Snake River Canyons Park Board
Open Meeting Minutes
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Blue Lakes Country Club, Jerome, Idaho
Attending Board Members: Chairman Bill Bridges, Greg Moore, Stephen Haag, Jeff Pierson, Becky Dean, Steve Paulson and Brenda Weekes. Not present: John Weston and Mark Reyes.
Guests: Advisor Mike Tilka, Jerome Commissioner Ben Crouch, and Rebecca Wildman taking minutes.
Bill called the meeting to order at 11:09 a.m. with a quorum present.
Minutes: Approved with motion from Brenda, Jeff second, motion carried.
Treasurers Report: $10,677 in account. Broken bridge account is closed. RV Park account is closed. FY23-24 Budget has spent $9,400 from initial $60k. Special fund of $32k is still available for Yingst Grade project.
Yingst Grade: Gate was unlocked, and it is unknown who opened it or who has keys. Discussed need for EMT access. Bill has lined up contractor Roy Gwen to remove concrete blocks. And move gate up to where blocks are.have gate lockable. With box for key for emergency. Gate work should be completed this fall. Access area north off the bridge needs work, as does sidewalk area.
Picnic Tables: Greg will submit reimbursement for recent work on picnic tables. Discussed picnic table placements, specifically one for arbor for off-roaders. Inquiry about park board’s direction on helping fund a new arbor. Brenda noted these items are on the planned project list and BLM is aware of these additions. Brenda will get project Excel list to Steve, and he will share as a .pdf for board. Bill said he and Mark with the county have digitized documents with an intent for board to have access.
IDL Land: Randal said others are interested in using portions of the IDL land. Discussed how things might interact with the SRCP’s interests. IDL proposals include Red Bull wanting to recreate a temporary landing zone to re-enact the Evel Knievel jump. ID Parks and Rec wants to build an ATV challenge course. The Southern Idaho Climbing Coalition is seeking to do some trail/staging improvements at the Tragic Alley climbing area; Rebecca said this project would have little to no effect on SRCP’s proposed trail project. Brenda said the Master Plan, which IDL is part of, doesn’t allow motorized vehicles on that land and under that agreement the ATV course would not be allowed.
Tent Camping: Commissioners asked SRCP not to start this project if there are not enough funds available to finish it. Bill asked for someone to champion this project.
RV Park: Some campers are over-staying; Bill has pulled in the Sheriff to assist in enforcement. Discussed other bad behaviors and enforcement options. Steve suggested magnetic signs on the side of SRCP vehicles as a deterrent; Bill informed he has two of these signs already and will share for others to use.
Disc Golf Course: Has been mowed by Native Roots with a trail to each t-box and basket, cost of $700 and may suffice for the rest of the year. Bill prefers a May cutting followed by a mid-July cutting of 2x/year. Commissioners are discussing hiring maintenance help with pros and cons discussed.
Weed Spraying: Steve Paulsen has invoiced $5k for spraying including bare ground plus all golf course areas. This week sprayed 30 miles of road and high-activity areas. They did not spay down Yingst grade or other areas that would require hand spraying. Estimated 500 gallons of mix with BLM approved chem which was supplied by SRCP (estimate $600 chem cost which was included in $5k). Vineyard has thistle and would need hand-spraying but will not be done at this time. Discussed BLM obligations and resources regarding weeds, grazing use management (five allotments on SRCP property), awareness of problems and solutions. Steve noted historic use is not well understood, historic applications are not working, and BLM’s obligation and problems are substantial and has been for decades.
Storage: Jerome Airport has storage space SRCP is welcome to use to store paint; requirement is to store paint in an explosive-proof cabinet. Ben and Bill will pursue options.
Toilet Contractor: NuWay hired as of July 1, to maintain 2 portable toilets and clean vault toilets.
Webpage: Bill to review Matt’s emails regarding the website.
Broken Bridge: Bottom two railings still not fixed and laying on sides. Water now at 3,500cfs and at 3,000cfs it goes over concrete. Contractor is to fix the rails.
Shooting Range: Price has doubled to perform assessment on shooting range north of I-84. Price is now $10k or possibly $8k to complete, and believe the grant was for $4k. Bill asked for direction on this and board would like to wait until John Weston is available.
Shoshone Falls Overlook: No work to do on this until the BLM gets caught up.
Off-Road Clean-up: Greg asked if they’ve presented the county with invoices yet and Ben doesn’t think they have.
Budget for FY24-25: Bill will submit a budget request for $81,400.
Signage: Steve will help Bill post sign in RV Park with ordinance rules. Bill has 2-magnetic car signs that say SRCP Maintenance. Discussed suggestion to distribute handout reminding time limits, ordinances, etc., be consistent to all campers. Possible noting of license plates.
Volunteers Recognition: Brenda motioned to institute a program to recognize volunteers and pursue cost discovery for a patch, pin and/or t-shirt. Steve seconded the motion, motion carried.
Cattle Guard: Ben attending Highway District meeting tonight to bring up the past issue with the cattle guard maintenance and instance where it filled with snow and cattle crossed onto Highway 93. Suggested Ben review the County’s agreement with the Highway District and maintenance responsibilities before attending. Bill will also attend.
With no further business the meeting adjourned at 1:37 p.m.
Executive Sessions may be held pursuant to Idaho Code 74-206(1) as needed during time such sessions are called. Note: Any person needing special accommodations to participate in the meeting should contact the committee secretary, 208-293-2426; 48 hours prior to the m