Plans enthusiastically endorsed by Boise Mayor Dave Bieter and the city council to locate F-35 fighter jets at Gowen Field could devestate the lives of thousands of residents, according to an opponent of the plan who based his conclusions on an official AIR FORCE REPORT.

A just released environmental impact statement conducted for the U.S. Air Force shows that at least 10,000 homes in a five mile swath between Columbia Village and Maple Grove would be classified as “NOT SUITABLE FOR RESIDENTIAL USE due to high noise levels according to an opponent of the plan who estimated the loss of home value will be in the $50 to $70 million range. Under one scenario nearly 7,000 acres off the airport would be in the impact area. Numerous Churches and schools have been identified as “noise sensitive sites,” in the report. The report also concluded “air operations” (take offs and landings) could increase as much as 50%.

Boise resident Monty Mericle has led the fight against locating the F-35 fighters in Boise, citing existing bases at Mountain Home and in Arizona as much more appropriate than a metropolitan area such as Boise.

“About 1,400 sorties will be with full afterburner and 1,400 will be at night. Four schools and 13 day care centers will exceed government noise levels for learning, and over 300 cases of hearing loss are estimated. All of this is documented in the 980 page EIS,” Mericle told the GUARDIAN.

Public meetings are scheduled for Friday February 27th from 5 till 8 at the Capital City Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 63, 8931 W. Ardene St, Boise, and Saturday February 28th from 5 till 8 at the Boise Hotel and Conference Center at 3300 Vista, Boise.

“Hopefully State, City, Airport, and County representatives will be in attendance to explain why they continue supporting this plan with its now documented devastating consequences. After all, they are the elected officials who brought this catastrophe to us,” concluded Mericle.

Monty Mericle is the chairman of the SaveOurValleyNow.org group trying to inform the citizens of the valley what the F-35 mission will do to our valley. The web site is currently disabled.

More information can be found at these links:

BOISE SITE

MAIN SITE FOR EIS

HEARING SCHEDULE

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The agency turns 40 this week and–not surprising–had its genesis in bad government. They like to say the issue was potholes, but it was much deeper.

When each city had its own street department and the county had a road department, there was always the issue of ANNEXATION.

The city wouldn’t fix roads outside the city limits and the county officials were loath to make improvements only to be gobbled up by the city. Hence, a 1971 election created what is touted as a “model system” to place road planning, construction, and maintenance under one countywide district.

Along with the highway system, ACHD began a commuter ride van program that now claims 900 riders aboard 94 vans from Oregon to Mountain Home. The brag an estimated 13.8 million miles were saved by the program.

The cities and ACHD have had their differences over the past 40 years, but taken as a whole, the roads, bike paths, traffic signals, and van pool are valuable additions to the community.

If we could get the same expertise and cooperation on a bus system, we could have something.

There will be a “birthday party” at noon Wednesday at the ACHD HQ building , 3775 Adams in Garden City. If weather predictions are correct, many of the staff will be manning sand trucks and snow plows by that time.

UPDATE 4:30 p.m. Tuesday–
CHD Crews Prepare for Incoming Winter Storm

Ada County Highway District (ACHD) Winter Street Service crews are ready to take on what has the makings of this winter’s first snow storm. Crews got a jumpstart on pre-treating Ada County roadways with de-icer this morning (Jan. 17) in advance of the evening commute and forecasted snow. Thirty five de-icer trucks took to the streets, with a focus on major intersections, hills and heavily traveled roads.

Using de-icer on the roads before the evening commute will allow the rush hour traffic to help spread the product over the road, which will provide for good coverage before the snow starts falling. De-icer works as a pre-treatment to help prevent snow from sticking to the roads and forming ice and also works to melt snow once it’s on the ground.

Tonight, crews will attach plows to trucks and will have sand and de-icer trucks staged and ready to go. ACHD will closely monitor the weather conditions over night and crews will be called in before the morning commute if necessary.

So far this season, crews have been out just three times to treat the roads for winter weather. ACHD’s Winter Street Service supplies are fully stocked with sand and de-icer.

ACHD uses a priority system when responding to winter storm events. Major intersections, bridges, schools and hills are among the top priorities. ACHD staff monitors weather forecasts and road conditions in the early morning hours and throughout the day during weather events. ACHD also works closely with Ada County Dispatch on requests for sand or anti-icing applications from police or sheriff deputies.

ACHD provides Winter Street Services to more than 2,200 miles of local roads in Ada County. State highways including Eagle Road, Chinden Boulevard as well as the Interstate and the Boise Connector are managed by the Idaho Transportation Department.

