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Hailey considering a downtown area for a town square

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Posted at 4:38 PM, Jul 30, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-30 18:38:19-04

HAILEY, Idaho — For many years the City of Hailey has searched for a place to call a town square and with the recent availability of a downtown lot, their search could be coming to an end.

Unlike its neighboring city Ketchum, Hailey does not have a place for community members to gather, such as a town square or municipal campus.

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“Hailey needs a good gathering spot and a lot of people have commented that Main Street is noisy,” said Hailey Community Development Director Lisa Horowitz. “Having a space that is buffered from the main street and has big trees already near it is very desirable”

After seven to eight years of searching for the right spot, the building directly next to the City Hall and the public library currently occupied by Copy and Print came available last month.

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“Lots of people throwing out different ideas about what they think,” said Horowitz. “Whether they think the space is big enough or too big.”

Nothing is final, but the property is currently under contract by the city, and discussion regarding the possibilities of the property will continue across the next two city council meetings.

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The City of Hailey is also currently seeing a lot of growth, so an area to expand a municipal campus could bring various benefits.

“We are still talking with the community, gaining input, and trying to decide on how we should proceed,” said Horowitz.

The city asks anyone with suggestions to please call city hall at 208-788-4221