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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01City of Chubbuck Newsletter Vol. 9 Issue I City Hall 5160 Yellowstone / PO Boz 5604237-2400 January 2014 Message from Mayor Steven England As I approach the end of my 8 years of service as your Mayor, I express sincere appreciation to you for the privilege, honor, and humbling responsibility that it has been. The friendship, encouragement, and support that I have felt on a regular basis from your association has been extremely gratifying. As I look back, let me express my gratitude to all who have contributed in any way to making our community better. Much of what makes a city successful is the small seemingly unnoticed activity of neighborly awareness and kindness that happens daily. There is neighbor to neighbor service that is done regularly, without a lot of recognition or fanfare, in our community. Whether your contribution has been large or small, I express appreciation for your acts of good citizenship. I continue to believe that our collective character will be defined by: who we are, who we are striving to become, and by what we do. The ending of one year and the beginning of a new year can bring reflection and resolve to improve; the changing of government leadership can bring us to a similar time of reflection. I have confidence in the Mayor and City Council that will take the helm of the city in 2014. As I have said in the conclusion of each of my previous monthly messages, let's all continue to make Chubbuck "A Great Place to Live and Do Business". Mayor Steven England Message from Mayor Elect Kevin England I love this time of year, I always have. It is cold which creates some challenges while we are out and about, but being inside warming up with a hot chocolate is lots of fun. I am very excited to begin my first term as your mayor. This last month has flown by, and I am ready to get to work. This community is the greatest and I am becoming more and more convinced that we have the best people on earth living here. Many work hard to see that this area thrives. Those working behind the scenes are amazing. I hope we all appreciate the efforts that take place in our behalf. It would be well for us all to reflect and count our blessings. I know there are those who have chal- lenges and struggles. Let us be aware of neighbors that need our attention and be willing to help and give a lift those in need. Today we help, tomorrow we are being helped. It certainly is a circle of love and concern. I pledge my very best in your behalf. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Mayor Elect Kevin England THE ANNUAL CITY OF CHUBBUCK CHRISTMAS LIGHTING CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED. CHUBBUCK — The overall winner of this year's contest was not just one house. A group of three houses on Redfish Street (4924, 4934, & 4944) claimed the top award in the 2013 Christmas Lighting Contest. The 3 houses were all decked out and themed around the Holiday, making them the "Best Overall" display in the city. The Griswold award went to the house at 201 Henry Street, for the second year in a row. The Mayor's Choice Award went to 608 Nathan Street. The whole story behind the decorations and how the neighborhood all came together, made the deci- sion easy. This house also won first place in its neighborhood. Other first place neighborhood winners: 5006 Liberty 5227 Stuart 4546 Hershey Loop 485 Lariat 755 Callie 4954 Rebecca 4579 Ponderosa 1358 Kiersten 257 Henry 4575 Sacajewea & 4454 Teewinot (TIE) 656 Scott (Best of Santa Claus Lane) There were a lot of greatly decorated houses that did not win awards this year simply because there were not enough awards to go around! We hope to see even more houses with bigger and better displays for next year. ., Winter snows cause many problems for not only the traveling public, but also those street employees trying to re- move it from the street. We do our best to remove the snow as quickly and effi- ciently as possible, given our crews and equipment. We would like to take this opportunity to remind you and clarify some aspects of our snow removal policy. When a storm occurs or begins dur- ing off-duty hours (as most storms do), the police notify the maintenance man or crews on call to respond and begin removing snow. Over the years, we have developed a list of trouble spots that need either first or frequent attention. Our peo- ple respond to these places first. Once those locations are plowed and sanded, they go on through the remainder of the city in a systematic manner, beginning with arterials and collectors, and plow open the streets. The first trip through the city is only an effort to open streets, permitting two-way traffic and access by emergency vehicles. As time permits, which is usu- ally after the storm, the crews follow through the entire city and' plow snow from gutter to gutter. Vehicles that re- main on the street during this process cause problems not only for themselves, but also create a safety hazard for plow operators and the traveling public, as they try to negotiate around piles of snow left by plows going around these parked vehi- cles. We would also like to remind you that recreational vehicles (RVs) and trailers of any kind may not be parked on the city street for over twenty- four hours at ANY time of the year, ac- cording to City Code. City Code also provides for severe and strict parking restrictions during what we call a "snow emergency". When a "snow emergency" is declared, it will be widely publicized. A "snow emergency" will also be automatically placed into effect at any time in which the snow depth on the street has reached an accumulation of three inches or more. During a "snow emergency", all vehicle parking on streets is prohibited between the hours of 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM. The parking prohibi- tion remains in effect until either the "snow emergency" is lifted, or the street is finally cleared of snow to the gutters. When the city plows the entire street, we will attempt to deposit the snow in the gutter with as little snow as possible on the sidewalk. If you want to avoid shoveling out your driveway any more than necessary, you should wait until the city plows the street to the gutter before doing your driveway. Remember that snow from your side- walks and driveways should be placed on your yard and not in the street. Also, place the snow taken from the curb portion of your driveway on the right side of the driveway as you face the street. Since the snowplow travels across the driveway from left to right, placing the snow on the right will keep the plow from putting it right back into the drive. .