Snake River Canyons Park Board Meeting Minutes
Date: Thursday Oct. 10, 2024
1) Meeting was called to order at 11AM
a. Bill asked all attendees to refrain from non-relevant conversations during the meeting, noting issue that resulted in confusion at the end of the last meeting.
2) Additions to Agenda – action item with Motion and Order to Amend Agenda
3) Approval of Minutes from Sept. 12, 2024, Board Meeting – action item
i. There was some discussion related to the RV Park expansion which will be addressed in the next meeting.
ii. Brenda also asked that in the Volunteer Program discussion, the word “Recognition” be used rather than reward.
iii. Brenda asked for clarification on motions made in September regarding the Volunteer “Recognition” Program. Bill noted the vote and discussion were difficult to follow due to extraneous conversations. Greg had repeated his motion with changes that were not noted in the minutes. Greg agreed that we should use recognize not reward.
b. Becky motioned to approve the September minutes with changes. John seconded, and the motion was carried unanimously.
4) Discussion on August 8, 2024 Minutes per request from Sept meeting.
a. Changes were discussed:In July the board discussed a volunteer program. Brenda made a suggestion for the volunteer recognition to design a patch for so many hours of service and chevrons for more hours. This will be added to the August minutes.
b. John motioned to approve with changes, Becky seconded, the motion was carried unanimously.
5) Project Reports
a. Member & Guest introductions – Bill Bridges
i. Board Members Prensent: John, Jeff, Bill, Becky Dean
ii. Advisor: Mike Tylka, Commissioner Art Watkins
iii. On the phone: Brenda and Steve Haag
6) Volunteer Program- Brenda Weekes
a. Brenda presented an outline of the volunteer program. Page 1 outlined program components and recommendations. Page 2 outlined specific tasks / needs within the park. Brenda indicated the need to develop this program and recruit volunteers over the winter months. Bill discussed the need for a grant committee. Becky asked if there were additions to the Task List. If we think of any, let Brenda or Becky know.
b. John Weston suggested we keep contact information on all volunteers.
c. There were no motions related to this topic, however those present agreed with the general direction of the program and agreed with the need to work the project over the winter months.
7) Treasurers Report –
a. Bill reported
i. Bank account: 10677.37
ii. County funds 38,828.66 left in account from last year.
iii. County Budget for this years 60,000, no IT budget.
b. Bill said it will cost us $683 /month to service the vault toilets. Bill asked the board whether we should leave the portable toilet in place at the disk golf course or remove it for the winter. The consensus was that we should leave the portable toilet in place over the winter as the course is used throughout the year. This item did not require a motion.
8) Tent Camping
a. The board discussed the project status and Bill the need for a grant to finish to complete the project We have some gravel and about ½ the needed railroad ties. Bill said we should also add a couple of RV sites to the tent camping area. Gerald Martens was ask to draw up this plan so we can get a grant proposal started.
9) RV park
a. Bill reports the RV park is full most of the time. Through September Bill has been getting as many as 3 calls per day regarding available space at the RV Park. Bill reported there have been some vehicles that have appear to have been abandoned and need removed.
b. Becky has received a proposal for security services and reported that Premier Security is willing to work with the board on costs to provide services such as visiting the park twice a day, noting which vehicles have overstayed, notify park users when they have overstayed. The cost is $400 / month.
i. The proposal was emailed to all board members.
ii. Motion To accept the Proposal on approval of the County Commissioners: Becky Second: John. Approved unanimously.
iii. Bill discussed the options available for providing trash receptables in the RV Park. Is it better to use one dumpster or a couple residential bins. The board preferred the residential bin so as not to encourage the dumping of large items.
iv. Becky made the motion to maintain 3 residential bins at the RV park. Steve seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
c. Park fees –
i. John asked about charging a fee to use the park. Brenda said we should contact BLM and determine if we can charge fees.
ii. Motion: to contact BLM regarding fees we can charge and to do study of regarding how much we should charge. Bill Will contact the BLM and report back to the board.
- John made the motion
- Becky seconded
- Vote: Was unanimously approved
10) Webpage for SRCP –
a. Bill has been providing content, such as links to other organizations, for Matt McGregor to post on the park website. Bill said Matt has been doing a good job managing the site and making sure updates are posted in a timely manner.
b. Bill ask others to provide WEB contacts for local recreation.
11) Broken Bride – Bill Bridges
a. Bill said the 2 side rails still have not been replaced / repaired. No other updates currently.
12) Yingst Grade Easement
a. Board members met with BLM on 11/3/2024 to discuss the easement / ROW. Board members included Bill, Brenda, Mark, and Jeff. Reporting back to the board, we discovered the application had been made for 25’wide with a 10’ road / path. The original easement was 100’ wide and with a 25’ road.
b. There are benefits to having a wider easement and it is important to remember that our easement is not exclusive; another group could apply for an easement as well.
c. Steve made a motion to make application for 100’ easement and a 10’ road. The motion was seconded by John and passed unanimously.
d. Additional discussion:
i. The property to the west of Yingst grade is for sale.
ii. The board has one bid to repair the calvert at Mermaid Cove. $17,000
13) Shooting Range – John Weston
a. John discussed the shooting area the BLM is considering near Murtaugh. He helped with the sound test.
b. Regarding the shooting range north of the interstage, Bill is planning a meeting with the grazing rights holders to get feedback. Any meetings will be after the election.
c. Jeff noted that after eliminating recreational shooting in the park, the trigger trash has gotten bad on the north side of the interstate (outside the park).
d. John mentioned the Gooding range is busy with people often waiting in line for access to the benches.
14) Larry Hall– Shoshone Falls Overlook- BLM meeting
a. Larry also attended the 10/3/2024 meeting with BLM and the overlook was discussed. BLM said the 200 parking spots and some other overlook plans were outside the guidelines of the Master Plan and not likely to be authorized. At the meeting we discussed cutting down the parking to 30 spots plus handicap and some RV spots. Where to locate the RV and handicap parking was discussed at the park board meeting. BLM advised the park board to update the plans with the fewer parking spots, barriers, and related construction. BLM also advised the board to develop perspective drawings / diagrams to show how the overlook plan will affect the aesthetics of the area, in other words, will development be visible from the other side of the canyon or from other vantage points.
b. There is unspent money budgeted for the geologic study that was conducted. With authorization from the county commissioners, this money could be used to produce the perspective and plan changes that BLM would like to see.
c. Bill will discuss this with the commissioners .
15) Trail on IDL from the Perrine Bridge to Shoshone Falls. Randel Brunmeier has discussed a trail with Boise. They will meet after the fire season.
16) Marked trails – Steven Haag says several trails have been marked. One trail goes thru CSI property. Bill and Jeff Trammell will meet with CSI later this month.
17) Maintenance (budget for 2025) The park did not get an increase from last year. Will talk to commissioners about getting help with maintenance.
18) The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 PM