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Steve Duerr Ranks High in Real Trends National Ranking

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REAL Trends has been a trusted source of news, analysis, and information on the residential brokerage industry since 1987. They are a privately held publishing, consulting and communications company based in Colorado, and an industry expert when it comes to real estate.

 

 

Every year The Wall Street Journal advertises the REAL trends top producers in the country, it’s with honor that Jackson Hole Real Estate Associates not only showed up on this list once, but have representation in four categories including six agents and/or teams. We are proud to hold a place among the top 1% of agencies nationwide.

  • Individual Volume Winner – Steve Duerr

See the rankings here >

July 2, 2020/by steveduerr
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Chamber Honors Impressive List of Jackson Hole Standouts

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The 51st Annual Awards Celebration presented by the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce was held on Friday, October 28 at Spring Creek Ranch. Awards were presented to Steve Duerr – Power of Place, Heather Carleton – Citizen of the Year, Snow King Mountain Resort – Business of the Year, Local Restaurant and Bar – Green-to-Green, and Chase & Cody Lockhart – Rising Stars. Find more information about the awardees below.

Director of Special Events Maureen Murphy commented, “The Annual Awards Celebration is one of the Chamber’s favorite traditions. We receive nominations from around the community written by people who wish to recognize the work of their friends and neighbors. It’s an honor to celebrate achievements that add to the strong community spirit of Jackson Hole.”

READ MORE >

May 12, 2020/by steveduerr
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We can be that City on a Hill if we try

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In the spring of 1630, nearing 400 years ago, while embarked on the Arbela and voyaging to America, Puritan John Winthrop delivered to his fellow seekers what became known as the “City on a Hill” sermon, then titled “A Model of Christian Charity.”

The passion propelling the dangerous ocean crossing was the desire for spiritual freedom and civil liberty: the Promise of America. By his faith, Winthrop professed a covenant with God for himself and his people. A covenant to be true to the core principles of their Judeo-Christian heritage, to love God and to love their neighbor as themselves, selfless love.

Winthrop believed that having this “bond of love” for one another would unite the group as they worked to establish a new society in America with spiritual moorings. To accomplish that he called upon his people: “We must bear one another’s burdens. We must not look only on our own things, but also on the things of our brethren.”

He warned them that “the Lord will surely break out in wrath against us” if they failed to fulfill their mutual covenant to put the interests of others above the interests of the colony and their own self-interests. He admonished them that “the only way to avoid this shipwreck” and to provide for their mutual posterity was “to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knit together, in this work, as one man.”

If the people remained committed together to these things, Winthrop was hopeful that they could indeed establish a new society that would become a role model for others. He said the God of Israel would remain among them, and “He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding generations, ‘May the Lord make it like that of New England.’ For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.”

In 2020 we began a new decade. I am mindful that in 2030 we will reflect back upon the 400-year admonition by John Winthrop. We have 10 years to prove up. Ten years to demonstrate that we are committed to one another.

Today, what measure do we take of the promise of America, a city on a hill? Are we spiritual and caring or secular and selfish? Do we lift up our heroes for their examples of selfless love? Why does the 24/7/365 U.S. news cycle drone on about hate group killings (even in churches and schools) and political parties habitually placing self-interest and partisan victory above the best interests of We the People? If we are not “knit together,” if there is no unity, then how can the United States aspire to be an example for the world — a city on a hill?

Maybe the divide between the present sad state of affairs and the Promise of America can be explained by the recurring history of democracies. Scottish historian Alexander Tytler’s theory set forth a cycle that every democracy goes through. He wrote that the cycle starts out with a society in bondage and then follows this sequence: bondage, spiritual faith, courage, liberty, abundance, selfishness, complacency, apathy, dependence. Then starting over with bondage.

Are we entering again into bondage? Our federal government is spending $2 million a minute, the annual budget shortfall is $24 trillion, and the unfunded liabilities of the federal government may exceed $200 trillion. While the United States may still rank as the most blessed, successful and wealthy nation ever, then the loss of spiritual faith, courage and liberty may be the price of this abundance, fueling selfishness, complacency, apathy and dependence.

All of us know this path is not sustainable. We are anxious. When our government leaders, tending toward socialism, promise free everything, then anger, anxiety, complacency, apathy and dependence grow. With no accountability to We the People the out-of-control federal government is imposing debt on generations not yet born. This is a form of bondage or “soft tyranny.”

