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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01City of Chubbuck Newsletter Vol. S Issue I Message from the Mayor: January 2010 As I began my second term serving as your Mayor, I reviewed the article I authored for this newsletter at the beginning of my first term. My belief that serving is an honor, a privilege and a sacred trust is still at the core of my commitment. Thank you for your friendship, encouragement and support. It is impossible for me to know each of you personally, but I feel the sense of community that is alive in Chubbuck. Each day still presents new challenges and opportunities to learn. Several of our long term employees have retired in the last four years, and we have a few more who will follow soon. We have been fortunate to have some new employees and some existing employees who have adjusted their as- signments to benefit the city long term. We have qualified and capable people working here, and I very much enjoy serving with them. We will begin 2010 with a change in our city council. We have appreciated the service of both Dennis Stoddard and Becky Ponkow and wish them well as they step down from public service. We look forward to working with Josh Ellis and Kevin England as they begin their tenure in office. As you know, Pocatello is changing mayors. Mayor Roger Chase has been considerate of the City of Chubbuck, and has done much during his years of service to move our com- munity forward. We thank him for all he has done and look forward with optimism to working with Mayor Brian Blad. We hope to see more snow in our mountains, as winter progresses, to provide us with water to fill the reservoirs for summer. Winter weather creates its usual problems with slick roads, cold cars in the morning, and snow removal. The city crews do their best to keep traffic moving as safely as possible. Your help is very much needed and appreciated with keeping your sidewalks and driveways open. Please consider helping neighbors who may have trouble doing it them- selves. Slow and extra courteous driving on slick and icy roads is also helpful. The ending of a year and the beginning of a new year are times when most people take stock .of where they are and re- solve to improve. As our collective future seems to be somewhat out of our control, I hope we can review all the good in our lives and begin the next year with a whole lot of optimism. I constantly see things done here that are very benefi- cial, but mostly go unrecognized. This kind of service means a great deal to the general well being of our city. It is our goal as your city government to enhance the desire to continue these acts of service and help you be proud of the city in which you live. Chubbuck is a great place to live and do business. I wish you all a happy and prosperous 2010. Mayor England West Chubbuck Road Project The city has been successful in ob- taining a School Zone Safety Im- provement Grant to construct curb, gutter and sidewalk along the south side of West Chubbuck Road between approximately Joy and Galena Streets. The funding source is from the American Re- covery and Reinvest- ment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which pro- vided stimulus money through the Federal Highway Administration. The project does have a very limited scope, therefore Chubbuck has combined that funding with another funding source we have available to im- prove the last segment of West Chubbuck Road that lacks three lanes of travel. We are expanding the pro- ject to include curb, gutter and sidewalk, not only on the south side, but also on the north side of West Chubbuck Road between those two limits, to provide for a three lane section, as well as re- quired bike lanes. The city hopes to have the design, the property owner permissions and the easements ready for constructing this project in the summer of 2010. We expect to meet with property owners regard- ing the proposed design sometime in January or February. DO YOU NEED A RECYCLING CONTAINER? Whether you just cleaned out that stack of old newspapers and magazines or have cardboard that won't fit in your cart, bring the allowed materials down to city hall and use the large new recycling bin in our parking lot. The free container at city hall can handle bigger items than carts. The items can be mixed, but remember that only certain materials are allowed. No glass or plastic bags are accepted. You can refer to the same list of restrictions included with a residential recycling cart or follow the directions on the city hall recycling bin. TAX CREDITS & FINANCIAL EDUCATION Partners for Prosperity, an organi- zation dedicated to reducing pov- erty 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 aware- ness of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and other credits during tax season for working indi- viduals and families, and to link them to financial education and wealth -building programs. EITC is a refundable federal tax credit. Statistics show that many people in eastern Idaho who qualify for the EITC do not apply. The American Recovery and Reinvest- ment Act of 2009 may also contain new guidelines that aid you in quali- fying for tax credits. Just call 211 for free information. Partners for Prosperity and the C.A.S.H Campaign Coalition will also work to increase public aware- ness and utilization of no -cost tax Tell It To City Hall services provided to low-income individuals, families and seniors by the American Association of Re- tired People (AARP). This year there will be a new service location at the Portneuf District Library. For more dates, times, and locations of AARP tax preparation sites: Call the Idaho Careline by dialing 211 or 1-888-AARPNOW Or visit www.P4Peid.or2/cash. In our democratic form of government, city employees are public servants. We are anxious to serve you the best way we can. There are many maintenance 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. O Describe: Date