Twin Falls Opinions: The Beginning of the End?
Press Clip from the Magic Valley Times-News (the local paper here in Twin Falls). This is an editorial by the newspaper's editorial board, published on July 16th, 2006. A few things to keep in mind:
1) This newspaper has always been one of the biggest supporters of BASE jumping here in Twin Falls. This is a pretty big shift in their opinion.
2) The newspaper carries a fair bit of weight with public opinion in the town.
3) We've had a pretty bad run this summer. Accidents over Memorial Day, closure of the bridge shortly thereafter, and continuing minor issues are all contributing to a worsening of public opinion. High visibility events that keep BASE jumping on the public radar--even when they go perfectly to plan--aren't necessarily positive, either.
Remember that this is what was printed in the paper, (obviously) not my own views. Whatever rebuttals to the editorial you post here aren't going to have much effect on public opinion in Twin Falls. Writing a letter to the editor of the paper might have some impact, but be very certain to present your case articulately and intelligently if that's something you wish to do, or you're in danger of just adding fuel to the fire.
Almost no one in the town really cares about average day-to-day jumping. It's the big events (into which category public opinion lumps large, but disorganized gatherings like Memorial Day or Labor Day) that have people concerned. The major concern for most is simply traffic flow over the bridge (which is the main avenue into or out of town). If we could promise zero impact on the traffic flow, I think we'd be ok, but I also think there is no way we could guarantee that.
My personal opinion is that it's time for us to collectively cool it here. High profile activities, even positive ones (like the one discussed in the editorial) are increasingly likely to damage our access to the bridge. Perhaps we ought to consider toning things down in terms of our community visibility for the rest of this season?
We definitely need to pro-actively examine (and work to reduce) our impact on the rest of the community, before they do it for us, and decide we're no longer welcome here.
In reply to:
Costs Should Fall on BASE Jumpers
Our View: The time is coming to regulate BASE jumping in Twin Falls.
A tourist couple from Switzerland was standing in the parking lot of the Buzz Langdon Visitors Center on a recent weekend, with the hubbub of yet another BASE-jumping extravaganza going all around them.
"Where," they wondered "can we buy tickets?"
There were no tickets, of course: The biggest show in Twin Falls was free to any spectator who could find a vantage point.
Last weekend, emergency medical crews and law enforcement officers--all working on the public's dime--worked to make another BASE jumping event safe. And a lane of the Perrine Bridge was blocked to accomodate a large crane being used in an attempt on a BASE-jumping record, while northbound traffic was backed up for blocks along Blue Lakes Boulevard North.
Maybe it's time that the citizens of Twin Falls and Jerome Counties stopped subsidizing this year-round three-ring circus.
The benefits to the local economy of BASE jumpers and spectators attracted by the Perrine Bridge are well-documented, and most residents are tolerant of the attendant crowds and noise and traffic congestion--to a point.
But the point at which inconvenience becomes a burden is approaching fast, and it's time to start a serious local discussion about managing it.
For starters, major BASE-jumping events that attract hundreds of people and require extra public services should not be treated the same as the activities of individual BASE jumpers. It's not unreasonable, in our view, to expect a large-scale spectacular to post a bond or pay a surcharge to cover the costs of police and emergency services overtime.
Then there are the related issues of parking and space for spectators and BASE jumpers--both are limited on and around the Perrine Bridge. The city of Twin Falls and Twin Falls and Jerome counties would be well within their rights to require organizers to provide alternative, off-site parking and to limit the number of spectators who can be safely accomodated.
And finally, there's the traffic problem. For all it's cachet in the BASE-jumping community, the Perrine Bridge is first and foremost an essential transportation link. It carries up to 37,0000 vehicles a day, and even brief interruptions in traffic can cause major problems. So can accidents and congestion that result from drivers rubber-necking BASE jumpers.
The point is, BASE jumping is not an essential activity, but transportation, emergency medical services and law enforcement are. At the very least, the burden of bearing additional costs should fall on the BASE jumpers.
The simplest and fairest solution, for starters at least, might be to charge BASE jumpers a modest use fee--say, $10 per person per day. That would require agreement by the two counties, the city of Twin Falls, and the Idaho Transportation Department, but such a fee would not be especially expensive to collect--and could be used directly to defray the additional costs to the taxpayers of BASE jumping.
Beyond that, further regulation of BASE jumping from the Perrine Bridge--or at least of the additional costs inherent in the effects of the sport on the Blue Lakes corridor--are a virtual certainty.
The last thing Twin Falls wants to do is discourage BASE jumping. But as taxpayers, it's not our responsibility to underwrite it, either.
The members of the editorial board and writers of editorials are Brad Hurd, Chris Steinbach, Steve Crump, Traci Bliss, Bill Blitzenburg and David Cooper.