To continue to realize the Promise of America in the next decade I believe we all must come together in a commitment to self-governance, requiring our politicians to play by the same rules that our families must abide by: Nothing is free, constant fighting destroys unity.

In the next decade I resolve to be more engaged and caring. I am hopeful we will continue to realize America’s Promise for our families, our nation and the world. I am grateful for the opportunities of America and the luck to have been born in this amazing country, as described by Abraham Lincoln, “the last best hope of man on earth.”

Longtime Jackson Hole resident Steve Duerr is a grandpa, a lawyer and a volunteer for Citizens for Self-Governance, the Article V Convention of States Initiative, ConventionOfStates. com. Guest Shots are solely the opinion of their authors.

Appeared in the Jackson Hole News & Guide

January 8, 2020/by steveduerr
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Teton Leads Nation in Per Capita Income

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Astronomical wealth complicates life for residents of truly average means.

For the first time in American history, the “average” resident of a U.S. county earned more than a quarter-million dollars last year. Surprise — it’s us.

In other words, if you were to take all the income generated by Teton County’s 23,000 residents in 2018 and divide it equally among those residents (including children), each would go home with about $252,000, according to recently released data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

That may be a shock to the actual people reflected in the data, the vast majority of whom can only dream of such cash. It’s not the reality for most working people here, but rather the distorted result

of a highly concentrated inflow of investment income: money from shareholder dividends, loan interest and rent payments.

It’s no secret that Teton County, a tax haven in one of America’s most breathtaking locales, is replete with the uber-wealthy. But even so, the dollar figures that validate that — and the extreme inequality they imply — are astounding, experts say.

For years Teton County has led the country in per capita income, though “led” doesn’t do justice to the region’s meteoric rise through the economic ranks. It surpassed New York County, New York(Manhattan), in the early 2000s, and never looked back.

It would be an understatement to say the lead is secure. Today Manhattan, arguably the financial capital of the world, remains in second place at $194,000 — nearly $60,000 below Teton County.

The gap between us and the closest competition is greater than the nationwide per capita income, which is just over $54,000. Of the roughly 3,100 other counties, all but about 20 come in under$100,000.

An ‘extraordinary jump’

In 2017 and 2018 alone, per capita income in Teton County rose by nearly $24,000, more than the average of the 14 poorest counties in the country. That detail in particular struck Jonathan Schechter, a Jackson town councilor and economist, who explored the issue in a post on his blog site, CoThrive.

“It’s an extraordinary jump in one year,” he said. “It’s the biggest ever a county has had in one year.” And the trend seems likely to continue, Schechter added, considering the stock market’s exceptional performance.

That’s because the origin of that income, not just its sheer enormousness, is also unique. Look virtually anywhere in the country, and you’ll find that the main driver of local income is labor — wages and salaries earned in 9-to-5 jobs. But here, the vast majority of the money comes from investment income. That’s yet another indicator that mere financial mortals aren’t benefiting from the overall surge.

“The rush of wealth to this community has a particular source,” wrote Justin Farrell, a Yale professor, in his forthcoming sociological case study of Teton County’s moneyed class, titled “Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West.”

“It was not the result of broad-based economic growth or rising wages and salaries,” Farrell went on, “but was gains from one particular sector of the economy.”

The swell of investment is a fairly recent phenomenon. Labor income historically came out on top until the mid-1990s, when investment soared ahead. It dipped during the recession, but is again climbing to historic heights, reaching nearly 75 percent of total income last year.

Interestingly, the rest of Wyoming doesn’t seem to share the same appeal to the wealthiest classes. The per capita income in most other counties ranges from $40,000 to $50,000, and none are above $70,000.

“Teton County is, for better or worse, an outlier,” said Rob Godby, an economist at the University of Wyoming. “It’s a very different set of problems.”

Inequality on the rise

One consequence of Teton County’s extraordinary income is an equally extraordinary income inequality, also the greatest in the country.

The quarter-million statistic, and its investment underpinning, is all the more impressive considering that a large proportion of wage and salary jobs here are relatively low-paying tourism gigs.

“Jackson is potentially a tale of two towns,” Godby said. “You have the very wealthy, and then you have the incomes that maybe look more normal.”

Of course, the normal-income demographic is far more populous. According to Internal Revenue Service data from 2017, just under 1,900 households reported an adjusted gross income of $200,000 or more, the highest bracket. That’s about 13 percent of the 14,400 households in the county.

