HomeMy WebLinkAbout02City of Chubbuck Newsletter
Vol. 6lssue 2 City „all 5160 Yellowstone / PO Box 5604 237-2400 February 2011
Message from the Mayor:
Most of us can appreciate having a winter that provides snow in the mountains and the needed moisture to fill the reservoirs
for summer. Yet, winter creates its usual problems with slick roads, cold cars in the morning, and snow removal. Our city
crews do their best to keep traffic moving as safely as possible. Your help is very much needed and appreciated in keeping
your sidewalks and driveways open and in helping neighbors who have trouble doing it themselves and also slowing down
and being extra courteous in driving on slick and icy roads.
I hope you take the time to look at the information provided in these newsletters. Our desire is to provide information that
will be beneficial to you. There are two competitions that do a great deal to put our area of the world on the map in a very
positive way. First, the 2011 Simplot Games will be February 17th through 19th. What a great opportunity it is for our
community to host this event. There are many ways to get involved, from volunteering in some way to attending. Please
put it on your calendar and find a way to again be supportive. And second, the new rodeo is coming to Holt Arena in
March. This community event will be spectacular and worthy of your support and attendance. We believe it will provide a
great brand of rodeo entertainment for all the previous DNCFR supporters to enthusiastically attend, as well as for those
who haven't regularly attended in the past.
A flyer has been included with the newsletter that gives information on a community effort to build an all access playground
at OK Ward Park. Please consider getting involved, as individuals and as families, in several activities for this worthy en-
deavor. Your meaningful participation as this comes together, will provide a lasting legacy for the Cities of Pocatello and
Chubbuck.
I felt privileged to give the State of the City Address in the first city council meeting of the year. As I mentioned in the ad-
dress, the well being of the city is very dependent on the makeup and character of its citizens. We are very fortunate in
those who have chosen to make Chubbuck their home. As city leaders, we appreciate the support and positive input that
we receive. I believe the future of Chubbuck is bright and appreciate all who make Chubbuck such a great place to live and
do business. Mayor England
OPEN ICE SKATING AT CAPELL PARK
Monday through Thursday the new
ice rink is reserved for the Chubbuck
Pocatello Hockey Association
(CPHA) practices and games. It is
also reserved for CPHA on Saturday
mornings from 7:00 AM to noon.
The rink's availability for hockey and
open skating is also dependent
on weather and ice conditions.
A sign will be posted if the rink
is closed during public hours.
You can contact the hockey as-
sociation through the website at
www.chubbuckhockey.com.
These are the hours when the rink
will be open to the public:
Friday: 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Saturday: 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM
If you are the last person
to leave the rink, it could
save electricity if you
would shut off the lights.
The switch is on the
pole. They shut off auto-
matically at 10:00 PM.
The City offices will
be closed on Mon-
day, February 21st
for Presidents' Day.
Garbage services
will not be delayed
for this holiday.
The above poster was created by the 2011 Simplot
Games poster design contest winner, Idaho State
University graphic arts design student, Kari Rand.
TAX CREDITS &
FI1v*MCIAL EDUCATION
Partners for Prosperity, an organization dedicated
to reducing poverty and increasing prosperity in
Eastern Idaho, has created the C.A.S.H.
(Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) Campaign
Coalition.
The purpose is to increase awareness of the
Earned Income Tax Credit (FITC) and other
credits during tax season for working individuals
and families, and to link them to financial educa-
tion and wealth -building programs. Just call 211
for free information.
To call the Idaho Careline just dial
211
or visit the website at
www.u4peid.org/cash
Tell It To City Hall
City employees are public servants. We are anxious to serve you the best way we can. There are many mainte-
nance and operational problems that are faced daily. City employees find many of these problems and take
care of them before citizens become aware of them. Other times, you may spot something we have missed. We
encourage you to tell us about these problems, so we can fix them for you.
There are also times you might wish to pass on a good word to city workers. We invite you to use this form to "Tell It
To City Hall":
Name
Address
Problem or Location Concerned (please be as specific as possible):
Phone
O STREETS: holes, bumps, loose gravel, drain or curb needs work, etc,
O TRAFFIC SIGNS: missing, damaged, location problem, new sign needed, etc.
O TREES: limb too low, blocks traffic signal, diseased or dead, etc.
0 Describe:
Date
Mayor Brian Blad
City of Pocatello,'=.:.:
P. O. Box 4169
83205-4169
'www.pocatello.us
• (208)234-6163
• mayor@pocatello.us
Table of Contents:
State of the City 1
Earned Income Tax
Credit 1-2
Energy $mart, Water
$mart & Dollar $mart 2
Curbside Recycling
Changes 2
State of the City
I know some of you heard my
State of the City address.
However, many people did
not and have asked what we
accomplished last year and
what we hope to do in 2011.
Given this, I'm taking an
opportunity to list some of the
highlights on paper. First, I
want to point out 2010 was a
great year for Pocatello even
with a down economy. Our
accomplishments were
incredible.
Pocatello Regional Transit
was selected to pioneer the
"511 for transit." They joined
a tri-state cooperative called
"linx" which should help
citizens travel between the
states of Idaho, Montana and
Wyoming. The Custer Street
bridge was rebuilt, and the
Gould Street bridge received
much needed repairs. Both
bridges should serve our
needs for many years. The
Police Department has a new
DARE car. One of the best
things about the car is that it
was funded 100% by
donations. The generosity of
our community is one of our
greatest assets. Thank you
for that.
