Submitted by Ken Watts
Voting on the Island Park Community Center will be on May 16th, 2023, at the Island Park Emergency Medical Services building on Library Way. Only residents of Fremont County Precinct 1 will be allowed to vote on this issue. There has been some talk about election integrity and voter fraud. Fremont County and the State of Idaho can be trusted to make sure only registered Fremont County voters who live in Precinct 1 are allowed to vote in the election. There has been talk about people changing their out-of-state residency to vote in the May election. Only Idaho residents who live in Precinct 1 at least 50% of the year, pay Idaho income taxes, register their vehicles in Idaho, and have an Idaho driver’s license or ID can vote. Residents of Precinct 1 should be able to vote yes or no on the Community Center without intimation. They should not be told that their business will be blacklisted if they support the Community Center or don’t. People should not be told they could lose their job if they support the Community Center or don’t. One faction is applying a lot of pressure on businesses and people to vote no if they want their business support. This act can be an anti-trust and/or ethics violation for some business people. The Community Center would be funded by a lodging fee/user fee for visitors. THERE WILL BE NO INCREASE IN YOUR PROPERTY TAXES OR ANY OTHER TAX. Travelers pay these types of user taxes in many, many places where they travel in the country. The Community Center could become the focal point of the area. A place where there could be concert events and dances. It could be much like the events hosted at Mack’s Inn in the 1970s era. The dances were fun back in the day. It would be great to have an opportunity for local talent, in Island Park, to perform again. The Community Center will put “heads in beds” in the Island Park area. Imagine if a wedding was hosted at the Center. People would travel to Island Park and stay for the event. They will need lodging and the lodging industry will benefit.
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Submitted by Ken Watts
There is a real need for the Island Park Community Center. There is no place in the Island Park area for larger groups to meet. The center could be used to host conventions that could provide great economic benefit to the area. There is a need for a facility that has excellent WiFi capability so that Zoom meetings could be hosted and the internet could be used during meetings. A fully functional kitchen is also needed to support events in the area and to support catering to events. The Center could host the Chamber of Commerce, the Historical Society, and a tourist information center. These uses would support business in the area and lead to an increase in lodging use. We can all recall the I Love Island Park event that got rained out last summer. If the area would have had a Community Center, the event could have proceeded as scheduled. There was an economic impact that could have been avoided and resulted in benefits to the area. This is just one example of how the area could have benefited. You can probably think of many other benefits. The benefits go far beyond the many obvious uses. The Center will provide a sense of pride in the area and a sense of community. The local control of the Center leads to this sense of pride. It will bring people together. There is evidence of this in other communities. Many of you can probably recall the Grange buildings of the past. These were gathering places for events and the discussion of issues important to the areas. There was music and dancing and so many enjoyable events. Many in the community have a deep sense of pride in the accomplishments of the Island Park Charter School. There could be the same sense of pride in the Community Center and a sense of identity. The Community Center would be controlled by people from the community for the benefit of the community. There are clearly factions that support the Center and factions that oppose the Center. We cannot ignore this fact. But maybe there is room for some sort of collaboration among the factions. Some do not like the proposed funding method (Community Center District) for the Community Center. Maybe it cuts into their bottom line or maybe it could actually bring in more revenue because of the events that would be sponsored. Perhaps a far greater threat to the bottom line of some businesses (including short term rentals) is the commercial development of the Henrys Lake Flats. Hundreds of new hotel rooms and condos would really cut into the bottom line of existing businesses. This development could have a profound negative effect on the current lodging owners. It could drive them out of business. There is the community faction that recognizes the need for the Community Center to support the area’s businesses and events. Could there be some give and take. People supporting the community center could oppose re-zoning the Henrys Lake Flats in exchange for support of the Community Center. Just a thought. Maybe a collaboration could be a win for all factions. Submitted by Ken Watts
Sometimes it seems like the Island Park area is being assaulted from every direction. This really hit home a few days ago when the Bureau of Land Management issued a draft travel plan (open for comment) for the Upper Snake River East area. This plan could have a devastating impact on recreational and agricultural travel in Island Park. But this is just one assault of many. You may remember the assault by the Forest Service a few years ago when they installed gates on roads and trails and built huge tank traps. They also caused incredible environmental damage. We have the assault from the Idaho Department of Transportation that wants to build a 4 lane freeway through our beautiful mountain community and cause incredible environmental and economic damage to our sensitive landscapes, iconic wildlife habitats, and human livability environment. The Federal Highway Administration continues to support a 4 lane freeway in Island Park in spite of the opposition to new roads expressed by the Secretary of Transportation and local citizens and organizations. ITD and IDFG are still working on wildlife corridors and restrictive protected landscapes complete with overpasses, underpasses, and fencing for US 20, despite the overwhelming opposition expressed by the voters of Fremont County. