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Driggs faces major challenges in the next 1-5 years, which if left unmanaged, risk the livability of our community. These include:
- Growth, Tourism, and Housing - Managing the inevitable.
- Traffic - Airplanes and cars.
- Grand Targhee - To grow or not to grow?
- Infrastructure - How are our bones?
- Public Safety - Law enforcement in our new world.
GROWTH: Putting one’s head in the sand is not a strategy. Though NIMBY’s (Not In My Back Yard) and BANANAS (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) will deny it, growth is inevitable. We simply cannot stop people from coming here, nor should we wish to. What is important is that we distinguish healthy and sustainable growth from the unsustainable. We can shape growth, and thereby ensure that we preserve the character of our community. We can welcome people to Driggs with open arms and a gift basket of our own making, rather than sitting by and waiting for them to reshape our town in the image of what they left. This is growth on our terms.
TOURISM: Like growth, tourism is inevitable in an amenity community like ours. This is amplified by our proximity to the National Parks and Jackson Hole, which actively promotes tourism. Many of our residents first visited here as tourists (beginning with the Rendezvous of 1830.) Given our proximity to these destinations, combined with the amenities here in our valley, tourism will continue, and remain a meaningful portion of our local economy, supporting many business owners and their employees.
HOUSING: The ‘spend your money and leave’ economy combined with a lack of available hotel rooms, has directly driven our housing crisis as the explosion of short-term rentals (STR’s) displaces what was once worker or resident housing. The risk is that we turn our entire town into one giant hotel, with no place for our residents to reside.
Unfortunately, the Idaho Legislature restricted the ability of local governments to limit STR’s. We now see that those limitations are too constraining. Until that law is amended at the state level, we’ll continue to experience long-term housing converting into vacation rentals. Our employees will continue to experience housing insecurity, and our local employers will continue to struggle to maintain adequate staff to meet the demands of a hot economy. Housing availability and affordability are major issues, which affect the very fabric of our community and economy.
TRAFFIC: Related to growth and tourism is our increased airport and vehicle traffic. We see more airplanes here at Driggs Airport than ever before. And truly, this is small compared to the temporary surge in traffic we will see next summer during the three-month closure of Jackson Hole Airport. (Not to worry, this will be temporary, and Driggs will NOT become a commercial common carrier facility, served by the likes of Delta and United.)
Naturally, complaints have risen with this increase in air traffic. While the city and FAA are sensitive to these community concerns, regulation of airspace and airports is the sole domain of the Federal Aviation Administration. We cannot legally place limits on the use of our airport - much like the highway which runs through our valley and town. It is a public thoroughfare regulated by an entity outside local government, and drivers are entitled to use it.
Like the highway, the airport brings with it significant benefits which can offset some of the annoyance. What are these benefits? Well, aside from the fantastic warbirds museum and the fun of occasional impromptu airshows, an economic impact study by the State of Idaho determined that the Driggs airport contributed $20 million to our economy in 2018. That is real money which benefits every single one of us. And consider the benefit of having an air ambulance staged in town, ready to provide life-saving rescue transport. What about the Young Eagles flying event, where children are introduced to the opportunities and joys of flying, potentially sparking a career or a hobby. These are tangible benefits for our entire community, only possible because of our airport.
GRAND TARGHEE EXPANSION: Targhee’s proposed expansion has many folks talking. Time will tell what is ultimately approved by the Forest Service and Teton County Wyoming, though to be clear, some of what is now being discussed was previously approved years ago. Some amount of expansion is likely, and quite frankly is needed as that business grows. Just like our discussion about growth above, this is, to some extent, inevitable. Why should we begrudge a successful business enterprise that brings millions of dollars into our community?
What is most important to Driggs and the Teton Valley Community regarding Targhee’s proposal is that we secure agreements with Teton County Wyoming and Grand Targhee Resort which let that growth pay for its impacts here in our town where we won’t receive any direct tax revenue from the expansion. We need to ensure that the real concerns about wildlife, light pollution, traffic, and housing here in our community are adequately resolved. So instead of pretending we can stop it, let’s continue focusing our efforts on those things which protect our community's interests. Like the airport, Grand Targhee is a major economic contributor to our community. Let’s accept that and work with them on solutions.
INFRASTRUCTURE - Parks & Pipes: I often hear from concerned residents when pothole season (springtime) rolls around. These calls are helpful to identify the problems which we try to address as quickly as possible. Though potholes are things we can see and feel, we need to be equally concerned about the decay we cannot see below ground, such as decades of deferred maintenance in our water system. A few years ago we began addressing this backlog with our comprehensive water project. It’s time for the next phase of that work, which will add capacity as well as replacing aged components.
Similarly, we face current challenges in our wastewater reclamation plant and roads. Major capital improvements are needed to develop alternative truck routes, removing traffic and noise from our crowded commerce routes, and increase wastewater treatment capacity. In short, we have major improvements coming due in our city infrastructure, both visible and not. These improvements are driven, not just by wear and age, but also by increased demand due to our higher tourism and growth.
PUBLIC SAFETY: For years we’ve enjoyed relative comfort as a community, relying on the perception of low crime and a strong community fabric to let us sleep well at night. Unfortunately, this is an area that we, as a community, have closed our eyes to. As law enforcement experiences a reckoning nationwide, we should be looking for opportunities to improve locally as well. Countywide law enforcement funding has neither focused in the directions we know are needed, nor been adequate to the task. We haven’t really supported our officers, despite claiming to do so. With our increased growth and tourism, we cannot continue to ignore this extremely important element. Quite literally lives, health, and safety may depend on it.
This concludes Act I - A look at where we are today.
I’ve laid out the challenges we face as a city over the coming years. But don’t despair! Act II will explore solutions to these challenges, including much planning and preparation already completed. Watch for the next installment next week.
Have I missed something you are aware of? I’m always happy to hear from anyone in the community. Please click the link below to email me directly.
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