“You can tell a lot by looking at that distribution of income,” said Jeff Newman, one of the economists who put together the income report for the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which is based on income tax data. “You can really get a good feel for an area.”

For the 87% earning less than $200,000, and especially for those on the lower end of the spectrum, the costs of living in Teton County are daunting.

The most obvious effect is on housing. With property in such short supply — 97% of the county is public land — there simply isn’t nearly enough to cheaply accommodate the worldwide desire to live in and visit Jackson Hole.

What little land is available is often accessible only to the upper middle class and above. In short, most incomes are not keeping pace with mounting housing prices.

“The most basic law of economics is supply and demand,” Schechter said. “If you have a high demand and low supply, the pressure’s going to be pretty high.”

After housing, the secondary effects are many. Despite the community goal to house 65% of local workers, about 40% are forced to live elsewhere and must commute. That increases traffic and carbon emissions, alters the character of neighborhoods and, overall, lowers quality of life.

Many of the people most fundamental to community, from teachers to snowplow drivers to law enforcement officials, can barely afford to live and work here. Last month Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr warned that the communications center is one dispatcher away from being unable to respond to 911 calls 24/7.

Teton County isn’t alone in these struggles. They’re hallmarks of the most popular tourist destinations, and especially of premiere mountain ski towns: Pitkin County, Colorado (home to Aspen), is third on the list of per capita income, after Manhattan, and Summit County, Utah (home to Park City), isn’t far behind.

The subject of income inequality doesn’t often come up in community dialogue — except perhaps through the proxy of housing — but it does feature prominently in a recent report that elected officials are consulting as they update the Comprehensive Plan.

Based on input from hundreds of residents, the Comprehensive Plan review stresses that the public is concerned about inequality, yet the town and county’s guiding document never explicitly mentions it.

“If the community does not define how it wants to address income inequality,” the report states, “the inequality will define the community.”

Schechter said “there are very few unadulterated goods and very few unadulterated bads.” The same economic forces that have made it such a challenge to live here have also made it a remarkable place to live.

“It’s a testament to the work a lot of people have done to create an environment where people of such wealth would want to come,” he said.

Without that wealth Teton County certainly wouldn’t be the community it is today. The nonprofits, the school system, the pathways, the restaurants, the conservation — many of the most cherished aspects of Jackson Hole depend on the immense stream of investment income running through it. These amenities require a financial sacrifice.

“What Teton County is,” Godby said, “is a blessing and a curse.”

In fact, he said, people consciously or unconsciously make a trade-off when they decide to move here. Research shows that many in Teton County are willing to accept a lower income than the cost of living would suggest — likely because of the superb access to wilderness and the other aforementioned benefits.

That doesn’t change the fact that the cost of living is often overwhelming, and Godby said it’s still worth striving to alleviate the hardships residents face.

“There should always be a healthy conversation about the limits of what’s acceptable in terms of social welfare,” he said. “Putting it in blunt terms: the health of the community and what people are willing to do — how much they care about their neighbors.”

As for the affluent of Teton County, surely they do their part in attempting to fix what’s broken here through charity. But, as outlined in the News&Guide’s Imprint edition on the impact of philanthropy earlier this month, their donations don’t always align with actual needs.

While working on his book, Farrell spoke to a Mexican immigrant living in the area: “He wonders aloud whether wealthy people care more about saving a moose or a bear than helping him and other immigrants who are suffering.”

People like him “are seeing more clearly how these same friends who have so much extra money and power to help nevertheless support the status quo and perpetuate a system that is making it increasingly difficult for [him] and his family to live a decent life.”

Whether Teton County will ever solve — or even adequately remedy — its lack of affordability remains to be seen. Schechter observed that many other communities have buckled under the same pressures, and none have yet found a way to pick themselves up, particularly not while also trying to protect the surrounding ecosystem.

It may be impossible to tame housing prices enough that they become widely available to those of truly average income. Even if it becomes easier to live here, Godby said, more people will want to live here.

Yet making the effort is paramount, Schechter said. The alternative is unthinkable.

“If we let it go down that path,” he said, “we are going to become a community where very few nonwealthy people can live.”

