Driggs City Council Approves Park-and-Ride, Trail, White Antler

DRIGGS — The Driggs City Council approved a $428,211 park-and-ride construction contract, a trail easement across school district property, the first-phase final plat for the White Antler subdivision, and new parliamentary rules at its Tuesday meeting.

Park-and-Ride Construction Starts in May

The Driggs City Council awarded a $428,211 construction contract to Avail Valley Construction for the South 5th Street Park and Ride, with $21,789 in force account funds for change orders approved by the city engineer. The vote was unanimous.

City Engineer Jay said a preconstruction meeting would happen next week, with construction starting in May. The lot supports the Targhee shuttle system.

"I know that at the City of Driggs, we've been talking about this construction project for a really long time," Mayor August Christensen said.

Canal Trail Easement Links Schools and Parks

The council approved a revocable easement with Teton School District 401 for a 10-foot gravel trail across school property along a canal. The trail will connect the Bushway area across 5th Street to the future connection of Dalley Avenue and Looker Avenue, linking parks, schools, and Nordic ski tracks.

Public works staff said the trail will be set back from the canal within a 25-foot easement. The canal is shallow with no strainers. The easement is revocable if the school district needs to relocate the canal, with language requiring good-faith negotiation on an alternate route.

Budget and construction authorization will come in a future meeting. Planning, public works, and the school district collaborated on the agreement.

White Antler Phase 1 Final Plat Approved

The council approved the first-phase final plat for the White Antler subdivision on Ski Hill Road, a 30-unit townhome and duplex development annexed into the city in 2021 and granted preliminary plat approval in September 2022.

The developer will pay the city $15,000 per unit as a housing impact fee, totaling $450,000 for the project. Conditions require financial surety before the plat is recorded. A minor public works punch list is covered under a two-year warranty.

Applicant representative Alison Harmony said the punch list has been completed and requested an updated Will Serve letter. Staff confirmed that it is an administrative process requiring the mayor's signature.

South 5th and Johnson Road Project: Final Design In

Staff presented the final design and cost estimate from Keller Associates for the road improvement on South 5th Street and Johnson Avenue. The estimate came in within the project budget at roughly $450,000. No vote was taken.

Council President Allison Michalski raised concerns about traffic at the intersection of 5th Street and Ski Hill Road. "The two things I'm hearing when I talk to people who live right along here, they're very worried about the increased speed and the increased volume of traffic," she said. "And then when I talk to people who don't live along that, they're like, 'Oh, yeah, that would be great. I would go that way instead of through town.'"

Engineers project traffic growing from 1,200 vehicles per day in 2024 to 9,200 by 2045. Staff said speed monitoring will be deployed after construction, with intersection improvements evaluated after one year. The city's Transportation Master Plan calls for a roundabout at 5th and Little Avenue and a traffic signal at Johnson and Highway 33. The current design preserves space for the future roundabout.

Fall River Electric will relocate its overhead utilities out of the construction zone rather than bury them. Two permanent speed tables will go in at crosswalks near the park-and-ride.

Other Business

Rosenberg's Rules of Order: The council adopted Ordinance 497-26, establishing Rosenberg's Rules of Order for council meetings and waiving rules for a third reading. The first reading had been delayed to include Councilmember Johnston, who was absent. "It's official. We have rules," Christensen said. City Attorney Sam confirmed that procedural challenges to council decisions are minimal as long as votes are recorded by roll call.

Will-not-serve letters: The Driggs City Council denied water and sewer service to two properties. Lot 20 of Aspen Meadows at 1138 Ski Hill Road is outside city limits and beyond 300 feet of city mains. Settlers Place Self-Storage on Frontage Road south of town is outside the city's area of impact. Both will use well and septic systems. Staff said these follow a new Eastern Idaho Department of Public Health process requiring a formal will-or-will-not-serve determination for any parcel within 1,000 feet of a city main.

Targhee Hill Estates: The council tabled a water system development agreement for this subdivision on State Line Road to the April 21 meeting. The developer is building a well to city standards and dedicating 125% of the required pumping capacity and water rights to the city in exchange for a water system connection, adding a source to the city's upper pressure zone. The agreement arrived late and needs final legal review.

Six Side Meadows: An extension request was removed from the agenda after the developer submitted all required documents. Christensen said she delivered the paperwork to the county for recording.

Proclamations: Christensen read proclamations for the Week of the Young Child (April 11-17) and Fair Housing Month (April 2026).

What to watch: Construction on the 5th Street Park and Ride begins in May. The Targhee Hill Estates water agreement returns to the council on April 21. The trail construction budget will come to the council at a future meeting. The South 5th and Johnson project goes to bid.

Sources: Driggs City Council meeting, April 7, 2026. City staff reports.