Pinedale Unfiltered

Farmer's Market kicks off Summer

2009-05-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

The Pinedale Farmer's Market kicks off it's summer season on Sunday, the 31st. This year, the market is trying to grow, and the town has agreed to let the market close down a block of Tyler Street just off Pine and next to the Rock Rabbit. This is a great way to support the local economy, even though most of the produce will be coming from Idaho. Other hand made goods (breads and treats) will be truly local, as well as the awesome Big Piney grown Wyomatoes.

Town is busy. The seasonals are here and there are a lot of tourists passing through. At the brewpub last night there were mostly unfamiliar faces and lots of out of state plates. Welcome to summer.

The weather is cooperating nicely. I rode the bike path to go fishing at the Fremont outlet today and saw several folks out walking their dogs and enjoying the 70 degree temps. The fish were even compliant today.

Congrats to Pinedale Seniors on graduation today. Now GO and experience life somewhere else for a while!!

News?

2009-05-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

Pinedale is a small town. I understand that. I also understand that newsworthy items are going to often be of the special interest and local color variety. In fact, I absolutely LOVE the fact that our news is often about cows calving, big fish, local hikes, and kids activities. Occasionally though, I just have to chuckle. Recently, there was the front page spread featuring much road-kill (serving, of course, as a PSA about safe driving). Now there's the front-page picture of a lovely sage-grouse in mating season... complete with a particularly vivid description. Check it out:

http://www.sublette.com/examiner/v9n9/v9n9s1.htm

McDonalds in Pinedale?

2009-05-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

Pinedale is experiencing growing pains. The town wants to retain it's wild west/mountain man town character, but is conservative enough to be reluctant to pass ordinances that force this character.

Last night, I attended a "workshop" with the Planning and Zoning commission that was designed to find out what the people of Pinedale wanted in new P&Z ordinances. Do we want to allow big box stores? Do we want to allow chain restaurants? Do we want architectural guidelines that will affect all new businesses?

It seems that the most vocal folks either don't want to limit anything from coming into Pinedale, or want to turn Pinedale into another Sedona.

The P&Z ordinances currently being used in Pinedale are nearly 30 years old without any revision. It is time for a revision. I hope the town does something to allow us to choose whether or not we want to allow McDonalds or other chains into town. Right now, there is nothing that even allows the town to discuss it or the people to decide.

The Conservative set around here wishes to allow the community to have a voice in what we do with our public lands, but seem less concerned in making sure the community has a voice in what businesses we allow to come into town. They want Pinedale to stay the way it is without having to make difficult decisions as the town grows. A set of loosely vague ordinaces that allows some stipulations to be added to commercial permitting doesn't sound all that difficult to me. I feel it is the towns responsibility to make sure that the community reserves the right to grow in a responsible and healthy manner, and that all citizens get a voice in exaclty what that map of growth will look like.

Dawn Ballou, owner of Pinedale Online, said she does not think the government has any business regulating or having ordinances about which businesses come into town or what their store-front looks like, or how it affects the town. She also mentioned that she thinks it's okay for the local government to outlaw "Porn shops" from coming in.

Personally, I find McDonalds and Walmart pretty morally reprenhensible as well. Unfortunately, in Pinedale, I am in the minority.

Spring Time?

2009-05-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it's offically warm, springlike weather. The high today was around 65, with 70s forecast for the next week. The road to Green River Lakes is open (a bit muddy in spots), Half-moon hiking is good, and New Fork Lakes access is open as well. Big Sandy and Elkhart are still snowed in, and no word on the Wyoming Range trailheads.

With the snowpack remaining well above average, it looks to be another year where July 1st becomes the date you can reliably hike in the mountains without encountering much snow.

While we enjoy the warm weather, we also fear the bad part of it getting too warm too fast. Ranchers around here rely on a slow warm-up to keep irrigation water running for as long as possible. Getting too warm too fast, even with our above average snow pack, means the irrigation ditches will overflow, and then dry up sooner than usual.

Pinedale hosted it's annual community clean-up today and lots of families showed up to pick up trash. Pinedale is pretty clean as towns go, but it's still amazing to me that folks litter at all.

ABC News Propaganda

2009-05-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

ABC news came to town. National news that is. And Pinedale was featured as having the best economy and lowest unemployment in the nation. In fact, we "have more jobs than we know what to do with". The 2 minute segment was likely the best propaganda piece Pinedale could receive.

But it was also full of wrong information. We don't have more jobs than we know what to do with. Friends are being laid off from their jobs, sales are down, many folks have to work two or three jobs to afford to live here. The month of April had ZERO homes sold, and there are "for rent" signs everywhere. Rent typically starts at $1200, with most units falling in the $1600 - $1800 a month range. Rent has not dropped and landlords refuse to budge, willing to take a loss rather than concede the economy is in decline.

Available jobs are in the service industry, but even those will suffer with decreased demand as oil and gas workers are laid off and move back to the states where they claim residence, thus affecting unemployment in those areas and not here. Tourism has been in the decline recently as well, since hotel rooms have generally been taken by oil and gas workers and hotel owners have upped their prices to a level most tourists can't easily afford, $10o - $150 a night on average.

So, if you want to work at a bar and local eatery, make $10 at one, and $8 at the other, want 3 roomates in order to afford rent, come on up to Pinedale Wyoming. Many destitute and unemployed folks from accross the country have shown up in Pinedale looking for this mecca of jobs and wonderful economy. I am sorry that they have been universally disappointed.

Pinedale Unfiltered

2009-05-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Pinedale - A small town in the high desert of Wyoming, nestled beneath the Wind River Mountains, and home to one of the wealthiest economies in the United States.

Unfiltered - Not modified, processed, or refined

Jason Burton - Unrefined blogger in Pinedale, WY