The Forest Service, the Museum and the Library

The November 12, 2015 Island Park City Council meeting produced several interesting bits of information.

Garth Smelser, Forest Supervisor for the Caribou-Targhee National Forest gave a presentation to the City Council regarding the sale of the Forest Service’s Island Park office. The Island Park Historical Society has expressed an interest in obtaining the building to establish a museum. Mr. Smelser advised that he has no authority to authorize a donation of building to the historical society. He did indicate that the building can be purchased pre-auction by an interested governmental agency but that the historical society does not qualify as a pre-auction purchaser. The only way to take advantage of the option would be for the Island Park Historical Society to purchase the building through the City of Island Park. That option should be explored.

I also learned that the Forest Service wants to maintain control of their two wells on the Island Park property, requiring the purchaser to drill a new well. There has been a moratorium on new commercial wells in the caldera since the late 1980's because the water rights are owned by agricultural interests in the Twin Falls region. There is a question of whether a residential well precludes most commercial entities from developing the property. The museum’s water use may make a residential well acceptable.

Also at the meeting was Robin Singleton, a spokesperson for the Fremont County Library Board. She addressed the impending move of the library to Last Chance. Her assurance that local patrons were excited about the move was met with some astonishment since no one knew of it until two months after the deal had been signed.

She also announced that the library is in the process of spending six figures on a bookmobile to service rural areas of Fremont County. It is unfathomable that in an era of eBooks, the library board is not spending the money to create an eLibrary, allowing the patrons to go on line and download whatever reading material they desire. Amazon is now offering Kindle Fires for under $43 each when purchased in groups of six. That seems a lot more cost effective than sending a bookmobile around the rural areas, dodging drifts in the winter and tourists in the summer. This proposal should require a little more thought.