HomeMy WebLinkAbout01Vol. 3 Issue 1 January 2008
Message from the Mayor:
Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to all who have contributed in any way to making our community better in 2007. I will
review the wonderful progress I have seen in the State of the City message, which I will prepare in January and post on the web site.
Much of what makes a city successful is in the small seemingly unnoticed acts of neighborly awareness and kindness that happen
daily. Whether your contribution to our success has been large or small, I sincerely appreciate your acts of good citizenship.
I have been meeting with a group of University and community leaders for several months discussing the future of Holt Arena. As
many of you know, there is a pressing need to remedy some deteriorating conditions and structure upgrades related to the infrastruc-
ture of the facility. The most obvious question that must be addressed is: Why should the community get involved in funding for a
building on the ISU Campus?
The Minidome (Holt Arena's original name) was built 40 years ago to provide for football and track & field events. Over the years,
it evolved into a multi -faceted event center, with 70% of the scheduled activities being community related. Funding from the state is
limited to a building maintenance fund that has been stretched thinner with the addition of the Stephens Performing Arts Center. The
state budget does not provide for any building, renovation or upgrades to athletic facilities. Hence the need for outside funding.
I feel it is important for me to make some extended comments in this letter about the bond election scheduled for February 5`h. The
total amount of the combined cities general obligation property tax bond would be $24 Million. Of that, Chubbuck's bond amount
would be $3,840,000. That breaks down to an increase of $6.47 per month for $100,000 of property valuation. For a residence, that
would be the amount after the homeowners exemption and the adjustment for those that qualify for the circuit breaker.
What do we receive for our participation? We will be guaranteed a minimum of 60 days a year, which is about what we are using
now. These are actual event days with set-up, take-down, rehearsal and practice times being in addition. School District activities
will continue to be held there, however, they will not be charged rent under this new agreement. We will be in a much better posi-
tion with the improvements to maintain the activities we currently host in Holt Arena, as well as encouraging more and better events.
In an effort to advocate for the taxpayers position, if they would approve this investment, the following agreements were made.
First, $4 Million of the bond would be put in an endowment fund for future refurbishing and ongoing major maintenance to avoid
getting in this position with the facility again. Second, the University is willing to establish a surcharge for certain (most) ticketed
events held in Holt Arena, and one half of the proceeds would then go to the ongoing maintenance fund and the other half to a fund
that would be used to retire the bonds early.
We have been very fortunate as a community to have access to the Minidome/Holt Arena over the years. We could not consider
building a new or replacement civic center/multi use facility for anywhere near this amount of investment. I take the use of your tax
dollars very seriously and hope you will give this effort some serious consideration. Watch for additional information throughout the
month of January. Feel free to ask questions or make comments through e-mail on our web site or drop us a note.
I feel privileged to serve as your may
and try to advocate for the best interests of the citizens of Chubbuck. 1 feel that generally
when we partner with the ISU, Pocatello, Bannock County and other regional institutions, we can when
from each other and find
strength in our common interests. I believe that our little area of the world is one of the greatest places to live and do business.
Thanks again for all you do. Mayor England
SANITATION
SERVICE NOTES:
You must have your cart out by 7:00 AM on your assigned garbage day or we cannot
guarantee pickup.
a cart?. put it out b the curb and the citywill pick it up.
Do you still have a gray cart?. y
..............................................................
Please Be Aware of "Toy" Gun Laws & Safety
An issue that the Police Department is seeing more and more
of is "Air Soft" guns being used by juveniles in the city.
Recently, we received a call of a female subject in a
neighborhood with a handgun after dark. The caller also
stated that the female was crouching behind bushes and ap-
peared to be hiding. The caller in this case was very upset
and concerned for their safety and the safety of the residents
in the neighborhood.
Calls like this to the Police Department
are treated very seriously, especially
with the incidents involving guns that
have been occurring nationally.
When our officers arrived on scene, they located three juve-
niles who all had the "Air Soft" guns and were playing "war
games". This type of activity is a great concern to the police
department for a couple of reasons.
First is the safety of the children. This particular incident
took place after dark, and it was very difficult for our officers
to see what the kids had in their hands. These guns look very
similar to a real gun and could easily be mistaken for a real
gun.
The second concern is the city ordinance pertaining to the
use of these types of guns within the city limits. Following is
the current ordinance that addresses the use of "Air Soft"
guns and other types of guns in the city:
9.08.160 Projectile or explosive weapons.
It is unlawful and punishable as a misdemeanor for any per-
son to discharge any instrument that propels shot, bullets,
shells or other projectiles or harmful substances by the action
of gun powder, compressed air, springs, elastic materials or
explosive matter, within the corporate boundaries of the city;
provided, however, that this prohibition shall not apply to
supervised activities within a shooting gallery located at a
regularly established and licensed place of business, to the
conduct of a law enforcement officer in the proper perform-
ance of his duty, or to any citizen in the lawful defense of
person or property. (Ord. 185 § 2(P), 1977)
This ordinance clearly prohibits "Air Soft" guns from being
used within the city limits.
If your child owns one of these guns there are places where
they can shoot them outside of the city, which makes it much
safer for everyone involved. Please be aware of the "toys"
your children are using and how they are using them. Hope-
fully, you can see how quickly a confrontation in the dark
between officers and kids carrying and brandishing these
toys could become disastrous.
If you have any questions regarding this or-
dinance, or any other questions please con-
tact the Chubbuck Police Department.
4 499
Tell It To City Hall
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.
ODescribe:
Date