Ketchum P&Z to meet on comp plan
After receiving a recently completed draft of Ketchum’s updated comprehensive plan Monday, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission scheduled two special meetings in February to review the plan.
The meetings will be open to the public and will take place at Ketchum City Hall on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 4 p.m. and Wednesday, Feb. 13, at noon. Planning Manager Joyce Allgaier said at a P&Z meeting Monday that she expects that the comprehensive plan review sessions will each last about two hours.
After the commissioners review the plan and make any changes they deem necessary, the commission is expected to recommend adoption of the plan to the City Council. The council will then review and possibly revise the document again before adopting it. Allgaier said the best time for the public to comment on the plan will be after the P&Z makes its initial changes, but before the document is reviewed by the City Council.
At the meeting, P&Z Chair Deborah Burns said she wanted to keep the lines of communication open with the council throughout the process. She said she wanted to avoid a situation in which the council changes the plan much after the commission approves it. Allgaier said that was a good idea, but suggested the commission review the plan alone first to give it “some shape” before involving the council.
Jail gets new reading program
The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office has hired a team of instructors, on a trial basis, to teach an innovative reading program to jail inmates.
Now in its fourth year, the literacy portion of the Blaine County Detention Center’s educational programs dissolved when the instructor was no longer able to continue it.
The new program, Nardagani, was created by valley resident Narda Pitkethly. According to Pitkethly, it shows significantly improved reading ability in as few as four classes. The instructors—Pitkethly, Leslie Andrews and Ann Parry—are preparing inmates to take GED exams and are teaching résumé building.
The program is raising funds through Kickstarter.com, an online funding platform for creative projects. Funds raised from the current Kickstarter campaign will be used to print a new children’s version of the Nardagani program. Nardagani was adopted by the Idaho State Department of Education in June to help challenged readers in Idaho schools.
SustainIt Awards vote ends Friday
Polls in the 2013 SustainIt Awards close this Friday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m. Created by Habitat magazine to recognize efforts within the community to create a greener, cleaner, more sustainable Wood River Valley, the SustainIt Awards are voted on by the citizens of Blaine County, making the accolade all the more meaningful to the recipients.
To vote, go to www.svguide.com/habitat/sustainit and enter a choice for Favorite Green Business; Favorite Locally Made Product (edible); Favorite Locally Made Product (nonedible); Favorite Green Service Provider; Favorite Green Advocate (person) and Favorite Green Advocate (business). Some users reported problems accessing the site; those issues have now been fixed, so please try again.
Winners will be revealed in the 2013 issue of Habitat, published in March. To read about last year’s winners, go to www.svguide.com/2012habitat.
Talk offered on social eating pressure
St. Luke’s Center for Community Health will present a talk titled “Do Our Friends Make Us Fat?” on Thursday, Jan. 31, from 12:15-1:15 p.m. at St. Luke’s Wood River’s Baldy Rooms.
Registered dietitian Becky McCarver will open discussion on the social impacts on eating. She will address questions such as: Are social norms and peer pressure sabotaging your nutritional goals? What are the eating norms when you are with your friends and family? Attendees can learn how to enjoy the company they keep yet maintain—or gain—control of your nutritional habits.
Call St. Luke’s Center for Community Health for information on this or other educational programs, 727-8733.
School board meets Thursday
The Blaine County School District board of trustees announced Monday that it will hold a special meeting on Thursday, Jan. 31.
According to the agenda, Director of Curriculum Kathleen Budge and Director of Student Services Debi Gutknecht will give a presentation on “The 21st Century Learning Teacher Profile.”
The meeting is scheduled from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the district office at 118 W. Bullion St. in Hailey.
Skijoring event set for Feb. 9, 10
Wood River Extreme Skijoring will be held on a track at Old Cutter’s Ranch in Hailey on Saturday, Feb 9, and Sunday, Feb. 10. There is $5,000 added prize money this year.
Sign up at McClain’s Pizza in Hailey on Friday, Feb. 8, from 6-10 p.m. The event will start at noon Saturday and Sunday.
Please leave dogs at home. 4-H Wild Riders will be serving food. Soda and other refreshments will be available, so please no coolers. A team auction will be held Saturday night.
For more information, see www.woodriveresja.com or call Tyler Peterson at 720-0329.