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“No matter who is sitting behind the wheel, distracted driving is unsafe, irresponsible, and could have devastating consequences. However, the nation’s public safety professionals – including first responders such as police, fire, and EMS – have a special mission, information needs, and training that clearly distinguish them from other motorists on our roadways. In particular, law enforcement officers need certain in-vehicle equipment to do their job safely and effectively. As a result, law officers are trained to operate their vehicle and its equipment without compromising their own safety or that of other road users.”

Also here is a link to the President’s EXECUTIVE ORDER 13513, “Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving”. In section 3C there is an exemption for law enforcement individuals.

We have yet to find a copper–or any other human who can look down and right while also looking straight ahead scanning the highway. Must be some really super training for these heroes. Perhaps they will exempt other motorists who master the police training courses.

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The Committee for an Open Greenbelt has been fighting for years trying to get Garden City to open a stretch of the Greenbelt on the north side of the Boise River bicyclists. They are suing Garden City in a case pending in 4th District Court.

The GUARDIAN obtained a copy of Evans’ answering letter which we share here:

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In all, officers identified 31 victims, some had found their vehicle’s tires slashed on both Nov. 23rd and Dec. 3rd.

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By Jimmy D. Bus,
Guardian Transportation Correspondent

When it comes to electric buses in America, it appears Communist China’s Zonda Corp. attempted to establish a marketing beach head in the Treasure Valley six months ago when they approached Valley Regional Transit with a request for a “letter of interest.”

It was a carrot on a stick type of deal with no real commitments from either side. It offered the potential of a factory, up to 1,000 jobs, and an all electric bus fleet for VRT. To borrow a phrase from a Boise City attorney, it was “squishy.”

Public documents reveal the following about the proposal.

As part of a regularly scheduled VRT Management Committee meeting on May 9th, local politicos reviewed a proposal “… to explore an opportunity to expand transit services in the region through an economic development project that is considering locating in the region.” Basically the proposal would have provided VRT with a fleet of electric buses which would become an all electric transit system world showcase. All at little or no additional burden on taxpayers according to the document.

Local politicos did something the local media didn’t do with this proposal – they looked this gift horse in the mouth and said WHOA !

They were shocked at what they saw. Initially they were energized by the prospect of all the jobs this economic development (always key words) proposal would bring, but then they began to find faults in it. Little details like who would actually pay the operating costs for all this expanded service were not addressed clearly in the proposal. And, according to my sources, apparently the “style” at the initial presentation prior to this meeting didn’t sit well with some of local politios either.

According to VRT minutes of this meeting, the VRT attorney was directed to bring back to the Committee at a future date a simplified draft “Letter of Interest” indicating VRT’s possible interest in the project.

On May 11th– two days after the VRT meeting at which Zonda USA was not represented– Zonda USA issued a press release saying it would establish a headquarters in Boise sometime in 2011. That same release also said the company had met with Valley mayors and with State government representatives to finalize details of the move. It appears Zonda USA either got their wires crossed or they were out of phase with what had transpired at the VRT meeting just two days before. Six months later we hear that office will be established by the end of 2011. Promises, promises, isn’t that what the world is made of now?

At a special VRT Management Committee meeting on May 18th, VRT Management Committee members approved a rather vaguely worded LETTER to Zonda USA expressing interest in exploring the proposal further. Again, no commitments.

News about this proposal apparently remained dormant for about six months until the DAILY PAPER, and other local media, reported on it recently. So the obvious question is why now? Why six months after the proposal was first broached?

Local politicos were correct in looking this gift horse in the mouth and saying WHOA ! The transit bus building business is a tough one. According to both Federal and university study documents only about 5,000 transit buses of all sizes and types are built in the US each year by the five major bus builders – one of whom controls almost 40% of the market. Unpredictable demand, extreme challenges, tenuous financial condition of bus manufacturers, serious concerns regarding the state of the industry, general lack of volume in orders, and thin profit margins are all words found in these publications.

So just how does Zonda USA intend to be financially successful in this challenging, competitive environment where so many others have failed? And how does it intend to meet the “Buy America” requirements, the Altoona Test requirements, and other requirements imposed on transit authorities using Federal transit funds to purchase vehicles? We don’t know. We do know that they already have competition from other bus manufacturers, one of whom announced an all electric prototype bus this past October. Another claims to have 80% domestic content in their vehicles, well exceeding the “Buy America” threshold.

Will enough orders be obtained, a condition for building the plant according to the daily story, to build an all electric bus manufacturing plant in the Treasure Valley? More importantly, will it employ thousands of workers? And lastly, where in the Valley will it be built? The answer to all those questions is we will have 2C.

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Zonda USA–which sounds a lot more like a franchise deal than “Chinese capital investment in America”–has announced plans to locate a corporate HQ in Boise with a production facility nearby. They claim to have technology for electric buses capable of running 300 miles on a single battery charge.

