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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03City of Chubbuck Newsletter Vol. 6lssue 3 March 2011 Message from the Mayor: Greetings! If you are feeling like me, you can wait until late next autumn for any more snow. There will be an occa- sional warm afternoon that is encouraging but, alas winter returns. We have been fortunate to get needed moisture this winter with comparatively few of the inconveniences that can come with cold and snowy weather. This winter season has again been hard on our streets. Although we are aware of most of the problem areas, it is difficult to do much repair until the frost is out of the ground. Slower speeds and lighter loads help prevent greater damage. We appreciate your cooperation as we try to meet the challenges presented to the city workers relating to the changes in the seasons and the road conditions. Also, wanner weather brings children out to play. Please be careful and watch for children especially around schools and in residential areas. The city council is considering the necessity of an adjustment in the sewer rate that will be needed to help with the debt service on the nearly completed sewer extension. We will be having a public hearing on Tuesday, March 15'h beginning at 7:00 P.M. during a special city council meeting to address this issue. An insert will be prepared for next month's newsletter that will provide information on the direction the city will need to proceed to meet this obligation. We are including with this newsletter a flyer that provides information from Pocatello/Chubbuck School District #25 about the upcoming Levy Election on Tuesday, March 8`h. These are difficult economic times and we hope this will help you as you gather information in preparation for voting. We encourage you to vote. Not every decision that needs to be made is black and white nor is it easy. I am confident that most of you as do I try to do, and make decisions with the best long term interest of our city and community in mind. I thank you for your positive input and support especially during difficult times and through difficult decisions. I feel very privileged to be working with you in making Chubbuck such a great place to live and do business. Mayor England Branch Chipping As a courtesy, each spring season the Mainte- nance Department will come to your home and chip smaller branches trimmed from bushes or trees. These branches must be no more than 4 inches in diameter at the base and must be placed in your front . yard behind the sidewalk. When you are ready, just b call Public Works at 237- 2430, and we will put you on our list for chipping. Our Maintenance crew normally makes the chipping rounds on Monday.Remember,, this service is only through June 27th! Also consider the Spring Cleanup on May 21 st for getting your property looking great. Chubbuck Resident to Compete in Pocatello Frontier Rodeo Chubbuck Resident Matt Shiozawa is scheduled to compete in the Pocatello Frontier Rodeo in calf roping. Matt has had an awesome pro- fessional rodeo career. He qualified for the National Fi- nals Rodeo in 2009 and he is starting this year strong with a huge win at the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo. Other Idahoans to compete include Clint Arave, Jared Arave, and Nate Baldwin. They will be competing in calf roping along with Matt. One of the ad- vantages of Pocatello sponsoring this rodeo verses the DNCR is that more than two local competitors may com- pete in each event. See back page for more rodeo details. Pocatello Frontier Rodeo April 6-9,2011 Idaho State University Holt Arena Pocatello, ID Extreme Bulls Rodeo Performances Wednesday, April 6 Thursday - Saturday 7:00 pm Begin nightly at 7 pm A Note From Our Police Department Ticket Information: Pocatellorodeo.org or www.isu.edu/tickets or call (208) 282 -FANS. Tickets also available at Vickers Western Stores in Pocatello and Idaho Falls. The Chubbuck Police Department would like to remind the citizens of Chubbuck that parking trailers of any kind on public streets over 24 L1W!4_0jPVC1hours is illegal even if attached to a vehicle (Ord: 08-12-020). And such is considered abandoned if not moved within 24 hours of parking (registered or not, attached to a vehicle or not). Only one operable registered vehicle per residence may be parked on public city streets at any one time for longer than 24 hours in front of a residence. All vehicles must be vacated from city streets if a snow emergency is declared by the mayor. Those who fail to remove their vehicle may have it towed to an alternate location and face paying a tow bill. Please be courteous to your neighbors and customers by removing snow and ice from walk ways, sidewalks and parking lots. City code (Ord: 08-28-030) requires owners or renters of properties to provide "all weather passage" to pedestrians, which means you must shovel your snow. Yes! You can be cited for not shoveling your snow! Additionally, do not plow, shovel, or blow snow into city streets. You could face a citation for doing so. Please place snow on your property and not the street sides. BASEBALL REGISTRATION FINAL SATURDAYS, MARCH STH & 12TH At CITY HALL (5160 Yellowstone) from 9 AM to 3 PM TIGER/TEE BALL ("T -Ball") $25.00 Boys & Girls Ages 4-8 (must be age before Sept. 1st) T -Ball will start in June and run for six weeks. BOYS BASEBALL $85.00 Ages 9-15 (must be age before May I st) Boys baseball runs from April to the end of June. GIRLS SOFTBALL $40.00 Ages 8-14 (must be age before January 1st) Girls softball runs from late April to the end of June. For questions call: T -ball Kimberly Nalley 479-6666 Boys Baseball Brian Atkinson 241-8088' Girls Softball Dave Harris 317-1553' IMPORTANT: Registration will be SATURDAYS ONLY. Parents can no longer register at the city offices during regular business days. Commissioners will be in attendance to answer questions. If the child is new to the program, you will need to supply a copy of a birth certificate. ROADS CLOSED FOR CONSTRUC- TION Siphon Road will be closed from Yellow- stone east to Hiline. Hiline Road will be closed from Siphon to Chubbuck through June. PLEASE USE ALTERNATE ROUTES March 2011 Volume 14, Issue 3 Mavor S Newsle er NOF -Tax Increment Financing Mayor Brian Blad City of Pocatello P. O. Box 4169 83205-4169 • www.pocatello.us (208) 234-6163 Table of Contents: Tax Increment Financing 1 Brooklyn's Playground 1-2 Fire Safety 2 Curbside Recycling Sign -Up 2 There is currently