With the opening of Sego, My House Furnishings, The Apothecary, the State Liquor Store, Cornerstone Bar and Grill, Whiskey Jacques' and Roxy's, and joining the existing Forest Service Park and Heritage & Ski Museum and Ketchum cinemas, I am in hopes that the city of Ketchum and adjacent property owners would be open to this idea.
Let's have the URA escalate removal of improvements at 211 E. First St. and enlarge the existing parking lot at Washington and Second. Have the city ask if the Bald Mountain Lodge group would be interested in leasing the western portion of their property, between River Street and First, to the city for a parking lot, scraping the topsoil up before adding gravel to create a berm to hide it from Main Street and have the city make the same request to the owner of the vacant lot at Washington and Second.
Placing city liability insurance on these properties and removal of snow from the sidewalks would be beneficial to all parties and perhaps compelling to the owners to help promote walking throughout the downtown core of Ketchum, by allowing the property to be leased and maintained by the city in exchange for parking. This would also provide the needed parking for Ketchum Alive, promote the Heritage and Ski Museum, facilitate the concept of park and ride your bicycle as found on pages 10-11 of the summer Sun Valley Guide and allow for parking so guests can ride our bus system or walk from the Forest Service Park to the Fourth Street Heritage Corridor and Town Square.
I would also like to see if the city of Ketchum would be open to using one of the three buildings at the Forest Service Park not currently being used by the Historical Society as a visitor center, which would be an excellent paring and logical location and provide a venue to represent our past, cherish our present and promote our future.
Remember, if we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem. Let us all be proactive, embrace change, make our guests and visitors welcome, eliminate eyesores and make Ketchum an easier place to live, visit, walk, shop and enjoy by all. Parking is needed and this is an affordable way to see how the community and visitors alike will use it. Celebrate summer!
Jim Kuehn
Hailey