On its website, Zonda USA quotes Camarillo, Calif., Mayor Mike Morgan praising the company after a tour of its all-electric bus and battery manufacturing facility in China. He’s hoping to get a Zonda bus for a demonstration project in his city next year, he said Monday, according to the STATEMAN’S ROCKY BARKER.

If it really is a Chinese company, ZONDA’S website is absurd. It purports to “support the troops and veterans.” They made no mention of the BSU Broncos or the Idaho Humane Society.

A Spanish firm wishing to build locomotives in Kentucky was denied a waiver in 2008 for two prototype engines to be built in Spain. That deal was identical to the one proposed by Camarillo, CA. They are after a demo bus (presumably built in China) with subsequent vehicles to be made in the USA.

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The latest scheme is an electric BUS FACTORY to be built in the Treasure Valley.

GUARDIAN GROWTHOPHOBES caution the enthusiastic Chamber of Commerce cheerleaders to tread lightly. The buzz often preceeds questionable public expenses–and failure.

Yes, we have a work force nearly 10% unemployed, but big employers like Albertson, HP, and Micron can dump a lot of workers and their families on society when their business wanes or management leaves town. Claims of a great work force, lifestyle, education opportunities, energy resources, and proximity to markets ring hollow to realists. Most often businesses come here based on cheap labor, cheap power, and how much taxpayer money they can get.

Over the years we have seen the likes of Tamarack and the tennis star fail to produce on a ski resort and hotel. No surprise when the GM Saturn plant didn’t get built at Kellogg.

Lockheed tried to convince the government Idaho Falls was a perfect location for a space station launch site because it was a mile closer to the moon than Cape Canaveral.

Then there was the clamor to locate the super colliding super conductor at the “ideal location” in the Idaho desert.

The rumor of a Boeing plant in the area of Kuna never gets off the ground, but surfaces periodically.

Team Dave had a gas-fired electricity plant all but pumping volts near the airport along with a massive train-truck-plane shipping facility. They also were touting solar panels providing covered parking at the airport remote parking lot, but now seek another parking ramp. So far all have been abandoned or curtailed.

Meanwhile the Communist Chinese are taking advantage of local and US Government subsidies for energy projects like the Hoku solar panel plant at Pocatello and now a factory to build buses. This in addition to whatever will or will not happen with the “research park” idea near the airport.

In short, we GROWTHOPHOBES welcome any business venture willing to pay a fair wage, build its own facilities, and pay taxes like everyone else. If they can’t do that, perhaps Communist China has more to offer.

For us there is just something missing when China finds it more profitable to build something in Idaho than in their homeland.

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We just love the disingenuous platitudes when the big guys get grounded. Here are the “official” statements released by Team Dave.

“Richard’s tenure will be remembered as a time of significant advancement for the Boise Airport,” Mayor Bieter said. “The passage of the recent constitutional amendment improving airport financing (HJR5), the retention of the TRACON landing system, the installation of the new customs office, the beautiful new airport entranceway and the upcoming parking expansion — all were successfully managed under Richard’s leadership.”

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my four plus years in Boise,” Director McConnell said. “I’m proud to say I leave the airport in better position than when I came in 2007. I have complete faith that the wonderful staff I leave behind will keep the airport on its same positive trajectory.”

Garry Beaty, the City’s current Director of Information Technology, will serve as interim airport director while the City conducts a search for new director.

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It falls under the name of “Gateway West, but the issue is electricity, who wants it, who can sell it, and who doesn’t want it in their backyard.

The thousand-mile transmission project that would stretch across Wyoming and southern Idaho remains under review by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Proposed by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power, its necessity would be determined by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission if it earns BLM approval, possible by June 2013.Right now it isn’t popular in places like BURLEY.
The battle lines are being established before the power lines in what will probably be the next major environmental issue facing Idaho and Wyoming.

The players come from the usual greenies and conservative business camps, but their positions are yet to be spelled out. At the center of the issue is Wyoming Coal. Some producers claim the state has 800 years of reserves and they are doing their best to dig it out and sell the black rocks to electrical generators.

There has been a big discussion about building a port facility at Bellingham, Washington to export coal to China, but the greenies don’t like the environmental impacts and the conservatives hate to see USA resources exported to China only to return as computers and televisions–thanks to cheap electricity.

After years of sending massive “unit trains” laden only with coal to the far reaches of the USA from Gilette, Wyoming, things like the Gateway West project could see producers exporting electricity over gigantic power grids…the idea being it is easier to sell ready-made power than getting permits to build “clean burning” coal plants.

Coal means jobs in Wyoming, so politically it is easier to build coal-fired plants in that sparsely populated state than in the metro areas that consume the power.

Some say the power lines are only for the benefit of big business to sell to the massive consumers in the Southwest areas of Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Others say it will mean jobs and economic growth in Boise. Still others don’t object as long as the lines don’t cross their land or scenic vistas.

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