December 18, 2019/by steveduerr
https://steveduerr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Teton-leads-nation-in-per-capita-income-_-Town-County-_-jhnewsandguide.jpg 822 750 steveduerr https://steveduerr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SteveDuerrWhiteNew.png steveduerr2019-12-18 11:45:062020-11-05 11:47:56Teton Leads Nation in Per Capita Income

Western Ranches Newsletter

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Representing Legacy Ranch Land of the Mountain West

Tricks of the Trade with Top Broker

There is a certain cachet commanded by ranch properties. It’s a muted pride in the land, a respect for its heritage and traditions, and an appreciation of the hard work and independence the lifestyle demands. It is little wonder, then, that it takes a particular personality to become the country’s most successful ranch broker.

Read More


Wyoming Approves House Bill 196

On February 27, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon signed into law House Bill 196. The legislation—which had previously received unanimous support in the State Senate and a 43-17 vote of approval in the State House—prevents county governments from impinging on a family homesite…

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Welcome, Deirdre Griffith!

Western Ranches is thrilled to welcome Deirdre Griffith to our team! Deirdre’s years of experience across a broad range of ranches and outfitters engrained the value of customer service, exceeding expectation, and understanding industry trends.

Read More

April 18, 2019/by steveduerr
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2017 Top Producer: Steve Duerr

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Associate broker Steve Duerr topped all other agents in sales volume last year at Jackson Hole Real Estate Associates, just part of what the firm said was a record year. Duerr’s big 2017 was made by the sale of the Dodge Ranch near Medicine Bow. The 20,502-acre ranch also has 5,554 acres of leased land and is on both sides of 11 miles of the Laramie River. It was listed at $25 million.

Duerr, noting the part played by the Christie’s affiliate and the contributions of its more than 100 agents, called the firm “a tremendous influence for good in the community.” Julie Faupel, one of Jackson Hole Real Estate Associates’ principals, said Duerr’s sale of the Dodge Ranch helped make the firm the top ranch brokerage in the Rocky Mountain West.

Duerr came to Jackson more than 35 years ago as a lawyer, working for Holland and Hart, specializing in tax law. He has served on the Teton County Planning Commission, as director of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce and as director of the Murie Center. During his time at the chamber he led development of its Power of Place campaign, which focused on the value of preserving Wyoming’s natural bounty to protect its lifestyle and businesses.

Jackson Hole News & Guide Article

February 5, 2018/by steveduerr
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“Power of Place” is Jackson’s strength

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“We have everything we need [to responsibly develop Jackson] on paper,” Duerr said. “We have the Comprehensive Plan’s vision statement about the natural world and the environment being the foundation of our economy but words aren’t getting it done. There has to be some deeper commitment than what happens in planning meetings because in spite of everyone’s best efforts, we’re destroying this place by growth.”

With Jackson’s resources, including the people who move from all over the world to live, work and play here, Duerr believes the community can set a precedent for others to follow should Jackson figure out a sustainable and environmentally friendly way forward.
“We’re at a tipping point as a community. I would like for [Jackson] to be known for succeeding at finding the right balance between commerce and conservation and growth that is appropriate to a special place like this,” Duerr said. “That would be our story to the world, we actually did it right here.”

Duerr aims to protect the Hole

February 1, 2018/by steveduerr
https://steveduerr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/11-23-16-Jackson-Hole-News-Duerr-Aims-to-Protect-the-Hole.jpg 363 544 steveduerr https://steveduerr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SteveDuerrWhiteNew.png steveduerr2018-02-01 11:51:532020-12-08 11:52:14“Power of Place” is Jackson’s strength

Jackson Hole is not ‘anytown USA’

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Duerr says that in the present politically polarized atmosphere of Washington, D.C. that has also become manifested in the hinters, citizens need to put aside their blind adherence to political labels and identity and think broader. He says there are no family values more priceless than loved ones who spend time outdoors together, in an inspiring environment and count their blessings each day that their fortunate to live where they do.

Every person is a stakeholder in his or her community and while commerce is important, it’s what folks do when they’re off the time clock of work that speaks larger to the kind of values that he believes makes inhabitants of the Western United States people who understand what true family values are.

Steve Duerr Thin Green Line Part One

January 7, 2018/by steveduerr
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Duerr Aims to Protect the Hole

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Former Chamber director has touted ‘Power of Place’ as Jackson’s strength.

Steve Duerr

Steve Duerr, former executive director of the Murie Center, with a plaque in memory of Olaus Murie which reads, “Man has need of wilderness.” Duerr worked to have it installed in Murie Family Park, on the north side of Jackson.

The power of place is an elusive idea, but you know it when you feel it.

