All of the city of Sun Valley's 410 losses originated in the condominium market. Chamber executive director Carol Waller pointed out in an interview that the numbers are a little rough because property owners are not required to respond to chamber surveys. The chamber did not keep track of short-term beds prior to last year, she said. Waller said she fears the decline could indicate the resort community is heading for trouble. She contended that short-term accommodations are at the core of any resort community's economy.
Stores remain empty.
The resort community becomes less of a resort and city sales tax collections drop. Brian Barsotti bought the Bald Mountain Lodge, on the corner of Ketchum's First and Main streets, in the early 1990s. He said in an interview last week that he's looking at ways to get the property into the black, and restoring the historic lodge, built in 1929, or building a new lodge aren't in the cards. It's not a winning proposition right now, so we need to do something with it. He said he's looking at an array of options, from selling the property to another developer to building a commercial building himself.