If you have not seen the water
tank at the East Center Street
exit on 1-15, you should drive
past. It now displays a beautiful
mural paying tribute to
Pocatello's history while
welcoming people to the Gate
City. We continued work on the
Portneuf River levees with the
goal of recertifying our first
section. This is important as the
flood plain is directly affected by
the levees. We also need the
first section recertified in order
to start on the south end
connector (finally). As you
know, this project started 14
years ago.
At the Pocatello Regional
Airport, we finished a beautiful
facelift for the terminal. We
have also been working on the
Airport business park. As it
grows and we have more
industry at the business park, I
believe we will see interest for
new airlines to provide service
from our airport. The Pocatello
Fire Department acquired a new
Quint fire engine. This is an
aerial and multi-purpose truck,
which allowed us to retire two
aging units. The Parks
Department was busy with
improvements to little league
fields for youth and softball
fields for adults. They also
started a few more programs for
the community. The Zoo's new
grizzly bear exhibit has raised
$700,000 in donations. Again,
Earned Income Tax Credit
This information comes from
Partners for Prosperity and is
good information to have. Do
you want money in your
pocket this tax season?
Check out the Earned Income
Tax Credit (EITC) to see if
you qualify. Both the EITC
and Child Tax Credit are
refundable tax credits for
eligible working individuals and
families. You must file for the
credits with your tax return! As
an example, a family who
earns less than $48,362
(married filing jointly) and has 3
or more qualifying children may
thank you for your generosity.
One super exciting thing we
experienced in 2010 was
having an Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition episode filmed
in our community. What an
amazing experience to see
the community come together
to help a family in need. It
also gave us the chance to be
featured worldwide.
I also worked hard in 2010 to
build relationships with Idaho
State University, as well as
with Mayor England of
Chubbuck, the Bannock
County Commissioners and
The Shoshone -Bannock
Tribes. I believe we have
stronger ties for our future as
a result. In 2011, this
coalition will continue to work
to bring business into our
region.
A few of my priorities this year
are to develop the Airport
business park and continue
work on the levees—
specifically as it relates to the
south end connector. Our
plan is to be in a position to
start building the connector in
2012. 1 look forward to
serving you this year. As
always, I am proud to be your
Mayor.
be eligible for a refund of up to
$5,666. These tax credits do
not count as income in
determining eligibility for public
benefits like food stamps, SSI,
Medicaid, TANF and public
housing
(continued on page 2)
Earned Income TaK Credit [continued)
No -cost tax preparation
services are available in
Idaho. The AARP Tax -Aide
trains volunteers to prepare
federal and state tax returns,
at no cost, for low -to -
AA
"0000,*
Con$erve Pocatello
energy Smart water Smart dollar smart
4P�
moderate income taxpayers. Tax -Aide, contact Idaho
Sites are open throughout CareLine by calling 2-1-1.
Eastern Idaho starting this The call is free statewide. R, Parlan ,��%� NOV) YGL�
month. For information on You can also visit i New BEGINNI s FOR BASTE v �D a
the tax credits and AARP www.i)4peid.org/cash.
Energy Smart, Water Smart & Dollar Smart
Looking to save a few dollars
off your electricity or gas bill?
Visit the City's new website,
http://conserve.pocatello.us,
to learn about ways to save at
home, at work and at school.
This website provides
residents and businesses with
a great starting point for
learning more about how to
lower energy and water bills.
This website has links to tax
incentives, rebates and best
practices for energy saving.
How much insulation do you
need? What will give you the
most "bang for your buck?"
What can be recycled — and
what goes in the trash .
For those without Internet
access, the City also has
kiosks in the front lobby of
Curbside Recycling Changes
The City is realizing the
environmental and financial
impacts of recycling. To
increase the benefits, the City
Council approved making
recycling part of the regular
garbage service the City
offers its residents.
Beginning April 1, 2011,
Pocatello residents in single
or multi -unit (4 units or less)
dwellings .and who have City
curbside trash service are
eligible for recycling service
at no additional charge.
(Larger complexes with
dumpsters are not eligible for
the program.) To participate,
you only need to contact the
Sanitation Department or
complete the form below to
have a 96 -gallon blue
recycling bin delivered the
last week of March.
City Hall (next to the Utility
Billing window) linked to this
website. Pay your bill and
then stop by the kiosk to
learn how to reduce next
month's bill.
For more information,
contact Hannah Sanger, the
City's Environmental
Educator, at 234-6518.
Residents who are already
signed up for the co -
mingled curbside service do
not need to do anything.
You will simply see a
decrease in your garbage
bill after April 2011.
If you still don't want to
participate in the recycling
program, that's OK too. We
won't deliver a recycle cart
to you unless you request it.
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_.._..__.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.,
CURBSIDE RECYCLING SIGN-UP
I
:Name_
:Address
!E-mail address
Daytime Telephone
Owner or Renter
Recycling is collected every other week. For your pickup schedule, call 234-6193 or go to
! the Sanitation Department's webpage at www.pocatello.us.
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If there is a topic you'd like me to address in future newsletters or if you want to comment or ask a question, write it down,
tear off this part and send your comment to me. If you wish to call or e-mail, my number and address are listed on the
front page. While I cannot respond to all comments individually, I do pass them on to the appropriate departments. v4n2
My question/comment is
Name
Addr
Telephone