Steve Duerr, a Jackson lawyer, real estate agent, conservationist and history buff, spent the last 35 years trying to articulate Jackson’s unique blend of natural beauty and small-town community to protect and preserve it.

He said legendary Jackson Hole conservationist Olaus Murie came the closest to doing so.

“How can we encompass it in words?” Murie wrote in 1943. “I have heard residents try to pin it down in outbursts of enthusiasm, but they couldn’t find the words. … No, we cannot describe the spirit of Jackson Hole, the ‘Spirit of Place,’ but many of us feel it.”

Duerr moved to Jackson in 1985 and began working for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort as executive vice president, director and general counsel for the Jackson Hole Ski Corporation after earning a Master of Laws in tax law from Georgetown University Law Center.

As vice president of Jackson Hole Ski Corporation, Duerr was given “a special opportunity” to spend a lot of time doing outreach in the community and get to know the players. He specifically noted meetings at the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Jackson Hole Historical Society and other key community organizations.

“The stories of people like the Lucas brothers and Cliff Hansen and Martha Hansen and Paul McCollister, and the original owners of the ski corporation were the things that you talked about over coffee,” Duerr said. “You’d see them at The Wort or at The Virginian. It’s a concern those people aren’t here and it’s a big loss.”

This sense of a community, filled with talented and accomplished people with a passion for the environment, was intoxicating, Duerr said. It generated a sense that anything was possible — especially in a rapidly changing world.

In 1989 the Berlin Wall came crumbling down. That same year Secretary of State James Baker III met with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park to discuss nuclear nonproliferation agreements between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Watching the historical events unfold, Duerr got his first look at the true power of place in Jackson. He began speaking to people arou nd town about the ability of this place to inspire people to do great things. To play his part, Duerr set about trying to build a monument to world peace in Jackson.

“A reporter for The New York Times at the time said, in the eyes of some visionaries Jackson Hole is becoming the Geneva of North America,” Duerr said. “Those kind of words about Jackson Hole really catch people’s attention and it has such international prominence for its natural beauty, that idea [for a world peace center in Jackson] just sort of simmered for awhile.” In 2000 Duerr was introduced to David Wendt and Olivia Meigs, who had just moved to Jackson from Washington D.C., where they worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Here, they created the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs.

“Only in Jackso n does stuff like this happen,” Duerr said, “because it draws talented people from all over the world.”

The unique confluence of natural wonders with human intelligence in Jackson, Duerr said, must be maintained no matter the costs.

In 2008 Duerr left a job at Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation managing nearly $1.5 billion in troubled loans to become the executive director of the Murie Center, working to educate the next generation of conservationists about the value of conserving wildlife and wild places.

“People have always sacrificed to live here,” he said, “but as the homestead ranch families are gone and as many people who lived here for a couple decades and now can’t afford to stay and their kids can’t come back, what’s the soul of this place in the next 20 years?”

In his 35 years in Jackson, Duerr has fought for Jackson’s soul like few others.

In 1988, three years after arriving, Duerr founded and acted as president of the statewide ski area association, Ski Wyoming Inc. The following year he was a founding board member and incorporator of the Jackson Hole Museum and Jackson Hole Historical Society. During the 1990s he worked for political campaigns and founded political advocacy groups like the Center for Resolution and the Teton County Community Advisory Group. By 1996 Duerr had cemented a reputation as a community leader in Jackson and was elected to the board of directors of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. In 1999 he became the chamber’s executive director.

“If I stood for anything in my career with the chamber, it’s the proposition that Jackson can’t become Anyplace, USA. It just can’t, it’s too special. Our conservation and natural history demands better of us,” Duerr said. “There’s got to be mindfulness in our community about the natural world as the foundation of our economic world and we have to keep striving to find a balance between commerce and conservation.”

Since leaving the chamber he continued his work in the community to help achieve his vision of creating a thriving economic community that uses its economic success to help preserve and protect the natural beauty surrounding it.

Duerr was a founding member of the Yellowstone Business Partnership, elected to the board of directors of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, worked for the U.S. Department of Interior reviewing natural gas development in Sublette County and served on the Teton County School Board.

“We have everything w e need [to responsibly develop Jackson] on paper,” Duerr said. “We have the Comprehensive Plan’s vision statement about the natural world and the environment being the foundation of our economy but words aren’t getting it done. There has to be some deeper commitment than what happens in planning meetings because in spite of everyone’s best efforts, we’re destroying this place by growth.”

