Drew Dodson here with this week’s edition of the Valley Lookout newsletter. I’m producing this week’s content from afar in Virginia while visiting family, which made me think about all the places where I’ve written news stories about Valley County over the last eight years.

It’s a list that includes not only local treasures, like the banks of the Salmon River and the shoreline of Payette Lake, but also an A-to-Z directory of towns and landmarks across the country. Among them are the visitor center for the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, and the Wall Drug tourist trap along Interstate 80 in South Dakota.

All said, I’ve produced news for Valley County from 18 different states (that I can remember) other than Idaho—Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, Missouri, Minnesota, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

So, what does that all amount to? For me, it’s a lot of extra time I’ve been lucky enough to spend with family while working remotely. Time that, frankly, makes it possible for me to keep living the Valley County dream.

First up

McCall urges residents to attend July 7 impact area hearing

The City of McCall is asking residents to weigh in on Valley County’s proposal for a vastly reduced McCall Impact Area.

A letter from the city to nearly 1,500 addresses in the McCall Impact Area urges residents to attend a public hearing on July 7 at 2 p.m. in the Valley County Courthouse in Cascade, where the county commissioners will consider reducing the size of the McCall Impact Area by 97%.

“If this happens, the City of McCall and its residents would lose the ability to help guide development just outside city limits, including development around Payette Lake, the airport, and McCall’s southern entrance,” the letter said.

The letter, signed by McCall Communications Manager Erin Greaves, cautioned that reducing the impact area could lead to replicating mistakes made by other western towns where “growth outpaced planning.”

“In Big Sky, Montana, a lack of early growth regulations led to dense development in
sensitive areas, creating water and infrastructure problems and a loss of open space,” the letter said. “In Bend, Oregon, years of uncoordinated growth led to traffic congestion and costly efforts to retrofit infrastructure that could have been avoided with earlier planning.”

The McCall City Council is set to host a “Community Conversation” meeting on the impact area next Wednesday to further encourage city residents to make public comments to the county.

The meeting will involve small group roundtable discussions with city council members, city staff, non-profit representatives, and local residents, Greaves said.

Overall, the county’s plan would reduce the size of the impact area from more than 22,000 acres currently to about 684 acres, or by about 97%. 

The new boundaries would include 135 acres around the McCall Municipal Airport, 90 acres in southeastern McCall on which Pine Creek Ranch is proposed by developer Craig Groves of Donnelly, and two state land parcels off Lick Creek Road near Pilgrim Cove. 

Land surrounding Payette Lake would not be part of the impact area anymore, under the county’s proposal. 

The county also plans to take control of development application reviews in the impact area instead of continuing with a joint review process with the city that has been used for decades.

Written comments on the county’s plan can be submitted to Valley County Planning and Zoning Administrator Cynda Herrick until June 30 at 5 p.m. at [email protected].

(Revised McCall Impact Area proposal. Map: Via Valley County)

Water skis come down

Colorful water skis lining the roof of a downtown McCall business were removed last Saturday to comply with an order by the City of McCall.

Laketown Clothing Company Owner Cade Huskinson removed the skis, one by one, to avoid risking a $1,000 per day fine for violating city code.

“I spoke with the city and there’s no option for them to stay while code gets addressed,” Huskinson said.

Huskinson installed the water skis without city approval late last month, more than a year after he was ordered to take the decorative roofing down for the first time.

The roof received significant public support when it was first put up in 2023, but was ultimately found not to comply with city design guidelines that require buildings to use “natural exterior materials” that “tend toward earthy warm hues” and do not include “harshly contrasted color combinations.”

Huskinson remains hopeful the city will update design codes to allow the decorative roofing, as suggested by the McCall City Council during an appeal hearing on the roof in 2023.  

Earlier this month, the city council asked that the topic be placed on an agenda for one of its upcoming meetings to allow further discussion.

(Decorative water ski roofing on Laketown Clothing Company were removed on Saturday. Photo: Courtesy Cade Huskinson)

Valley County Fairgrounds to be reimagined

A survey asking Valley County residents what the future of the county fairgrounds should look like has been opened by the Board of County Commissioners.

