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"To
me, it was the single most important landmark that brought people up
here," said Trudy Jackson, owner of the popular local diner Trudy's
Kitchen.
It
was a beloved recreation site for generations of families and a boon to
local business. Many Southwest Idaho kids learned to swim there.
The
resort was shut down after septic system failure, and less than six
months later it was sold for $1.2 million to Jesse C. Pearson, an Idaho
native and real estate investor with family in the Hailey area. Now a
Hawaii resident, Pearson has been making improvements to the property
and is working toward reopening the resort.
According
to the resort's business plan, Pearson has a mix of alternative health
care and real estate experience, spending the past seven years rehabbing
old properties in San Francisco and a pineapple farm in Maui .
"He
always wanted to buy a hot springs ," Warm Springs project manager
Wyatt Sharpley said.
Now
Jackson and others are excited about Pearson's plans to re-open the
resort and expand its offerings. The project faces some significant
financial and other challenges. But many remain hopeful.
"I
wish it was open tomorrow," said Jackson, who taught swimming
lessons at the resort for 20 years. "I wish it was open
tonight."
RESORT
WILL ADD SPA, GO GREEN - one day
Pearson's
big-picture, $7 million plan includes the construction of a full-service
spa, three new overnight cabins, three new private hot tubs, a poolside
cafe, a 70-seat restaurant, two geothermal greenhouses, 2 miles of
hiking trails and a night-sky observatory.
Plans
call for a "green" operation as close to carbon-neutral as
possible, harnessing heat from geothermal water and power from the sun's
rays, and using electric and biodiesel-powered equipment. Organic food
grown in the geothermal greenhouses would be used in the on-site
restaurant and sold at a farmers market.
The
resort's new attractions, including the spa, are expected to draw
out-of-towners and locals of all income levels - not just urban yuppies
with cash to burn.
"We're
going to do things really well, but it's not going to be pretentious or
unapproachable," said Sharpley, who was hired 18 months ago to
manage the development.
He
said that difficult financial times may mean that, in the short term,
the pool building will be renovated and refurbished instead of
immediately being torn down and replaced with a new 9,000-square-foot
lodge. That's part of a scaled-down $2 million development plan that
developers hope will get the resort re-opened as soon as possible. It's
a backup plan in case financing for the larger plan cannot be obtained.
"It
needs to get open. The community needs it," Sharpley said.
"It's like Detroit without GM - that's what Idaho City without Warm
Springs has been like."
MINERS
SOAKED IN the SPRINGS IN the 1860s
The
Warm Springs Resort is on 80 acres of forest land about 1.5 miles
southwest of Idaho City , just off Idaho 21. The springs have been a
popular Boise County attraction since the late 1860s, when they were
operated as a bath and laundry service for gold miners and other early
settlers. Numerous businesses have come and gone at the site; an inn
that dates to the early 1900s is among a handful of old buildings still
on the property.
The
main attraction is an 80-by-40-foot swimming pool, constantly flushed
and refilled by natural spring water that comes out of the ground at 107
to 109 degrees and then is cooled.
"The
water is cleaner than Perrier," Sharpley said. "It is so
crystal clear and absolutely clean."
Under
the resort's new development plan, mini-pools - one "hot
plunge" and one "cold plunge" - will be added next to the
main pool.
Also,
a natural rock outcropping with a waterfall about 300 yards from the
main pool would become a quieter area, dubbed "adult plunge,"
for those 18 and older to take a restful soak. Sand will be added to the
bottom of the pool, which will be surrounded by trees and wildflowers.
TOWN
HAS STRUGGLED SINCE SPRINGS CLOSED
Those
who frequented Warm Springs in modern times often stopped off at other
local businesses on their way out of town. Their wet hair was always a
giveaway.
"When
they were here, they would tour the historic town and cemetery,"
said Jackson, who fielded questions from restaurant customers about the
closure of Warm Springs for years. "People were angry and
devastated. They asked us, 'How could you let that happen?' "
But
there was nothing that local business owners and lifelong fans of Warm
Springs could do but watch and wait.
"It
is a matter of serious importance to Idaho City ," said Bill
Stirling, 75, who has lived in the town for 37 years and is the
immediate past president of the Idaho City Chamber of Commerce.
Shops
and other businesses in the rustic old mining town suffered greatly
after Warm Springs Resort closed.
"
Old Town just sort of sagged," said Stirling , who estimates there
are currently about 20 businesses in town.
In
a letter to the city supporting the Warm Springs proposal, Knotty Pine
Lodge owner Dorris Murdock said business at her lodge was 30 percent
higher when the springs were open.
Sharpley
has held numerous community meetings to discuss the resort's development
plans, with only a couple of people raising concerns about the proposed
extension of the city sewer system to Warm Springs and the accompanying
fear of higher taxes.
"The
town is in love with the whole plan," Stirling said.
The
Boise County Planning & Zoning Commission approved the resort's
conditional-use permit in February.
Resort
needs SEWER system upgrade
Failure
of the septic system closed the resort in 2001, and it's the need to
find a new way to treat waste that holds up the project now.
Mayor
Jim Obland said the city will do what it can to help the project
succeed, though it can't foot the bill - which could top $1 million - to
extend city sewer service.
Sharpley
said Pearson would donate land and pay $153,000 for the construction of
a lift station that's needed to move the sewage uphill.
He
said the city may be able to get state economic development grants to
help pay for the sewer system extension because the resort will bring as
many as 21 full-time jobs that pay a "living wage" of about
$32,000 a year or more. He expects the resort to employ about 30 people
total.
Plus,
extending the sewer line could spur economic growth along Idaho 21. In a
letter to the city, nearby residents Keith and Gilda Lewis said they'd
consider hooking up to the system and possibly opening a small hotel or
other business.
In
the meantime, Sharpley said Warm Springs Resort is permitted to operate
with its current septic system - with no expansion or changes - until a
sewer line is extended to the site.
But
sewage isn't the only thing standing in the way.
Pearson
had planned to begin work on the project this month, but finding
financing became impossible after the national economy slid into a
recession.
"The
banks are a mess. That kind of put a dent in the timing," Sharpley
said.
Pearson
is exploring the possibility of financing the project with private
investors, Sharpley said.
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