No Application Yet for Potential DF Development Projects
On Monday, November 18th, the Adams County Commissioners met at the Adams County Courthouse, all commissioners were present.
Kody Williams, the county Building Inspector, was first on the agenda. He said there was some confusion on the ordinance. It will be rescinding all previous ag exemption ordinances and mobile home ordinances once it is passed. He had another bid for drywall at the Exhibit Hall. There were also some concerns about asbestos and he thought the law might require it to be tested because it is a commercial building. He said he would research it. The door for the Legion Hall has been ordered. The park backflow valve blew and a new one has been ordered as well. The county received about $10,800 for renting out the fairgrounds and buildings to the Forest Service for fire camp over the summer. The bids they have received for replacing the sheetrock are over that, unfortunately. County Clerk, Sherry Ward, said there might be some reserve funds they could draw on. They also decided to see if the Fair Board was interested in contributing to the repairs.
Meredith Fisher with Planning and Zoning said there will be a quick P&Z meeting tonight to get Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law for two variances. She also asked if the commissioners had heard about the DF development article that was in the Star News and if anyone had reached out about it. She said that according to the article the majority of the 30,000 acre development was in Adams county, but that Planning and Zoning hasn’t received a preliminary application or anything yet. There was some talk about developing a privately owned hot springs, not for public use but as a private resort, but they haven’t received anything official yet. Fisher said they are going to run into the same roadblocks as last time, which is they are going to need to do a subdivision which means they will need to bring in services and something that scale they would need to do a new development agreement.
Steve Shelton, with Solid Waste, said they put plywood down that will hopefully hold the liner from sliding down. They also were able to get the compactor running without having to involve the warranty. Commissioner Daren Ward said that the Quail Hollow RV park has a big trailer he put out, that everyone dumps their trash in, and the owner takes it to the dump for them. However, he’s a business, and they were wondering if he is supposed to pay for it differently as a business. The other commissioners said he can haul it himself if he’s paying the commercial fee. They decided to check and see if he was. Commissioner Ward also said he wasn’t going to be popular for asking, but he was wondering why the county plowed the parking lots at the clinic? Commissioner Iveson didn’t know other than it’s always been done. Adam Balderson, with Road and Bridge, said there are private contractors who have complained about some of the private places the county plows. The clinic is in city limits and is a private business, although it is a non-profit. The commissioners thought maybe they should discuss it with the clinic.
There are 20 state inmates and 4 county.
Sheriff Ryan Zollman and Prosecutor Chris Boyd come to sit in on the update and the discussion with the Forest Service. New Meadows District Ranger, Dana Harris, and Council and Weiser District Ranger, Jeff Jones, and Deputy District Ranger Noe Reyes, came to represent the Forest Service. Harris apologized for last month and said they were triple booked. She said logging is all done for the season in New Meadows. There is no salvage on fires in New Meadows. All the prescribed burning is done for the season. The construction at Last Chance was not able to be finished this season so it will be going into next season. Last Chance Rd is open right now until snowfall. It will be closed again next season during construction.
Jeff Jones said on the Council District prescribed burning is done. There is one timber sale still operating down Middle Fork, they should be finishing around Christmas. It may impact grooming for a short bit. Hot Potato up Little Weiser is planning on starting. A few units of Cold Bug were not affected by fire, they may get logged this winter. They are doing a 250 acre CE for salvage for the Lava Fire, for Lime Point they are doing decked logs, and Wolf Creek was all subalpine fir and they weren’t interested in that. Campgrounds are closed for the season and there are road closures near the Lava Fire that will be evaluated next year. The commissioners were disappointed that they weren’t doing more salvage logging. The commissioners asked how they could get those limits upped for salvage. Jones said change the laws.
The Discussion then turned to the topic of access to Smith Ridge Rd. The Hearolds, who had come last week to ask the commissioners for help, were in attendance.
Jones said he has several NEPA documents that were signed concerning that road. Nowhere in any of their records does it say it was declared a public road. County Prosecutor Chris Boyd asked if that was the Forest Service position that they have to declare all these roads public roads or they don’t exist? Jones said if they are claiming ownership they have to prove ownership and explained how that was done. Boyd was perplexed. “What I don’t understand is why the U.S. Forest Service has taken the position that we have to prove it to you,” he said, “as opposed to defaulting, it’s actually up to the county, because you can read that law a couple different ways.”
County Clerk, Sherry Ward, found record of a discussion regarding the road in the commissioners minutes from August of 1996. Ward read the minutes concerning the road. In the minutes, the previous owner, Mr. Branch, explained that he was in litigation with the Forest Service concerning the road. The Forest Service at that time claimed the road did not exist, and there was an archaeological site that would be disturbed. Mr. Branch asked the commission to go on record that the road exists and is needed, and the commissioners at the time made a motion declaring that the road had existed and was used by Mr. Branch and others as access into their property. Jones said he had never heard of the court case. Jones said they put the road in storage and there is nothing that says they can’t go back in and open it up. Mr. Hearolds said that the way the road is left they can’t use it. Jones disagreed and said that the gate does open but not all the way. Jones also said that as long as they were operating under the instructions of the permit they could use it. The Hearolds said that the boulders and the tank trap have ruined it so that it is not possible to safely travel it via snowmobile and a snow cat cannot get through. Harris said that the Nez Perce Tribe was very upset about the fire suppression activity that took place along that road. However, Hearold said when he spoke to the Nez Perce tribe up north they didn’t know anything about it. Bridgett Hearold said the primary access to the property has been up that road since 1919 when it was homesteaded. Sheriff Zollman said he had a concern with limiting access from a safety standpoint. “From an emergency service standpoint, having a secondary road to escape is essential.”
There was some confusion about the NEPA. Jones insisted that there was public involvement in the NEPA process and the last one was done in 2012 and it upheld the same decision. The Hearolds were confused how that was granted if the previous owner was notified. They found it unlikely he had agreed to such a thing after he had tried to take them to court. Jones also said that they were still allowed to travel over the snow but the Hearolds insisted they could not with the way it was currently. Commissioner Iveson asked if they can go back to the way it was for emergency access only and remove the boulders and keep the gate shut while they are figuring this out. Harris said the rocks and the tank trap are a normal way to close a level one road. Iveson said he understands but if there is an agreement that they can go over the snow they might need to move that out a bit. Jones said he would look into it.
Overall, everyone decided they needed to look into the results of the previous lawsuit as well as look into what documentation there was about the road and the NEPA, then get back together at a later date.
After the Forest Service left, a representative from the Idaho State Society Daughters of the American Revolution called in to ask the Commissioners to sign a proclamation recognizing veterans and military caregivers in Adams County. So far they have 40 of Idaho’s 44 Counties that have issued a proclamation or taken steps to issue one. The commissioners were all supportive and immediately motioned to sign and adopt Resolution 2025-05, Proclamation in Support of Adams County Military Caregivers in Collaboration with Idaho’s DAR and Hidden Heroes.
