From the pages of
Pinedale Roundup
Volume 105, Number 3 - January 17, 2008
brought to you online by Pinedale Online

BloomField land annex advances

by Alecia Warren

Only two people showed up at the Jan. 14th Pinedale Town Council meeting to protest the second reading to annex adjacent and contiguous land for the BloomField subdivision. After assuring the fervent pair that their concerns would be considered once master planning for the subdivision begins, the Town Council unanimously approved the second reading.

Talli Manning, who lives across the street from where the 237-acre development would sit, challenged the practicality of developer Matt Harber’s proposal.

“There’s a record number of housing foreclosures all over the U.S., there’s more affordable housing now than there’s been for decades, and I think that a lot of this kind of invalidates the need for a housing development in Pinedale,” Manning said. “Pinedale has never been an easy place to make a living and live in, people have made a choice to live at a lesser income if they chose to live here. It’s been a tradition.

“It comes to a point that people who have made that choice and moved here and made those sacrifices and paid their homes off, their quality of life is being compromised by this subdivision. It’s come to a choice between pleasing the people who already live here and the people who want to move here.”

Grace Anderson, Manning’s mother, said she remembered when Pinedale “was a very nice, small town,” that everyone enjoyed. “Now it’s a totally different atmosphere – I know that change comes, and there’s nothing we can do about it, but I think this subdivision would be a fifth or sixth the size of Pinedale, and I think an awful lot of people don’t realize the immensity of what this is going to be,” Anderson said. “And according to Google, the Harbers are from Jackson and Boulder City, Nevada, or the parents are, anyway. Do we want a Jackson family to come and control so much of our town? Because they will be controlling it.”

Harber, who was present in the audience, clarified that his parents are indeed currently living in Boulder City, Nevada, but plan to relocate to their new property in Boulder, Wy. soon.

“My parents are no longer part of this — the company I put together has purchased this property, so I’m the person you need to target,” said Harber, who grew up in Jackson and has been living in Pinedale for the past several years.

Mayor Stephen Smith said that concerns over the size of the subdivision would be addressed once Harber completes the process of annexing the land and creates a master plan for the development.

“I’m sure these are just the first of these kinds of questions you’ll be answering in upcoming months,” Smith said to Harber before the council approved the second reading of ordinance 432 to annex the land.

In other Town Council news:

— The council passed the first resolution of the year to settle all claims against JFC Engineers and Surveyors for a net of $89,000. The Town of Pinedale had an ongoing claim against JFC in over its 1999 contract to engineer and construct the town shop. The claim specifically addressed issues with the company’s design of the shop and oversight of the construction. JFC in return raised a claim against the town for alleged work not paid for.

“It’s just a good thing that this is finally resolved,” said Lauren McKeever, Assistant to the Mayor, after the meeting.

— The council approved granting Steve Harmon a temporary parking permit. After parking his boat and trailer at the dead end road on Opal Street for 25 years, Harmon was recently told by Town Municipal Officer Jennifer Gocke to remove the vehicles to clear the road. In order to move the boat and trailer back onto his property, Harmon said he needs to remove the chain link fence around his property, and would prefer to wait until the weather warms up to do so.

— The council approved a temporary parking permit for Tom and Sandy Taylor. The couple is living in a trailer on their property while trying to sell their house, which Gocke informed them was illegal. Council members said they didn’t have a problem with allowing the couple to remain in the trailer temporarily.

— The council granted Bottoms-Up Brewery a 24-hour malt beverage permit at Rendezvous Pointe on Jan. 27, and a 24-hour malt beverage permit at the finish line of Pinedale Stage Stop Sled Dog Race on Jan. 28.

— The council approved the preliminary and final plat for the second amendment lot 71 in Split Diamond Meadows subdivision.

— The council approved purchasing new ultraviolet lights for the wastewater facility at a cost of $7,800. The council also approved purchasing a new loader for the town Public Works for $164,747.

— The council approved the first reading of ordinance 433, allowing limited mixed residential use in the C-1 District.

— The council approved the first reading of ordinance 434, deleting and repealing chapter 17.40, section 17.40.070.

— The council approved the first reading of ordinance 435, modifying the manner of computing the connection fee for businesses.

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