SPET Money Builds Paths

Pathways Coming, TOJ Holds Open Meeting

By Gil Brady, 8-31-07

JACKSON, Wyo. – Officials have announced the start of construction on two new pathways and a meeting of the Town Council next Tuesday, Sept. 4.

According to a press release, workers are constructing a 2230-foot pathway on the south side of South Park Loop Road across from Melody Ranch between Kestrel Lane (Cortland Drive) and the Flat Creek Bridge. This segment will be linked to the existing Von Gontard trail along U.S. Hwy 89 later this year or early next spring by a pathway that will be constructed by Melody Ranch Development Corporation.

“The plan is to eventually complete the loop around South Park with a separated pathway,” Jackson Hole Community Pathways Coordinator Brian Schilling said in the news bulletin. “This year’s project provides a much-needed connection from the west end of Melody Ranch to the Hwy 89 pathway and gets us a little closer to our goal of a pathway all the way around South Park. It is our intent to meet the needs of the community and provide safe biking and pedestrian facilities for the folks in those neighborhoods.”

Construction on the Park Loop pathway is funded by a $156,250 TEAL grant awarded to JHCP in 2006, with Teton County responsible for a 20% match, or $31,250, of the total grant.

“Teton County has been fortunate to receive over a million dollars through the TEAL program, which provides federal dollars to the Wyoming Department of Transportation for constructing non-motorized transportation facilities like our pathway system,” Schilling said.

Construction is also planned this fall on the Teton Science School (TSS) Connector pathway. The path will help users cross U.S. Hwy 22 safely from the Indian Springs trail. The new path will start at the Indian Springs’ path/Hwy 22 intersection and heads 600 feet east to an existing cattle tunnel underneath Hwy 22, and then back west to the Teton Science School campus access road.

“This is a relatively short section in what will one day be the Hwy 22 pathway connecting the Town of Jackson to Wilson. It addresses an immediate safety concern of getting cyclists headed to the West Bank across Hwy 22 safely. Once you’re on Highway 22 you have a nice wide shoulder with good pavement and it’s not a bad ride, but crossing 22 in the middle of summer traffic is always scary,” Schilling said.

Funding for the Teton Science School Connector project comes from a $947,000 2006 SPET (Special Excise Tax) ballot measure where Teton County voters approved public funds for a variety of projects around South Park and the school area.

Construction on the TSS Connector pathway is scheduled to begin in early September. Both projects should be completed by mid-October.

Also, the Jackson Town Council is scheduled to hold a public meeting next Tuesday at town hall.

On the agenda is The Merry Piglets Mexican Grill’s request for an amendment to an Employee Housing Mitigation Plan. There are also several other amendments on the docket such as changes to the town’s Zoning District Map from Auto-Urban Commercial in the Lodging Overlay (AC/LO) to Urban Commercial in the Lodging Overlay (UC/LO) at 410 & 420 W. Pearl Avenue; and amending land development regulations to allow for residential uses on the second and third floors in non-residential zoning districts.

Lastly, according to a press release and in accordance with state law, Councilors will go into executive session to discuss legal matters involving the Town of Jackson and to consider the selection of a site or the purchase of real estate.

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