Valley County commissioners on Dec. 22 reviewed a draft road‑mitigation agreement with Perpetua that would shift winter plowing of Warm Lake Road to the mining project operator under a Forest Service record of decision, and they urged rapid steps to warn and protect recreational users.

"Travel at your own risk," the chair said repeatedly as the meeting unfolded, urging residents and visitors to prepare for a season in which the county expects unusual backcountry traffic in avalanche‑prone terrain. The board read draft agreement language that would require Perpetua to install and maintain an electronic gate approximately 2.3 miles east of the South Fork Road intersection for use during winter closures, but commissioners emphasized the gate’s installation and operational details will be the subject of a January follow‑up meeting.

The county’s sheriff told commissioners gates and temporary closures are not intended "to lock people out," but to protect the public in hazardous conditions, and added the sheriff’s office lacks the staffing to patrol Warm Lake Road continuously. "I just I don't have the manpower to do it," the sheriff said, warning that avalanche and crash responses could overwhelm local resources.

Perpetua representatives said the company will implement a transportation management plan approved in the Forest Service EIS that includes reader boards, temporary signage and coordination with agencies. Jordan Nielsen, identified in the record as infrastructure projects manager for Perpetua, said Idaho Transportation Department has reengaged on the Warm Lake/Highway 55 intersection and has requested a traffic signal as part of ongoing coordination.

County staff and a third‑party engineer, Parametrix, told the commission they completed a baseline pavement and condition study that the county accepted for the purpose of calculating mitigation payments and expected maintenance obligations. Staff also proposed that any mitigation receipts be kept in a dedicated fund and that Perpetua provide updated traffic counts every three years to adjust the proportionate‑share calculation.

Public commenters pressed for immediate signage and safe parking. "If we're already plowing to the summit, how are families gonna get kids to the back?" asked Jake Linderman, a local resident. Several backcountry users and local recreation leaders urged temporary reader boards and social‑media alerts while permanent electronic signs are procured; Kylie Rickman, a local social‑media manager, urged officials to use online channels "to get the word out." Perpetua said some temporary signs and pullouts can be placed quickly, but fully networked reader boards have longer lead times.

Commissioners expressed unease about the agreement’s long‑term implications. The draft includes an annual mitigation payment calculated from the baseline study; staff said the methodology has been third‑party reviewed, but several commissioners said an annual payment of about $50,000 (the figure presented in discussion) felt small relative to potential longer‑term repair needs. Staff and Perpetua said many near‑term maintenance tasks will be covered by Perpetua’s operations and that the $50,000 is the remaining proportionate share after accounting for those improvements.

Recognizing outstanding questions about gate authority, alternate routes and signage deadlines, commissioners agreed to set a dedicated meeting on Jan. 12 to hear public ideas and to press the Forest Service and ITD for participation. The chair said the Jan. 12 session will be focused on solutions, not complaints, and asked recreation groups to come prepared with mitigation proposals.

Next steps: commissioners will pursue immediate temporary signage and public notifications before the weekend traffic, seek Forest Service participation in the Jan. 12 follow‑up, and maintain current negotiations with Perpetua to finalize the mitigation agreement.