If Ketchum doesn't change its street names to make them less confusing, it should post a sign at the entrance to town that says, "If you don't know where you're going, you shouldn't be here. Don't ask us for directions. We're lost, too."
Take this quiz. Quickly.
Describe where Third Avenue is in Ketchum. No, not Third Street, Third Avenue. Then, identify the corner of Third and Third.
Don't know? Neither do we. Go on.
Identify where Sun Valley Road begins and ends. You say it begins in Sun Valley? Correct. And ends at River Run Lodge? Beep—wrong. Sun Valley Road ends at Main Street. Third Street starts there and continues to River Run.
What street comes after Spruce and Walnut streets? East Avenue. East Avenue? Oh, that makes sense.
After East Avenue comes Leadville. After Leadville, comes Main, then Washington, then First and Second avenues.
If that logic is clear as mud, then why don't Jefferson and Lincoln follow Washington?
When planning consultant Tom Hudson took a look at Ketchum's downtown, one of the first things he pointed out was how difficult it is for residents and visitors to find their way around—and to give directions.
There are lots of residents who have lived here a long time who for a million-dollar prize couldn't accurately describe Ketchum's street layout.
Hudson said East Avenue, First Avenue and Second Avenue are particularly confusing and recommended renaming with names more reflective of the community's heritage.
A Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau committee took a look at the names and recommended that the three avenues be renamed Knob Hill Avenue, Griffin Butte Avenue, and Ketchum Avenue, along with some changes in Third and Fourth Avenues where they connect to other named streets.
The Ketchum City Council and the committee took a lot of heat when the name changes were unveiled in the first hearing on the subject.
Clearly, name changes may encounter bumps in the road, for example, some businesses whose names may contain street names. The city should work with those businesses and come up with a plan that works for both. After all, the whole point of name changes is to make the downtown work better for businesses and customers.
The biggest obstacle may be the very human trait of resisting change simply because it's change, and it's uncomfortable. The town and residents need to look beyond the temporary discomfort.
Along with other changes—identifying quadrants of the town with "district" names, enlarging sidewalks, altering parking schemes and providing way-finding information signs--the city could become more welcoming and easier to navigate. That would be good for everyone.
