Teton Valley Real Estate, Idaho, Driggs Victor Tetonia, Alta Teton Valley Idaho, Driggs, Victor, Tetonia, Alta Real Estate Sales

Teton County Commissioners took the first step on Tuesday to convert the county-owned medical facility, Teton Valley Health Care, to a private nonprofit that would continue to work within county jurisdiction.

Commissioners signed a Conversion Agreement at the end of the public meeting that will allow county and hospital officials to begin more formal and detailed negotiations with Bingham Memorial Hospital, the nonprofit medical facility based in Bingham County that has been working as consulting agents to Teton Valley Health Care for the last two years.

“I think the long term here with the hospital; it’s the way to go to start investing back into our hospital where we maintain ownership and we still maintain local control with a board of trustees here,” said Teton County Commissioner and hospital board vice-chairman Bob Benedict before the vote. “I think the liability reduction to the county is significant and I think we should go ahead.”

Tuesday’s unanimous vote by commissioners will allow for the incorporation of a new nonprofit entity called TVH or Teton Valley Hospital. The county will now seek 501-(C)3 status to establish TVH, an IRS status that could take several months to obtain. Officials will also seek, among other components, a five-year renewable hospital management agreement with Bingham officials.

Bingham Memorial Hospital went through a similar conversion in 2004, changing from a government-run medical facility to a private nonprofit. Bingham officials entered into a letter of intent with TVHC in August, working toward the Conversion Agreement signed this week.

“I would conclude this presentation by saying that the plan we put forth and the Conversion Agreement is designed to produce a self-sustaining, perpetual hospital operation,” said hospital board chairman Steven Dietrich to commissioners on Tuesday. “A key component to producing the cash flows necessary for these future capital improvements is leveraging the expertise, purchasing power and systems developed by the Bingham executives and their staff, that we increase our efficiencies and revenues at this hospital. I can’t guarantee and there are no guarantees, that this will succeed and certainly other options were explored over the prior 18 months. The interest expressed in TVHC and us by Bingham is significant and should not be underestimated given the general lack of other restructuring opportunities we see available for this hospital.”

In a public meeting that lasted almost two hours, Dietrich detailed the hospital board’s journey toward the ultimate decision to convert the hospital using Bingham Memorial Hospital has lead management.

“A basic fork in the road became quite evident soon after the second taxpayer levy barely passed in May ’10,” Dietrich said in an interview. “Aaron Hansen (now the TVHC Treasurer) and I held our nose of sorts when we made a final recommendation to the BOT in January ’10 to seek yet a second capital levy.  We put significant constraints on the request (for capital only) and even suggested the monies could be paid back to the county if our fears were unfounded about capital needs and the money was not necessary.  Unfortunately, our fears were right and the money was critical to the capital needs of the hospital in 2011.  Nevertheless, the trustees concluded that levy No. 2 was probably the last one the voters would approve – with good reason.”

This laid a solid foundation for the hospital board to pursue not a new taxing district that would have to be voter approved, but a partnership, and more specifically, a nonprofit status for the hospital.

“The lease agreement will be 99 years long but the management agreement will be a five-year renewable deal with events of default and termination,’ said Dietrich. “Although it will be a private entity, TVH will be governed by a local citizens’ board.  Just like now, it will be incumbent upon this board to react should the operating results not develop as desired.  The options range from finding a new management partner, self-management, giving up on the lease or even selling the assets.  The bottom line is there are always options but it is our starting premise to plan for success not failure.  We want and need a viable hospital in this valley and that is what we shall have.”

Several members of the public expressed concern that the hospital was being “given” to Bingham Memorial Hospital while others questioned the county’s liability upon entering into such a partnership.

“We are not giving the hospital to BMH,” said Benedict. “The hospital is owned by Teton County and continues to be owned by Teton County. It is a county-owned hospital. If the nonprofit does go into default it reverts back to Teton County.”

“You have to remember this is a conversion agreement, which is just the beginning of the process of laying out the big issues,” continued Benedict. “The thing that the (hospital) board looked at is to make sure, whatever the organization is, the nonprofit keeps investing into our hospital, our community hospital. Whatever the new management is has to reinvest into the new hospital at the deprecation rate that includes money that is going into it from the present tax levies and also anything in the future that is donated to the hospital. From my perspective and the board’s perspective, for many years there were not investments made into the hospital. What this does is require the investments to be made into the hospital and that is part of the contract that needs to be developed.”

Both the county and hospital board made concerted efforts during the meeting and in the form of public documentation to show that the process by which they arrived at Tuesday’s decision was done in the pubic arena. After the meeting, the Valley Citizen was given an unsolicited, 22-page packet that included public discussion dating back to 2009 where initial inquiries to change management models were first discussed.

“Public disclosure of aspects of this process in the form of presentations like this and others was intended by the (Board of Trustees) from the start,” Dietrich said at the beginning of the county meeting. “However, the public must realize that these beginning negotiations included certain employment and contract issues that would not be appropriate to address in public. All BOT decisions pertaining to the execution of the Conversion Agreement were made in open session. It is both the intention and responsibility of the BOT to disclose in a timely manner the pertinent facts related to this process,” he said.

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Your Teton Valley, Driggs ID, Realtor

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National Geographic named Driggs and two other Idaho towns as some of Top 100 Adventure Towns in the US.

