Letters April 9, 2008

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

By Planet User

Supporting the moratorium
I wholeheartedly endorse the idea of a moratorium of development in Jackson Hole including the Porter Estate, the Three Ranchers, LLC and Teton Meadows Ranch, as well as any other up-zone developments which may present themselves in the near future.
So much work has gone into the new Comprehensive Plan recently that it would be a travesty not to complete the Plan and then follow it for all future development in our wonderful valley.
- Karin W. King
Jackson

The people have spoken
<This letter was addressed to the Teton County Commission and Planning Department. - Eds>
The preliminary results of the Comprehensive Plan Survey have been online and available to everyone for more than three weeks. I am not a mathematician or a statistician but it is clear to me that the most important issues, at least to the well over 900 Teton County residents who responded, are as follows: Preservation of wildlife; preservation of the environment; managing growth responsibly; preservation of open space.

Why then are the County Commissioners seeming to waffle about declaring a moratorium on rezoning for large developments? The moratorium is absolutely necessary!

This moratorium should include any developments that have been proposed since the announcement of a new comprehensive study was issued. Why in the world would we give preferential treatment to proposals that are trying to sneak in under the fence?
If the rush to develop and rezone is about developers’ interests and affordable housing, as I suspect it is, then the need for a moratorium is even more apparent. The community as a whole needs to step back and think about affordable housing issues (ie: for whom, what kind, located where, how much). There is a critical need for open and honest dialogue in regard to public perception of the mandates and program administration of affordable housing.

The scare tacticians are out there telling us this is the last chance to build reasonably priced homes in Jackson. This is not the last opportunity we will have! It could, if we work diligently towards a good plan, be the last loophole for irresponsible development.
- Nan Neth
Jackson

Total bull
The more Alpine changes, the more it stays the same. It is the same old story of little ol’ Alpine - financially broke, scrambling for ways to jab anybody they can for a little more money. I said it in 2004 and I will say it again: The infrastructure - water, sewer and roads - is a mess. The new sewer plant is under construction. But guess what?

The town is not quite sure how it is going to pay for it. The Halpen annexation ball was dropped, which the previous administration portrayed as the source of repayment for the now $10,000,000 “ongoing event.” Now Leon Kjellgren, the town engineer, is crafting ways to raise water and sewer rates. His proposal for the Bull Moose is to count the number of chairs and calculate the water/sewer rate at 80 gallons a chair, per day.
Water use should be paid for based on actual gallons of water used, not on how many chairs are in your building. What a novel idea.

Another novel idea would be to charge everyone for their water use. According to Kjellgren’s own fact sheet, the Southern Baptist Church pays nothing in the way of water and sewer fees. Not only does the church not contribute to the property tax base, it now is discovered that it doesn’t pay for its water and sewer either. Isn’t it ironic that the Bull Moose is contributing to the free water and sewer use of one of its biggest critics.
And finally, once again, the only person ticketed and hauled into court this winter for plowing snow was Jim at the Bull Moose. Imagine that.

The ticket was dismissed because there wasn’t an ordinance in place to give the ticket. But it’s the same old story in Alpine; give Jim a ticket whether it’s legal or not.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Stay tuned. There’s more coming.
- Jim Blittersdorf
Bull Moose Saloon, Alpine

Known killers
“Reveille, Reveille” (wake up!) and “Man your battle stations!” (a life threatening situation!) are two commands I remember well when in the service. Perhaps it is time we all heeded them and demand that leaders in Washington, Cheyenne and Pinedale, as well as the energy companies, do the same. Prolonged studies of known killers in our community (ozone and benzene) are no longer acceptable.

The source of these killers is known. We deserve immediate action which would include slowing the pace of additional drilling and accelerating the changes promised by the energy companies if we would grant them 4000 additional permits.

History documents many costly, indecisive and delayed decisions by leadership and citizens alike. Let’s not be another victim. We have heard “reveille.” Do we need to “man our battle stations” to protect our special community?
- Horton Spitzer
Daniel, Wyo.
PERMALINK:
Letters April 9, 2008 | Planet JH News Article: Letters To Editor

Reader Comments

.... RE... "it is clear to me that the most important issues, at least to the well over 900 Teton County residents who responded, are as follows: Preservation of wildlife; preservation of the environment; managing growth responsibly; preservation of open space." ...... A closer look at the survey shows a hugh interest in building afordable homes. The survey is also limited in bringing clarity to any issue. It asks questions AND supplies answers for you to select. You don't get to give you own answer to questions nor do you get to ask/answer different questions. The survey is better than nothing, but none should make planning decision based upon this survey alone.
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