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Here’s your Ranch roundup for the week of August 25th, 2024:
Wednesday, August 28th at 5pm the Town of Star Valley Ranch (TSVR) Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board met at Town Hall. Here’s a link to the meeting agenda. Two agenda items, an ancillary building and a fence, were approved by the P&Z Board. The rest of the items on the agenda were tabled due to the need for additional information.
Another item of interest brought forward during the meeting (by the Sunrise Mountain Estates Homeowners Association (HOA) president) was in regard to the buildable area of lots within the Town. [Note: Sunrise Mountain Estates was annexed into the TSVR about 2021 (I may be wrong about this annexation date, but these lots are currently part of TSVR)]. Many of the lots in Sunrise Mountain Estates have a slope of more than 30 degrees which limits the buildable area of each parcel per Lincoln County Wyoming Land Use Regulations [refer to paragraph 6.11E]. As TSVR ordinances do not currently address the 30 degree slope limitation, the Sunrise Mountain Estates HOA president requested support from the P&Z Board to remedy this situation.
Thursday, August 29th, it would seem we received our first freeze of the season here at Star Valley Ranch! Yikes! I can attest to the fact that the squash I had growing in my home garden bit the dust—so there you have it! According to the National Weather Service (NWS) Riverton “a cloudless sky, light wind, and very dry near-surface air allowed temperatures to drop below freezing in the valleys and basins of western Wyoming Thursday morning”. Goodbye summer, you’ve been fun…
Saturday August 31st the TSVR Ranch Rendezvous Market was up and running in the Town Hall parking lot. The market had fresh produce (corn, onions, squash, mini-watermelon, pears, peaches, and tomatoes) along with multiple other vendors to include local free range beef from Jacknife Ranch, homemade breads and tamales, dairy products, crafts, and more!
Please consider visiting the Ranch Rendezvous Market next Saturday September 7th from 8am to 11am. The Rendezvous is a terrific community event and the vendors, as well as TSVR, would love to see you there!
Also on Saturday August 31st from 9am to 4pm the Star Valley Ranch Association (SVRA) hosted their Autumn Craft Fair at the Barn.
As I was otherwise engaged on Saturday I was not able to stop by this event. However, given the number of folks that came by the Ranch Rendezvous Market in-route to the Autumn Craft Fair, I speculate it was a success!
Other news and notes from the week:
The SVRA Cedar Creek Pool is now closed for the season. The last day was scheduled for Monday, September 2nd, however, the pool closed a day early due to lack of staffing. It would seem summer is assuredly in the rearview.
After driving around Town it appears speed bumps have been installed on Vista East, Vista West, and Elkhorn Drive. My understanding is that additional roads in Town will also see installation of speed bumps in the upcoming weeks.
Also, this past week the Lincoln County Clerk published the November 5th, 2024 General Election Proclamation—read it here.
Stay tuned to Close to Home 307 for more information about the General Election and local candidates on the ballot between now and Election Day!
Here’s a look at calendar items for next week:
Tuesday, September 3rd at 6pm the TSVR Roads Advisory Board will meet at Town Hall.
Thursday, September 5th at 12:30pm the TSVR Water Utility Board will meet at Town Hall.
Also on Thursday, September 5th at 2:30pm the TSVR Travel and Tourism Board will meet at Town Hall.
Saturday, September 7th from 8am to 11am the Ranch Rendezvous Market will be held in the Town Hall parking lot.
Final thoughts—okeedok, let’s talk about chickens. You may recall in the August 11th SVR News Roundup, I reported the Town Council had discussed a potential narrowly defined update to the existing Town code to allow residents to keep chickens on their property. There has also been a petition submitted to the Town by residents requesting this change. I’ve been having a lot of conversations on this topic over the last couple of weeks and now I’m interested to know what my readers think. So—ta-daaah! It’s poll time! Should you be inclined—please cast your vote below and we’ll see where this goes!
There are decidely pros and cons to this subject. Probably the biggest “con” I’ve heard folks voice is the concern over chickens increasing the risk of predators in Town. While the latter is a concern, pet food left outdoors (or in dog kennels/runs), beehives, and bird feeders are also known wildlife and possible predator attractants. Is it a fine line? Perhaps, but please give me your thoughts in the poll below and I’ll report the results in the upcoming weeks. Thanks!
That’s all for today! Thank you for reading. If you have Star Valley Ranch news to share please drop me an email at close2home307@gmail.com. And, if you find this weekly email useful, please invite your neighbors, family, and friends to check out Close to Home 307. Your support and feedback is very much appreciated!
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I have lived on this ranch for 18 years. The rules STATE!!! that there are
NO. CHICKENS. there are no rabbits, there are no horses. These are the rules so fallow them.!!!! I do not appreciate the smell of the chicken coops. When The wind blows into my house. I can’t even keep my windows open I was raised on a ranch that is the place for this kind of stuff not in a housing development. The chickens need to go. It is not allowed. It should not be allowed if you want chickens and farm animals go by land and live on a ranch.
If your property is part of the Star Valley Ranch Association/HOA, ALL the Plat DCCRs prohibit chickens. [Plat DCCRs - Article VIII, Section 6. "No animals of any kind, including horses, cattle, swine, sheep, goats, poultry, chickens or rabbits, shall be raised, bred or kept on any Lot, except that dogs, cats, or other household pets may be kept, provided they are not bred, kept, or maintained for any commercial purpose."]. The next opportunity to change the DCCRs is in 7+ years.