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game lurks in the background to support closing public access in the name of some critter or habitat based on plans Idaho agencies are implementing that come to Idaho through State Wildlife Action Plan and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, who are administered by Non- Government Organizations. Of course the IDFG is also supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that provides additional funding to them. Numerous conservation and environmental organizations (NGOs) are always trying to impose their will on the area, sometimes for good but often in opposition to the will of the people of Island Park. The latest assault is the potential commercial development of the iconic Henrys Lake Flats. Can you imagine the Flats looking like Aspen, Colorado? Rumors abound, go to Facebook and follow the conversation. Apparently ITD knows something about potential big development coming to Island Park as they discussed it in their planning meetings. Big development will come if we allow the county and city to rezone this area. DO NOT LET THEM! STAND TALL NOW! Save the iconic Henrys Flat. We even have assaults against building a community center in Island Park that will provide so many benefits to the people of the area. We are sometimes disappointed by the action or lack of action at many levels when representatives fail us against such assaults. Citizen interests deserve the same playing field, access, and state agency respect that special interests enjoy. Citizen voice deserves a seat at every table and critical answers should not be held privately and secretively from the taxpaying citizen who will be impacted by the decisions that are being made by the select few. It will be the citizen who lives with and suffers the consequences of bureaucratic rule. A good example is when the Idaho legislature circumvents the local control of cities and counties like we have seen on the short term rental issue, where the powerful real estate lobby had their way in Boise. The assault on Island Park values comes from many sources and is continuous. We must stand up for our values and not let others destroy our beautiful mountain community. The issues are critically important. No longer is it about if or when outside interests intend to arrive and try to effect massive change for Island Park...they are already here. The proposed community center will provide a meeting venue that can be used to discuss issues that are critical to the community. Submitted by Ken Watts
UPDATE: The comment period has been extended to July 10, 2023. There are two topics that deserve your attention this week. The first is the Island Park Auditorium District and the second is the Bureau of Land Management’s travel plan for the Upper Snake River area. Both topics are time sensitive and therefore both are addressed briefly this week. These are very important topics for the Island Park area. The vote for setting up the auditorium district in Precinct 1 (basically the Caldera) will be held on May 16, 2023. A yes vote will establish the district so that a community center can be built to serve the Island Park area. The funds for the district would come from a lodging tax (5%) administered in Precinct 1. The benefits of the community center are really too numerous to mention in the space available here. Literally everyone will benefit in some way. Voters should consider the many ways they could benefit from the center personally. Just one example: the Targhee Women’s Club would have a meeting place with a full kitchen, communications, stage, plenty of room, audio visual systems, etc. Local businesses could even cater at the center. On a personal note, it “torques my shorts” when I travel to places like New Orleans and pay multiple lodging taxes to support their community minded endeavors. But when people from New Orleans come to Island Park they currently pay nothing to support our community minded endeavors. THIS IS NOT FAIR! These people should help pay for our community center like we do for them. Turning now to the BLM travel plan: THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PLAN TO YOU CANNOT BE OVER EMPHASIZED! This is a plan to further prevent you from enjoying and using “your” public lands. You can find the travel plans at this link. The comment period runs until May 5, 2023. The plan has four options for road and trail closures in the Upper Snake River Area. The closure map is available at https://bit.ly/3KabX3y. Option B appears to be the most restrictive, closing most two track roads and trails. Option A appears to be the “do nothing option” and Option D is the least restrictive option where changes are being made. I looked at the closure plan for the area where I live. Option B closed nearly every road and trail except the most used roads. I could no longer get to Ice House Creek where I have fished with the grand kids and just messed around the stream side. We also routinely view wildlife in this area. Most surprising was the fact that the local rancher, Spencer Brown, would not be able to get from his cabin to his grazing allotments to check on his cattle. This is crazy. Maybe option B is the red herring so the BLM can get option C or D and act like they are doing us a favor. The entire community can be hurt by this plan including the rental community. Time to stand up! The BLM has been a great organization to work with when comes to fuels reduction and support for wildlife. The Pocatello office has great people and they listen to the public. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy working with them. This Travel Plan is a step backwards in community relations. There should be public meetings held in Island Park and the plan must be coordinated with Fremont County, as required by law. |
Making Sense of It All
This blog will help you make sense out of all the information on the website, how it affects IP, our history, and how efforts continue to put IP into various forms of conservation status. Archives
May 2023
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