STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Camp Rainbow Gold’s board of directors has decided not to pursue a retreat center for children with cancer seven miles east of Highway 75 in East Fork Canyon.

The board intends to expand its search for suitable property outside Blaine County, said the organization’s executive director Elizabeth Lizberg.

“Camp Rainbow Gold will continue to look for property in the Wood River Valley, as we still consider it our home and the ideal spot to continue having our programs,” she said. “But we did learn from this process and are concerned that we will not find a permissible property so we believe it is in our best interest to now expand the search to outside of the valley, as well.”

Camp Rainbow Gold had hoped to build a rustic retreat on 260 acres in the Cove area past Triumph. Rich and Nancy Robbins, who helped start the first Share Your Heart Ball fundraiser for the camp 16 years ago, offered to donate half of the property.

But the Blaine County Planning and Zoning Commission denied the camp’s request for a conditional use permit in April 2017. And Blaine County Commissioners upheld their decision in November 2017 by a vote of 2-1.

Summer camp activities do not involve the quiet introspection contemplated by the definition of “retreat,” the commissioners, wrote as one reason for denying a conditional use permit. Commissioners also opined that the camp was inconsistent with the preservation and protection of open space and natural areas as voiced in Blaine County’s comprehensive plan.

After commissioners denied the permit, the Twin Falls Times-News ran an editorial inviting the camp to relocate to the Magic Valley.

“We are incredibly saddened by the outcome of this decision,” said Amanda Watson, the camp’s board president. “We do not feel our application was evaluated based on its merit and adherence to the conditions but was instead dismissed before it was ever considered.”

Residents of East Fork hired Hailey Mayor Fritz Haemmerle to vocalize their concerns that the road was too unsafe for busloads of children, that the children would be unable to evacuate if there was a wildfire and that the 29 cabins and other buildings proposed to be built would detract from property values.

One resident offered that it would take an hour for children requiring hospital care to get to St. Luke’s Wood River, given the poor condition of the road. And some said they were concerned about a camp’s impact on wetlands in the area and the effect children’s noise would have on wildlife.

The Camp Rainbow Gold board made numerous concessions, including trimming the number of camps offered each year and promising to limit the traffic on the road. But the concessions failed to appease those who were against the plan.

Camp Director Elizabeth Lizberg said camp representatives had looked at about 50 sites in Blaine County from south of Bellevue to north of Ketchum. But each had drawbacks.

Camp Rainbow Gold will continue running summer camps and retreats for kids with cancers and their  siblings on leased property at Cathedral Pines, as it has done in the past, until a forever home is obtained.

That camp, however, is unable to provide things the campers need, like bathrooms in the cabins, Lizberg said.

“Cathedral Pines leases their facility from the Forest Service so it was never an option for us to purchase,” she added.

Lizberg said she Sun Valley area residents will continue to support Camp Rainbow Gold at its annual fundraiser, the “Share your Heart Ball,” on Feb. 17 in Sun Valley. The evening will offer people dinner, dancing, a live auction and a chance to learn more about Camp Rainbow Gold in a fun camp-inspired evening.

“It will be a beautiful night of celebrating the superheroes of Camp Rainbow Gold,” said Lizberg. “We will honor the heroes we serve, the heroes that support us and we’ll have a special tribute to Adam West ‘Batman,’ who has been a superhero to Camp Rainbow Gold for many years.

Live auction items include a trip to San Francisco for six using private jet service and including a private dinner prepared by celebrity Chef Michael Mina, a Napa wine tasting tour and lunch with private limo and lodging in San Francisco.

Another lot item includes a VIP package for a Justin Timberlakeconcert in Miami, complete with Delta airline ticket and a stay at the Faena Hotel.

For tickets go to www.camprainbowgold.org.

Camp Rainbow Gold started more than 30 years ago as a camp for a handful of children diagnosed with cancer. It has grown to serve 300 Idaho families with sibling and family camps, college scholarships for campers and a teen support group.

It’s supported by more than 400 volunteers and has been accredited through the American Camp Association since 2002.