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Time if flying by! Here’s your Ranch news roundup for the week of May 26th, 2024:
The big event of the week occurred on Tuesday, May 28th at 7pm in the Star Valley Ranch Association (SVRA) Banquet Room at Cedar Creek Center when members hosted a “Meet the Candidates” question and answer (Q&A) forum to help inform voters in the run-up to the SVRA Board of Directors (BoD) election later this month. It was a lively, and toward the end boisterous, event with well over 100 members participating (in person and on Zoom) all keenly interested to know more about the six candidates running to fill three BoD seats. Questions were posed to the BoD candidates by members in attendance and also on Zoom. It was a well-run event and I would like to thank the members who took the time to put this Q&A forum together.
If you missed this event, the SVRA has made a video recording of the forum available that you can access here. [Note portions of the audio may be a little difficult to make out.]
I will also direct readers to the SVRA BoD candidate profiles currently posted here on the Election 2024 section of Close to Home 307.
Additionally, prior to the forum I contacted each of the six candidates and posed three questions to each of them. You can read responses received to date from Patty Judge, Fred Lamming, and Deborah Larson in the new SVRA BoD Candidate Q&A post in the Election 2024 section. [I will update this post with additional candidate responses as they are received.]
On Thursday, May 30th, a large spruce tree was cut down adjacent to Town Hall to make way for an new entrance to the Town Mail Center directly from Vista Drive. This secondary entrance has been part of the site plan for the Town Hall building since it was purchased by the Town in 2020. The new entrance was included as a funded project in the Town of Star Valley Ranch (TSVR) Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Budget. A number of residents were upset upon seeing the 40-year old tree’s removal, however, a second entrance was deemed necessary by the Town Council as a measure to improve public safety as several vehicle accidents have occurred in the parking lot in its currently configured state.
On Saturday, June 1st, the Teton Chapter of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation held their 10th Annual Headwaters Golf Scramble at Cedar Creek Golf Course. The main focus of the WFF organization is to help the families of firefighters killed in the line of duty and to assist injured firefighters and their families.
In other news, work on the TSVR Water Improvement Project 2023 (WIP 2023), that began last month, continued this week on Green Canyon Drive. WIP 2023 also includes Vista Drive and part of Vista East and will be ongoing throughout the summer.
And, one follow-up—last week I mentioned the pond on the Aspen Hills Golf Course was going to be stocked with fish, however, with the snowy weather I wasn’t certain if the stocking actually occurred. I am happy to report that despite Mother Nature’s wintery interruption, there are now fishies in the pond!
Other news and notes from the week:
During the May 14th TSVR Council Meeting, a resident requested additional detail on the TSVR Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Budget up for final reading in June. That information has been posted on the TSVR website and can be found here.
As of this Saturday June 1st residents can begin putting out brush and tree trimmings for the annual TSVR Firewise pickup. From June 17th through June 20th TSVR Public Works will collect these piles. Remember all brush should be cut in lengths of not over 8 feet and placed along the side of the roadway but not in the road right of way prior. Thanks!
I noticed this week that the previously leaking water spigot next to Canine Commons has now been repaired. Check out how shiny and new it is!
The shiny new frost-proof water hydrant next to the dog park. For all you folks in Plats 4 and 5, good news, looks like HK Contractors will begin work next week on a number of paving projects one of which is finally getting asphalt on Brambleberry Drive (they’ll also be putting in that new entrance off of Vista Drive into the Town Hall parking lot). While I’m not sure which project they’ll start with, it’s my understanding, weather-permitting, they should be done with all the paving efforts they are contracted to perform by the end of June.
Last, but certainly not least—the filing period for folks to run for a seat on the Star Valley Ranch Town Council closed at the end of the week. I’m pleased to report there were five applications filed! The names of those individuals who filed cannot be released until the Lincoln County Clerk verifies each applicant qualifies. Thus, please stay tuned for more information about who may be on the ballot this fall for our two open Town Council seats!
Here’s a look at calendar items for next week:
Tuesday, June 4th at 6pm the TSVR Roads Advisory Board will meet at Town Hall.
Saturday, June 8th starting at 10am TSVR Safety Day will be held at the First Response Center at the corner of Vista West Drive and Vista Drive.
Also on Saturday, June 8th, the SVRA Community Garage Sale begins at 8am.
Final thoughts—it was with sadness I learned this week of the passing of long-time Star Valley Ranch resident Jack Hales. Jack, a retired meteorologist, was the mastermind behind the Star Valley Weather Blog. His obituary appears on the Schwab Mortuary website and was also in this week’s Star Valley Independent. The Star Valley Weather Blog along with Jack’s webcam page (with video feeds from our local Star Valley and northwest Wyoming areas, and a host of other places like Central Paris) will remain online and be maintained by one of Jack’s sons and a colleague. Jack’s family has requested, in lieu of flowers, remembrances be made in the form of contributions to the Meals on Wheels program at the Thayne Senior Center by contacting Janan Lindroos (307) 883-2678.
That’s all for this week—thank you for reading. Please invite your neighbors, family, and friends to check out Close to Home 307. Your support and feedback is very much appreciated! Email me anytime at: close2home307@gmail.com
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