controversy statewide about Tax Increment Financing (TIF). Some people don't believe in its value, and the Idaho Legislature is proposing various changes to the law. It seems only appropriate for me to address the issue given Pocatello's history with TIFs. Pocatello has formed 15 TIF districts from 1988 to today. We were the first city to close a TIF district, and when we did, the State of Idaho was unsure as to the procedure for closing a district. We worked with them on the process, and since then we have successfully closed 11 districts. The Central Corridor District is the most recent district we've closed. This leaves 4 active districts within our city limits. They are the Airport District, Portneuf District, North Yellowstone District and the NOP District. The City Council, with the recommendation of the Pocatello Development Authority, votes to create a TIF district when it is necessary to help bring (or keep) a major employer to our area. For example, the Central Corridor District helped us keep ON Semiconductor in Pocatello. As a result, last year ON Semiconductor added over $26 million in capital investments to this plant, which secured over 600 jobs and allowed them to add another 100. The Airport District was created to put in the necessary infrastructure for development at the airport. Because of the district, Petersen, Inc. was able to expand here in Pocatello rather than continuing to send work to their Ogden plant to finish. This keeps 60 jobs and a $6-$10 million investment here. The NOP District has helped with infrastructure at the Gateway West Business Park. There are several businesses in this park employing a total of 500 people. The North Yellowstone District is home to Pocatello Square and Railroad Crossing Plaza. This was a blighted area desperately in need of help. Now, millions of dollars have been added to the tax rolls from the businesses that located in this district. Finally, the Portneuf District was formed to help Hoku come to Pocatello (rather than Singapore). This plant will add Brooklyn's Playground By now, many of you have heard or read about an exciting project coming to Pocatello — Brooklyn's Playground. Through a grassroots effort conceived by Jonny and Melissa Fisher, and the subsequent involvement of Valley Pride, this project entails the development of a state-of-the- art "inclusive" playground. Once completed, this play structure would provide the opportunity for all children, regardless of age or ability, to play together in a safe, fun environment. $400 million to the tax rolls and 200 new jobs to our economy. Establishing TIF districts is the only tool we have in Idaho to bring new businesses here and to help existing businesses expand. Other states and other countries can offer more money and different, larger incentives. This makes it difficult to compete globally, which is what we are doing these days. Companies can locate or expand anywhere in the world. If we were to lose the ability to form TIF districts, I am certain the growth we've seen would not continue at the pace it has. As I look at the facts, Tax Increment Financing is a necessity in the state of Idaho. I know there are a few people who do not agree. However like it or not, TIF districts are a great thing for a community. If used properly, TIF districts can vastly improve the tax base, but more importantly, TIF districts can increase employment opportunities. I support the use of Tax Increment Financing in our community. accessibility for children with various disabilities, the City has shown support for this project for a variety of reasons. These reasons include, but are not limited to, a documented need for such a facility in Pocatello, the uniqueness of the structure, Although many of our current (continued on page 2) In rounds rovide limited P yg p Brooklyn's Playground [continued] the creation of an attraction for visitors from around the area, and its limited cost to the City. Our initial support has been the City Council's approval of the playground's site, which is at O.K. Ward Park. This project will follow a "community build" process (Name !Address I IE -mail address (similar to the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition format) from design and fundraising through to the actual construction of the playground. In addition, the project's core committee is committed to providing additional funding for future maintenance and upkeep of the playground. Fire Safety Pocatello has recently experienced two serious house fire incidents. Unfortunately, one homeowner lost her life, and another was badly burned. The Pocatello Fire Department and I are taking this opportunity to remind everyone about the importance of knowing what to do in case of a fire. It's essential that you make a plan ahead of time to keep you and your family safe. A good place to start is with properly installed and working smoke detectors. Smoke detectors that are over 10 years old should be replaced. The City is excited to add this new feature to our park system, but it's going to take everyone's help to complete. For more information or to get involved in the project, visit the Brooklyn's Playground website at www.brooklynsplayground.org. Do you have an escape plan that identifies 2 ways out of your home and includes a meeting place? Do you have a plan for calling 911? The best way to be prepared is to not have a fire in the first place. Look around your home for fire hazards, such as overloaded electrical outlets, portable space heaters or candles you don't blow out. Do you have safe cooking practices? Are matches and lighters stored safely? If you have a fire extinguisher, do you know how to use it? More Br4diclyn's A,, N."A.,�' Pay��ro d�c From the Community's Heart, The Gift of May importantly, do you know when the fire is more than you can handle? The Fire Department strongly believes it is always better for you to escape the fire and call for assistance BEFORE attempting to fight the fire yourself. After all, buildings and belongings can be replaced, but your life is very precious. For more information about creating an escape plan, installing smoke detectors, using fire extinguishers, etc., please contact the Fire Prevention office at 234- 7083. CURBSIDE RECYCLING SIGN-UP i Program Changes Begin April 1, 2011 I Daytime Telephone No. Owner or Renter i 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. i 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. vl4,n3 My question/comment is Na Addr Telephone