Rear entry; green talks; signs

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

By Jake Nichols

City Council meetings have gone to pot
Jackson Hole, Wyo.-When the mayor asked project architect Larry Berlin whether there was any potential for rear access I was hoping he was referring to the design of his two story retail and office building at 172 Center Street.

“It certainly doesn’t function well there, in reality,” Berlin responded. When Berlin brought up the fact that his place was “butted up against the Love easement in the back,” I had to double-check the night’s agenda for any mention of a male burlesque show.

Finally, Bland Hoke, the principal owner, made sense of it all by explaining it was a very complicated situation made even more so by the fact that the adjacent Jackson State Bank & Trust branch was in flux after their sale to Wells Fargo. “I don’t know what the bank will do,” Hoke admitted while stating his preference was, indeed, an entrance to his property from the back alley rather than bogging down the flow of traffic on Center Street.

Berlin thought demolition on the Di Tommaso Gallery could begin right after Labor Day 2008 with the project ready to come out of the closet, so to speak, by Memorial Day 2009.

Bob Lenz and Melissa Turley were slightly uncomfortable with unknowns centering around easements and access. Mark Obringer expressed a desire to see the whole area’s alley and elevation shifts addressed. Abe Tabatabai said he would support the project and gave Lenz a push in that direction: “Bob, sometimes you just gotta jump.”
Final Development Plan approval was granted unanimously for the 20,771 square feet space with underground parking.

Snowmobile Hill Climb is green after all
The council approved the Snow Devils’ permit to hold the 33rd annual World Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb over March 27-30. Tabatabai defended the event in the face of a recent letter to the editor that intimated the carbon-belching fest would seem to be in conflict with the town’s new 10-by-10 energy conservation initiative.
“I do support the Hill Climb,” Tabatabai said. “I disagree with the comments made. We are doing just fine and this is a good event for the town.” Mayor Mark Barron, knowing money talks, invited the devilish Heidi Tobin to the dais. She said the event has made it possible for the Snow Devils to donate $100,000 over five years to the new oncology center at St. John’s.

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
David Raphael, of LandWorks, made a snazzy presentation complete with several sign designs he had proposed for the council after they decided to revamp the dilapidated hardwood slabs at either end of town. He told the council that “gateway signs say to a motorist, ‘You are arriving in town; take notice, and slow down.’” Maybe he didn’t know we have a decoy cop car parked at Dairy Queen to do that.

Should the new signs include population or elevation? Should they be contemporary or rustic? Are we Jackson, WY or Jackson Hole? No two council members could agree on a single design issue, forcing Raphael to facilitate the decision phase by offering the price: $368k. The board swallowed hard and stared.

Raphael plodded through the silence by pressing for additional wayfinding signage that would include bus shelters and street signs and…
“I think the street signs are pretty far down the list,” Bob McLaurin interrupted. “The money will run out long before then.”

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Rear entry; green talks; signs | Planet JH News Article: Council Chronicles

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