenty two pages of it.
Unfortunately most people could not get through those pages unaided, or at all.
The take away from the meeting of November 18 was that the uniform consensus from the audience was very negative for the urbanization of downtown Ketchum. - that should not have been a shock.
The Mayor lost his temper
Amanda Breen was angry about tax monies being spent !? Since when?
Susan Scovel had her head explode with bewilderment by the community's opposition to this project.
The question begs asking, at what point will we be heard?
Ten years ago? Eight years ago? Six years ago? Four years ago? Two years ago? (I personally was under house arrest healing a shattered shoulder, so not in the room) Nine months ago?
When exactly is the time the community will be heard? It is not fair to keep blaming us for not being heard.
Read the room.
The presentation at the special KURA/Council lacked some details as to the funding solutions. This lack of information did not allow for meaningful discussion with the participants.
This discussion needs to be carried on further.
Underground parking is costly. These costs will not go down as time passes. While quadrant One (Atkinson’s) has a greater need for underground parking. KURA and the City will soon be creating the same need in this area (First and Washington Ave.).
Why wait for chaos? We can plan ahead.
If the city is ‘hell bent’ on building out this block - no matter what, then option 6 is the only way to proceed.
We deserve a redo with a deeper conversation.
Let’s hammer this thing out together.
Julie Johnson
I think your not being heard is not going to change with the Troika in charge. Look at their track record and how they are destroying Ketchum. They have never been swayed by the community—they don’t have to be. To get an appropriate solution will require legal action against KURA sufficient to delay the project until we have a new mayor and council in January of 2026 who will work for Ketchum, not against it.
I trial run of seeing what life will be like without the lot is a fantastic idea. Let retailers and customers feel the pain and scream loudly. I bet it takes only a week for a hue and cry even without the additional residents requiring street parking.
It's already a challenge to park when visiting Enoteca, Warfield, SVCI etc. in the evening after dark. This will get even worse and more treacherous with snow and ice. Will the City increase the amount of shoveling and lighting to enable safer walking?
Sharon--can you forward this blog post to participate@ketchumidaho.org
I already wrote about this in the paper, so they know where I stand. It would be great if they could hear it from people who aren't hellbent on overthrowing their regime like I am 😀
Hi Sharon-the local business community asked the City to commit to sidewalk and lighting safety to response to the City's directive that business customers and employees park further and further away from the downtown core. The response we received was that there was no funding available to meet these needs. We encourage the public to provide public comment to the City about spending priorities and the need for safe and convenient business access. Thank you.
AMEN. I want to submit this whole article to the city council so it goes on public record. I don't know how on earth the Bradshaw, Breen and Hamilton can ALL of this destruction on their conscience.
send it to participate@ketchumidaho.org
thanks!
* can have ALL of this....
If you have not done so please fill out the stupid survey from the city regarding the housing project and public parking.
Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency is seeking additional input on whether to include a public parking garage with their proposed workforce housing project at 1st Street and Washington Avenue in Ketchum. Learn about the options and costs and take the survey before December 13 at surveymonkey.com/r/first-washington or visit ketchumura.org.
Perry. You do a great job of highlighting the problem …. What’s the solution? Recall?
Sadly, if you just recall the Mayor, then you get Breen in his place. A recall has to be both recalling all three of them plus replacing them with people who care about Ketchum. Fortunately, Tripp and Spencer care (although I don't always agree with them), so really you just need to get rid of Breen or Hamilton and then you can control the council and render the mayor powerless. Given the difficulty with a recall (it's been attempted twice on Bradshaw--which gives you a sense of how reviled he is), I think we are going to have to gut it out for a year until the next election when we will elect a new mayor and two council members. Presuming Tripp and Spencer stay in the mix, we just need to get one anti-Aspen person elected to take back the town from the Aspenizers.
A recall is the only answer. Why wait for a year Perry? By that time more damage will be done by the granting of more irrevocable building permits. We cannot wait. If an action isn't stated now, the city will be largely changed to fit the Troika, despite what the community wants.
I support your opinion wholeheartedly.
Bob Kaplan, MBA, Ph.D.