� The city has a responsibility to keep the streets as safe as practical for the driving public. Through our ordinances and policies, we strive to do that. We do not have the resources to be responsible for keeping your mail boxes and individ- ual driveways open. We feel that the property owner must take that responsibil- ity. The special centralized delivery box units available through the U. S. Postal Service do provide an option for mail delivery even under these conditions. We would welcome hearing your comments and concerns. Vol. 9 Issue 2 City Hall 5160 Yellowstone / PO Box 5604 237-2400 1st Quarterly 2014 Greetings, Another year is underway and it is going to be a great one. It has been said, "Make no small plans, for they have no magic to stir ones soul." With this thought in mind, I would encourage each of us to think big. Plato has been quoted as saying, "The city is what it is because our citizens are what they are." We have so much potential as individuals and the future of our city depends upon the actions of it's citizens. We need to be positive in our thinking. Positive thoughts produce positive actions which will bring positive outcomes. I hope you are all aware of the new Wellness Complex the Portneuf Medical Center is building for our community. They will be investing 11 million dollars into this facility. It will be located on Bench and Chubbuck Roads by the Bannock County Fair Grounds. It will be a multiple use venue and have attractions that should meet many needs. There will be I 1 soccer/football fields, walking/running paths, a small lake and beach for swimming and fishing, an outdoor amp theater, outdoor basketball courts and con- cession stands. They hope to break ground this Spring. It will be fun to watch this develop. Things are moving along with the Auditorium Districts Events Center. It is still planned for Knudsen Blvd. and will be a wonderful addition to our community. If all stays on schedule they should break ground this Spring also. We have new owners for the Pine Ridge Mall, Farmer Holding Company out of Jefferson City, Missouri. They have some exciting plans for developing the mall. They have asked for our patience as things progress but assure us that they have plans to make this mall thrive in the near future. We are pleased to welcome them to our community. For any that may have missed their announcement, The Greater Pocatello Chamber of Commerce has officially changed their name to The Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce. This action shows the cooperative nature of these two great cities. We thank the Chamber for this positive move. Our city council meetings have officially been changed from the 2"d and 41h Tuesdays at 7:00 pm to the IS` and 3`d Wednesday at 6:00 pm with a work/study session for the council on the 3`d Wednesdays at 3:00 pm. This went into effect March 2014. There is a lot going on in our city and I would encourage each of us to find ways to be involved and serve. Together we can and will make Chubbuck a little paradise for ourselves and our families. With warm regards, Mayor Kevin England Branch Chipping As a courtesy, the Maintenance 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 3 base and must be placed in your front yard o behind the sidewalk. City residents are also a given the opportunity to take, in most cases, b all the chips they need for mulching pur- poses in their yards. You may 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 Mondays. Remember, this service is only through June 30th. The City of Chubbuck utilizes these chips for mulching. We cur- rently have a surplus of mulching chips. Call Public Works office to check availability and schedule a time for pickup. Bannock County Landfill Hazardous Waste Collection Days 1st Saturday of each month starting in April to October. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information call 236-0607. Free Dump Day May 17th 8amto6pm Dog/Cat Rabies Vaccines Bannock County Fairgrounds Saturday, May 3rd 9amto1pm Reminder: The Utility Billing and Public Works Departments' office hours are Monday -Thursday 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and Friday 7:30 am to 11:30 am. Alternative utility payments options include: online at xpressbillpay.com, the drop box in the parking area at the south exit onto Hiway Ave., or standard mail to PO Box 5604, Chubbuck, Idaho 83202. When paying by check or money order, please notate your account number or street address on your payment. Pay your utility bill online at the city's website. It's as easy as 1-2-3. 1. Log onto our website at: www.cityofchubbuck.us 2. Click on the "Pay Utilities Online" tab under City of Chubbuck heading 3. Follow the instructions Level Pay: We offer level pay to account holders that have made their payments on time for 12 months. This payment option helps individuals that are trying to set budgets for their household. Please come to the utility billing office and fill out an application. Level pay is your average billing amount from the previous 12 months. You may obtain a form by visiting our website at www.cityofchubbuck.us, select the "city department" link, scroll to bottom of page, select the "city clerk" link and select the form and print. Bring it in or mail to: City of Chubbuck, PO Box 5604, Chubbuck, Idaho 83202. Direct Pay: If you ever worry about making your monthly utility payment on time or just find it easier to know that your payment is being directly taken from your bank account, then Direct Pay is the answer. You will continue to receive a monthly statement. There is no fee to sign up. All you need to do is fill out a direct pay form and turn it in with a voided check. Each month you will receive a statement, and the amount will automatically be taken from your banking account on the 15th. To obtain a form, you may visit our website and complete the same procedures as level pay. Burn Permits: The Chubbuck Fire Department would like to remind citizens burning yard waste is permis- sible only if you have a valid annual burning permit. You may pick up a burning permit at the fire station at 4727 Yellowstone during regular business hours. As of March 19th, you do not have to update your burn permits. You must continue to call Chubbuck Po- lice dispatch before you start burning. Upcoming events: Chubbuck Days Parade & Festival August 9th 2014 City of Chubbuck Clean Up Day Will be scheduled in May