ERC seeks volunteers for highway cleanup
The Environmental Resource Center in Ketchum is seeking volunteers for its semi-annual adopt-a-highway cleanup event, which will take place on Thursday, Oct. 9, beginning at 3 p.m.
The entire cleanup should take no longer than two hours, a news release from the ERC states. Volunteers should meet at the ERC office at 471 N. Washington St. in Ketchum at 2:45 p.m., or on state Highway 75 at the Hulen Meadows parking lot at 3 p.m.
Bags, gloves and reflective safety vests will be provided for volunteers.
For more information on the cleanup, contact the ERC at 726-4333.
Help build trails
Trails advocacy group Big Wood Backcountry Trails will hold its last trail-building work session of the season at the Rotarun area in Croy Canyon this weekend.
The volunteer work event will take place Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A barbecue and prize drawing at Hailey's Heagle Park will follow the work session. Anyone who has contributed to this season's construction efforts in the Rotarun area is invited to the barbecue at 1:30 p.m.
The trail network is a new 18-mile system being built west of Hailey on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land and private property between Democrat Gulch and Bullion Gulch in Croy Canyon. Volunteers should meet at 10 a.m. at the end of Rodeo Drive, the road that accesses the Rotarun ski hill. Tools and instruction will be provided. They should wear sturdy footwear, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and eye protection. Bring water and work gloves. Volunteers are asked to leave their dogs at home.
For additional information on Saturday's work session, contact Chris Leman at 721-1691 or at goodtrails@gmail.com.
Hailey to dedicate new park in Woodside
A dedication ceremony for the largest public park in Hailey will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 5:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend the ceremony on Moonlight Drive in the eastern part of central Woodside.
Keefer Park is named in honor of longtime Hailey park advocates Becki and Steve Keefer. The nine-acre park includes basketball courts, a regulation soccer field, restrooms, a picnic pavilion, a ballfield and a trailhead to the popular Toe-of-the-Hill Trail. Environmentally friendly park landscaping was designed to minimize water consumption and maintenance through judicious selection of plantings and irrigation systems.
Roughly twice the size of Hop Porter Park in Hailey, Keefer Park took two years to build and was funded by grants, in-lieu fees from developers and other development partnerships, with an approximate 50 percent contribution from tax dollars.
For additional information contact Janet Fugate, Hailey Parks and Land Board chairwoman, at 788-1062.
Idaho natural gas rates rise
Intermountain Gas customers in Idaho this month will see an increase in their natural gas rates, a news release from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission states.
Each year, the commission sets natural gas rates that take effect on Oct. 1, giving users either a credit or a surcharge depending on worldwide market conditions. This year's surcharge means the average residential customer who uses natural gas for space heating only will see a 15 percent, or $7.90, increase. The average residential customer who uses natural gas for space and water heating will see an 18 percent or $12.30 increase.
Commercial customers will see their bills rise by about $55.30 per month, or about an 18 percent increase.
The surcharge will increase Intermountain Gas' annual revenue by $54.3 million. However, none of the revenue can go to increase company profits, said utilities commission spokesman Gene Fadness.
Fadness said the revenues can only be used to meet the company's gas supply and related expenses.
New options available for ski season
The Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau and the Sun Valley Resort have partnered once again to offer transferable ski passes to local employers. The transferable ski pass program proved to be a valuable employee benefit for businesses. New for the 2009 season is a 20-day transferable pass available for $1,000. The season-long transferable season pass is still available for $2,500.
Revenues from the program will be divided equally to support the Fly Sun Valley Air Service Opportunity Fund for the Horizon minimum revenue guarantee and expanded daily bus service to and from Boise for the 2009 winter season.
Transferable Ski Passes allow more than one person to use the pass throughout the season. Calling Stefany Mahoney, membership services director at 725-2105 to purchase passes.
Roosevelt Grille to host DJ music
To help fill the musical hole left by the closures of Ketchum night spots Whiskey Jacques' and the Sawtooth Club, the Roosevelt Grille will host locals parties with DJs and dancing every Saturday night beginning Oct. 4, and continuing throughout the fall. Music and dancing will start after the dinner hours at 10:15 p.m., with no cover charge.
"We know we can't duplicate the great job they do at Whiskey's, but we wanted to do our best to fill the void left in the downtown entertainment scene until they're up and running again," said Tom Nickel, owner of the Roosevelt Grille. "This will not affect our dining ambiance one bit. We'll continue to be the casual, sophisticated restaurant people have come to expect. We'll just be kicking things up a notch for the late night scene."
The Roosevelt Grille is open nightly at 5 p.m. Reservations are accepted and can be made by calling 726-0051.