The commissioners announced the survey on Tuesday in a press release outlining plans to develop a master plan for the Valley County Fairgrounds in Cascade.

“This is an exciting opportunity to invest in a space that is not only a hub for community events, but also a potential catalyst for local economic growth,” Commissioner Katlin Caldwell said. “Community input will be essential as we work together to shape the future of the Fairgrounds.”

The survey can be completed by clicking here.

Once complete, the master plan will chart the future of the fairgrounds and recommend improvements to the eight-acre site at 520 S. Front St. Clearwater Financial, an Eagle municipal advisory firm leading the master plan effort, expects to complete the process early next year.

Civic Lookout

• Meadows Valley Rural Fire District: Open house meeting Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the fire station to air details of a proposal to establish a new countywide ambulance district. (NOTE: Updated since last week’s newsletter after an agenda error was corrected by the district)
• McCall City Council: Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. Agenda available here.
• McCall City Council: 2026 Budget work session Friday morning at 9 a.m. Agenda available here.
• Community Conversations – McCall Impact Area: McCall City Council to host community roundtable talks about Valley County’s planned changes to the city’s impact area next Wednesday, July 2, at 6:30 p.m. in the McCall Public Library Community Room.

Valley Lookout Original Reporting

‘Not blue sky prospects’: Perpetua eyes potential Stibnite expansion

Last week Perpetua Resources revealed plans to explore more than two dozen new areas at Stibnite that could eventually extend mining operations and yield up to 50% more gold than currently projected. Read the full story on Valley Lookout.

McCall drinking water project starts with $8.3m storage tank

The City of McCall is moving ahead with work that will resolve summertime capacity shortages in the city’s drinking water system that, in recent years, have led to violations issued by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. Read the full story on Valley Lookout.

Valley County moves ahead with remodeling former AmeriTitle office 

Three county departments will move into a remodeled building known as the Cascade Annex later this year, a move expected to spare the county from spending more than $20 million to add more office space to the Valley County Courthouse. Read the full story on Valley Lookout.

Mountain Happenings

McCall

• Idaho Talks: McCall Humanities and Arts Council to host public discussion on the spirit of the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, an Iditarod qualifier held each winter in Valley County, on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Carpenter Shop at the Central Idaho Historical Museum.
• 25th Army Band Concert: A New Orleans street band, a brass band, and a funk band will perform in Legacy Park from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
• Kaleidoscope: Free children’s art festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Central Idaho Historical Museum lawn.
• Summer Sippers Wine Tasting: Enjoy five wines paired with charcuterie on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Gemma’s Italian Deli in Lake Fork. Reservations are $36 and can be made by calling 208-634-6375.

Donnelly

• Donnelly Farmer’s Market: Every Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Donnelly City Park.
• Free Wednesday Night Concert Series: The Vance Brothers to perform tonight at 6:30 p.m. in historic Roseberry.
• Cash’d Out: Johnny Cash imitator to perform at Tamarack Resort on Friday at 6 p.m. on the Discovery Stage near the Village Plaza.

Cascade

• Cascade Building Supply Grand Opening: Thursday at 102 Front St., starting with a free lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and ending with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5 p.m.
• Live Music: Andrew Chappell to perform on Thursday at The Local at Clear Creek from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
• Steel Horse Games: Cascade Community Fire Fund fundraiser Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 9681 Packer John Rd. in Smiths Ferry.

New Meadows

• New Meadows Farmers Market: Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Dorsey Warr Memorial Park.
• Community Yard Sale: Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Meadows Valley Community Center. To donate, call Dan at 303-993-9037 or Angie at 208-789-3315.
• Paint and Sip: Three-part class to be hosted at the summit of Brundage Mountain Resort over the summer, starting on Sunday from noon to 1:30 p.m. Registration available here.

Mountain Pets of the Week

Meet Emmett (left) and Shrap! Mark Schiller says these two “besties” have had many fun-filled days playing in the snow alongside the McCall Golf Course.

Click here to nominate your pet for Mountain Pet of the Week for a chance to be featured on a weekly newsletter!