Stand up and be counted

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

By Jake Nichols

Garage goes green
Jackson Hole, Wyo.-When the city wrapped-up the new parking garage at Millward and Simpson, someone noticed some leftover land. Since that time town officials have entertained various proposals on what to do with it. The Town had all but given up on filling the space until Penny McBride stepped up with the latest application: a vertical greenhouse. “We are aware there have been many discussions on what to do with this site,” said project architect Nona Yehia of E/Ye Design. She added that vertical farming is hot right now and she couldn’t be more correct. Pioneered by Yehia’s former teacher, Columbia U’s professor Dickson Despommier, the high-rise horticultural concept is green beans meets hothouse meets skyscraper. 

“I think it’s an exciting opportunity for the town that we all can benefit from,” Councilman Greg Miles said. Yehia said the plan was to hire mainly locals with developmental disabilities to tend to the greenery, which will produce premium grade vegetables 365 days a year to tentatively be sold at Whole Grocer.  The Vertical Harvest Project was passed unanimously to begin preliminary testing to determine if the site has the potential to be fruitful.

Mayor comes clean
Mayor Mark Barron confessed to a couple of things. He said he owns two businesses and three dogs. Only one of those confessions makes the mayor a ‘criminal.’ As the owner of Blue Spruce Cleaners and High Country Linen, Barron wanted it on the record that if his cleaners happen to wash the blue jumper of the town’s diesel mechanic, it was nothing that he arranged for profit. But that wasn’t what he was ‘fessing up to.

“I would also like the Town Council to consider revisiting the animal ordinance to allow three dogs in home,” Barron asked. Current town ordinance allows for a maximum of two dogs per household. “I am now in violation with a new puppy – one of those surprises that end up never going anywhere.”

“Is there going to be any more of these unexpected puppies?” Miles cracked.

This time it counts
Carmina Oaks, formerly of the Latino Resource Center and now leading the charge for the 2010 Census, asked the Council to form a committee to get the word out  about the upcoming census.

Undercounting in the 2000 Census at the state, county and town levels meant residents lost out on a potential $823 of federal money per person, annually. Oaks added that many Latino residents were missed last time because they feared to participate or were in Mexico when G-men came knocking. JHW 

PERMALINK:
Stand up and be counted | Planet JH News Article: Council Chronicles

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