“While the nearby town of Jackson has ballooned into a tourist megalopolis, rustic Driggs, on the western flank of the Tetons, manages to keep its feet on the ground as it morphs into an outdoor-adventure capital. Friendly and unpretentious, Driggs is for people who love the mountains enough to live, work, and play in them—including many of the service-industry stiffs who keep Jackson running but can’t afford to live there.

PLAY

“The Teton River is the best place to cast for cutthroat, rainbow, and brook trout. Laren Piquet Guiding Services charges $350 a day for a drift along the Teton in a flat-bottom boat (+1 208 354 2786). Or take a DIY hike 8 miles (13 kilometers) along the South Teton Creek to Alaska Basin, then continue 2.7 miles (4.3 kilometers) to Hurricane Pass for a spectacular overlook of Teton Valley and the town of Jackson.

EAT

“A sporty crowd downs dollar beers and chows down on scallop polenta at the Royal Wolf (+1 208 354 8365).

SLEEP

“Locanda di Fiori’s cozy log cabin is set on 20 acres (8 hectares) of rolling farmland, with great views of Teton Valley (doubles from $150;www.inntetonia.com).” As quoted from National Geographic Adventure Magazine.

The Teton River is the valley’s most popular waterway for scenic rafting, kayaking and canoe adventures. The river flows unencumbered like a serpent, and heads north through the center of the valley.  It is perfect for day-long floats.  Boats can be rented at Peaked Sports. Whether you want to fish, watch wildlife, or just cool off and have fun, the Teton River is a great place to start.

For those looking for a spectacular scenic float or a world class whitewater adventure, pop on over Teton Pass to Jackson, where  Barker-Ewing Whitewater and Barker-Ewing Scenic Float Trips have been offering guided trips on the Snake River since 1963, in and outside of Grand Teton National Park. Jackson Hole Whitewater has been offering a variety of Snake River trips since 1963.

Experienced anglers from around the world know about the trout streams in Eastern Idaho. The Henry’s Fork and South Fork of the Snake River are household names among those in the know. The Teton River which flows freely through the middle of Teton Valley is a well kept secret among anglers.

The Teton Valley Lodge has been fishing since 1919, longer than any other fly fishing lodge in the West. It is a full-service fly fishing lodge located on the banks of the Teton River. By tailoring their guiding to your skill level, their guides help you succeed.

Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River (see top photo) is a short drive from Teton Valley and can be the trout fishing experience of a lifetime. All told, Teton Valley is one of the best located Trout fishing jump off points in the lower 48 states; exceptional fishing in virtually any direction and any time of year. I don’t claim to be an expert but I have been fishing the area for the last 20 years. If I don’t know whats going on and where, I do know who to ask. Let me know if you need any help planning your trip, I’ll do my best to help you out. Best regards.

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Significant weapons and resources have come to bear in the battle against the lake trout invasion in Yellowstone Lake, said Bob Gresswell, research scientist at the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center.

Lake trout are decimating native populations of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the lake, which is the primary native habitat of YCT. Nothing less than complete eradication of lake trout will ensure the continued survival of YCT, the most valued and iconic fish in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, he said.

“Its native range lies almost completely within the GYE,” said Gresswell.

YCT occupy only 43 percent of their historic stream habitat, and no more than 28 percent of populations of YCT remain genetically unaltered, he said.

Populations of YCT in other locations, including tributaries to the Teton River, are largely hybridized with other trout species, particularly rainbow trout.

Gill netting has been the mostwidely used and successful means of suppressing and removing lake trout, Gresswell said. Contract fishermen and the National Park Service have worked to remove the unwanted, commercially valueless lake trout that feeds on YCT.

“This is focused primarily on the spawning run in late May-early June in the tributaries around Yellowstone Lake,” he said.

There are 42 other species in the Yellowstone Lake ecosystem that utilize YCT for food, he said. Lake trout cannot substitute for YCT because they spawn in the fall, in the lake, and are inaccessible to predators.

About 210,000 lake trout were removed from Yellowstone Lake this summer, he said. Review panels have stressed the need for greater effort – double that of 2007 – in suppressing the pest.

Knowing where they spawn, and their movement patterns, is key to this effort, Gresswell said.

Since June, acoustic telemetry studies have begun in the lake, in cooperation with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, U.S. Geological Survey, Trout Unlimited, the National Park Service and the National Parks Conservation Association.

Telemetry studies show how the lake trout use the lake in movement patterns and spawning.

More than 140 lake trout were tagged since June, and studies show they are abundant near West Thumb. Additional tracking and eradication strategies continue to be evaluated.

When the lake trout are eradicated they won’t come back naturally because Yellowstone Lake is a closed system. Measuring success of the program will be possible “when we begin to see YCT come back” in Yellowstone Lake, said Gresswell.

YCT has played an important role in the GYE in terms of the natural food web. For example, pelicans once harvested more than 300,000 pounds of YCT annually. That resource isn’t there now, and you don’t see many pelicans on Yellowstone Lake anymore, because they fly elsewhere to feed, Gresswell said.

The YCT has significant economic value to guides and others who make a profit from visitation and recreation in the region.

“This may be one of the most significant resource issues in the GYE,” he said, “because this is the core of what’s left of the YCT’s range and the core of genetically-pure YCT. If we don’t save them here, we won’t have them.”

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Your Teton Valley, Driggs ID, Realtor