Business
Can’t Find Local Officials? Try Valley County’s Tamarack Resort
If you can’t find your local mayor, city councilor, or county commish, try looking at Tamarack Resort in Valley County. These members of the “Treasure Valley Partnership”–comprised of local elected officials–are spending YOUR tax money for hotel rooms, travel, and rental houses to meet and discuss a topic near and dear to Treasure Valley residents: [...]
Jobless Woes Persist, Government Can’t Fix
By DAVID R. FRAZIER, editor BOISE GUARDIAN We visited a “job fair” recently, but rather than an arena full of employers recruiting workers, we found countless private and public educational institutions vying to take the last nickel from the pockets of the unemployed through assorted training offers. There were several charitable organizations seeking volunteers, verterans [...]
GBAD Ponies Up Cash To BCVB
The GBAD boys were able to get around the GBAD girls Wednesday and pony up $24,500 to the Boise Convention and Visitor’s Bureau for promotional services. No other agency was asked to bid. The Greater Boise Auditorium District treasurer refused to sign a check to BCVP, citing a Pocatello court ruling that prevented using auditorium [...]
Land Board Reveals Vacancy Rates
After the GUARDIAN broke the story of the Idaho Land Board advertising for a construction manager to build a brew pub in downtown Boise, it was revealed they were spending the endowment fund money to attract a new tenant to the building with an 86% vacancy rate. One of our readers provided the results of [...]
Payette County P&Z Commishes Have Gas Deals
We all know that much of government fails to pass the “smell test.” In Payette County they appear to have passed gas, at least in a meeting approving a gas fired dehydration plant. Normally these things don’t get our attention, but this sentence from the BOISE WEEKLY left us shaking our head. “Last night’s meeting [...]
Land Board To Build Brew Pub?
Not satisfied with the controversial ownership of a public storage business, Idaho’s land board has apparently decided to enter the brew pub and restaurant business. We doubt if they will send out press releases, but the state agency is advertising for a construction manager to oversee building a restaurant and brewing facility. The request for [...]
Optimistic Developer Gambles On Boise “Hole”
Yet another developer has signed on to build something at 8th and Main –the site of the infamous downtown vacant lot known variously as “the hole, ground zero, and the pit.” A feasibility study is planned to decide just WHAT to build. If the Gardner Company wants to insure success, they will look toward something [...]
Yet Another Baseball Park Survey
Team Dave and a group calling itself the Better Boise Coalition is aiming to commission yet another survey about the feasibility of building a minor league baseball park in Boise. They are doing wonders for the consulting industry, but everything is predicated upon the “need” for a new ball park. The Boise Hawks team is [...]
Coppers Complicate Cleaning Contract Caper
Fourth District Judge Thomas Neville has issued a final decision “Denying in Larger Part and Granting in Smaller Part” the Boise City motion to keep certain e-mails secret in the saga of the Clearview Cleaning contracdt. BACKGROUND– In mid February Clearview was awarded a janitorial contract for about $368,000 to clean Boise’s City HAll, Police [...]
BIGGER Isn’t Better, BETTER Is Better
The downtown deciders need to take lesson from the previous Bronco Football God, Dan Hawkins who once proclaimed that “Bigger isn’t better, better is better.” The Sunday DAILY PAPER has a story by Cynthia Sewell detailing the the “options” for a new convention center. One of the ideas would involve demolishing a newly constructed county [...]
E-15 Fuel No Good For Older Cars
A GUARDIAN car buff reader sent this along as a reminder, warning, grump at the Feds: BY BILL GOODNIGHT The “ethanol industry” (mostly prospering corn farmers) has successfully lobbied the EPA to issue a final rule approving the use of gasoline diluted with 15% ethanol (E15). EPA recognized this fuel will seriously damage vehicles manufactured [...]
Cleaning Contract Caper Awaits Court Ruling
Judge Thomas Neville heard arguments today from attorneys representing Boise City and Clearview Cleaning in a public records request case in which the city has refused to provide certain documents. After the City rescinded a $368,000 signed contract with Clearview Cleaning the night before the local firm was to begin work, owner Sylvia Hampel filed [...]
Guv: Storage Business Purchase “Was A Mistake”
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has withdrawn his support for a controversial Land Board decision to own and operate a commercial storage business. The GUARDIAN revealed the state ownership–which competes directly with the private sector–in an EXCLUSIVE story last November. Otter told the IDAHO REPORTER his support of the decision to invest in the private retail [...]
Chinese “Takeover” Is Like Japanese Boom Of 1980′s
Conservative American blogs have created a significant buzz over the issue of a “Chinese Takeover” of America and much of the fear mongering is centered in Boise–thanks to statements by politicos seeking the almighty Renminbi. Some of those concerns have a foundation in fact. In reality, the situation so far is much like the Japanese [...]
Running Government Like A Business
A couple of stories we have noticed recently in rural Idaho media show just how to run government like a business AND turn a tidy profit for government workers. Some are legal, some are crooked, and some just stink. –The GUARDIAN detailed how Boise motorcycle coppers make $56 an hour using city equipment to patrol [...]
Megaload Group Curtails Use Of Idaho Official Seal
The Western Legacy Alliance–the “megaload” truckers along U.S. Highway 12–agreed Tuesday to discontinue use of the official Idaho State Seal in advertisements. The GUARDIAN received an inquiry and it turns out the Idaho Secretary of State, the custodian of the seal, was also notified of the appearance of a stateendorsement to the ad which touted [...]
Cleaning Record Case Takes On “Life Threatening” Aspect
Boise City attorneys have ramped up the fear factor in the ongoing CLEANING CONTRACT CAPER. After the City rescinded a $368,000 signed contract with Clearview Cleaning the night before the local firm was to begin work, owner Sylvia Hampel filed a public records request to find out why she lost the contract. The city refused [...]
Boise Dusts Off Rule To Award Cleaning Bid
Sylvia Hampel and Brenda Tate, owners of Clearview Cleaning, claim they have been contacted by clients expressing concerns about recent news reports about their firm and a contract dispute with Boise City. Hampel reiterated that she has no knowledge of any irregularities involving her staff or the company. Saturday Hampel told the GUARDIAN she had [...]
Caldwell Urban Renewal Has Jitters Over Coffee
Espresso/Deli Café Space Available Caldwell Urban Renewal Agency seeks interested parties to lease a turn-key Espresso/Deli Café in the TVCC Building located in Caldwell. Interested parties who respond by June 17, 2011 by 4:00 p.m. will be considered. Responses may be mailed or delivered to Caldwell Economic Development Council, 117 South 9th Avenue, Suite #6, [...]
Hot Potatoes Become Political
We have all heard of a political “hot potato,” but now we find that hot potatoes are also political. That news comes from politicians who seek to keep the tuber that made Idaho license plates famous on the dinner plates of healthy Americans–especially school lunch plates. Idaho Reps Labrador and Simpson joined others in a [...]
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