With Jackson’s resources, including the people who move from all over the world to live, work and play here, Duerr believes the community can set a precedent for others to follow should Jackson figure out a sustainable and environmentally friendly way forward.

“We’re at a tipping point as a community. I would like for [Jackson] to be known for succeeding at finding the right balance between commerce and conservation and growth that is appropriate to a special place like this, ” Duerr said. “That would be our story to the world, we actually did it right here.” Contact John Spina at 732-5911 or town@jhnewsandguide.com. 

November 23, 2016/by steveduerr
https://steveduerr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/11-23-16-Jackson-Hole-News-Duerr-Aims-to-Protect-the-Hole.jpg 363 544 steveduerr https://steveduerr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SteveDuerrWhiteNew.png steveduerr2016-11-23 10:04:042020-12-08 11:49:00Duerr Aims to Protect the Hole

Let’s restore Teton Tunnel to our highway wish list

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By Steve Duerr
Jackson Hole News & Guide

The local headline news of the past few weeks has been remarkably consistent.

“Hooverville West” was the cartoon theme characterizing camping in town as a housing solution. The editorial implored us to embrace the idea of a “public-private housing solution funded by all who live in and visit Jackson Hole.” The letters to the editor roiled with passionate comments on the housing crisis. The Guest Shot embraced “smart growth, not no growth” and opportunities for “our community to come up with creative solutions that provide public benefits.” The Corpus Callosum essay declared the “Harsh reality: There’s no housing fix.” Moreover, it stated, “For reasons both national and local, the goal of housing 65 percent of the workforce will become increasingly unattainable.” Another headline announced that on May 20 and 21 “Town, county to meet to discuss housing,” and continued “Public invited to come listen, but not to speak.” Really?

In this crisp crowded field, a sleeper headline read: “Tour 23 dreams about the future, Wyoming Business Alliance brings power brokers in county together to brainstorm.” It’s interesting that in the reporting, apparently only one of six groups put the focus on housing. Along with the reporter I happened to be in the room. Early on, I asked a breakout group how can we talk about economic development without setting up housing as issue No. 1. No traction.

When the session turned to a future wish list for things like infrastructure, I asked my group how about putting the Teton Tunnel up on the “Wish List.” A dedicated elected official replied that the Teton Tunnel was not right for the wish list because it didn’t make the cut in the comp plan visioning phase. What’s more the Teton Tunnel cuts against the comp plan’s 65 percent goal.

I asked, how’s it going with that goal? Answer: We have the Grove. OK, what will that cost and for how many housing units? Answer: Maybe $35 million for 68 units; rental rates will average around $1,200 a month. Really?

During the last comp plan battle, in the early 1990s, Jackson boiled over the same issues. Housing was in crisis. “Smart growth” was a mantra. A longtime town official shook his head, lamenting that downzoning the rural county means the town will have to “zone for ugly,” expanding vertically with high density. Right?

I believe a picture is worth a thousand words. The map shows four sketches. It was produced by a trusted county engineer in 2012 in response to a request by our ad hoc group of folks in both Teton valleys, Wyoming and Idaho, to sketch on one map every tunnel route anyone ever seriously suggested. Our group then asked the Wyoming Department of Transportation to again consider the Teton Tunnel. To WYDOT’s credit it dusted off its files and produced a six-page report in 2013.

Assumptions: only feasible route, 1.27 miles (black on map), 5,000 trips a day (annual average), cost $260 million, i.e., toll road rate of $22 a day (round trip).

Big numbers, extrapolated from the costs in 1973 of the I-70 Eisenhower Tunnel from Denver to Vail, applying a 3.5 percent inflation rate over 40 years. Conclusion: Given the costs and variables, further investigation of constructing the Teton Tunnel was not justified. Really? What if the estimates are half wrong? Then would a daily toll of about $10 make sense? What if a private-public collaboration allocated one-third of the cost to each the three stakeholders: WYDOT, the Idaho DOT and the private sector? The private sector’s third of $130 million would be less than the cost of two more Grove subsidized housing projects.
Isn’t it time to put the Teton Tunnel on the planning wish list?

May 27, 2015/by steveduerr
https://steveduerr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/TetonPassTunnel.jpg 468 750 steveduerr https://steveduerr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SteveDuerrWhiteNew.png steveduerr2015-05-27 11:28:382020-12-08 11:31:41Let’s restore Teton Tunnel to our highway wish list

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