Now is the time for the Quiqley project. This is a golden opportunity for the city of Hailey to develop a first-class amenity that will be appreciated for years to come. Hailey has come into its own as the bedrock bedroom community in Blaine County. We supply the majority of the valley's workforce, affordable housing, daycare, schools, markets and light industry. We deserve the golf course, Nordic facility and trails that the Quigley project will provide.
Every project has its tradeoffs, but in this case, the trade is exceptionally good for the citizens of Hailey. We would get an affordable, 18-hole, Audubon-certified public golf course, a 24k Nordic skiing facility and 20 miles of new trails. This is in addition to a restored Quiqley Pond and Quiqley Creek, a new municipal well and valuable water rights transferred to the city.
This project will create approximately 500 jobs a year for the next 15 years, build 70 community housing units, and produce estimated visitor spending of $2.75 million per year.
The big election issue in Hailey in 1993 was whether to plant trees along Main Street and add a traffic lane in each direction. My opponent and his supporters opposed the change and ignored the future. I prevailed in the election, and now 15 years later, traffic flows smoothly through town while we can walk from one end of Main Street to the other on tree-lined sidewalks. It's hard to imagine Hailey the old way.
If we build the Quigley project, we will look back in another 15 years and be thankful for our foresight. We will have given ourselves a huge community amenity—not just another subdivision—and an economic shot in the arm when we really needed it.
Steve Kearns
Hailey
