City Government
Mayor’s Hotline September 5 to 8
September 13, 2006 
ABANDONED BOISE FIRE DEPARTMENT TRUCK, STINK, WEEDS
9/5/06
Terry Quinn
11719 W. Mesquite
PW: The intersection of Cloverdale and Executive Dr. have a terrible sewer-like odor. It seems to have started when road construction was done there.
M/CC PW
9/6/2006
Tim Bernard
I’m calling about a Boise City Fire Dept. pickup truck left out in front of my business for a week now, unlocked with equipment in it. So you can contact me at 377-8771 and I’ll have a police report on that for you. Thank you.
M/CC BFD
9/6/2006
Graffiti: We called in some graffiti over a week ago now and its still at 28th and Hill Rd. On 28th St. on the NW side of the intersection, that reads, “My Stolen Pride”. It’s in red white and blue spray paint and stenciled. I think you can see it if you really look. We’d appreciate it being painted gray again. Thank you.
M/CC Graffiti Team
9/7/2006
PDS: Hi, I just wanted to complain about a construction site that seems to be just bellowing dirt and dust in the air and with the smoke in the air it seems like we don’t need any more it’s at Overland just east of the Mtn. View High School. It’s just a big dirt lot and trucks just keep building up dust. Thanks.
M/CC PDS
Action Taken: appears to be in Meridian
9/8/2006
Abandoned Vehicle: I still wonder about that Ford WindStar parked on 4075 Tattenham Way. It’s a Ford Windstar from Broadway Ford in Idaho Falls license plate # 8bf1098 been parked there for weeks, it’s a silver van tag number 90-3053817 its been parked there in front of that house for weeks and I’m wondering if its stolen. Why would they keep it parked on the street like that? Thank you.
M/CC BPD
Action Taken: BPD
8/8/2006
Bryce Peppard
Nampa
608-1663
Code Enforcement: I’m calling about noxious weeds in the City of Boise. I understand that the City of Boise does not have a noxious weeds enforcement policy or ah, yeah in there in their policy, ah code, their code. It’s not in their city code to enforce noxious weeds, it’s required to be done by the county agencies Bryan Wilbur is in charge of that Ada County Weed and Gopher and ah, Ada County is not in the business is not in the business of helping the City of Boise enforce on their noxious weeds. It is the job of the Boise enforcement officers who are in charge of enforcing things like state law that says that you know your noxious weeds are these 36 and keep them under control. You’re not going to pass the buck to Ada County and have them take care of your back yards I suppose. And there was one more thing I wanted to mention, about the enforcement, Nampa and Caldwell both have a city enforcement code where the code officers enforce on noxious weeds also. They are becoming much more aware of what those weeds are and those two cities are getting a handle on controlling their noxious weeds and I can’t believe that Boise can’t figure that out, they got to learn from a poe-dunk cow town that gets shot up all the time. Talk to you later, hope your having fun, and I really appreciate the code enforcement officers at least in Nampa city when it comes to enforcing on noxious weeds like puncture vines, and Canada Thistle, and Yellow Star thistle, and thrush skeleton weed that you have in your city on your city property so have fun and we’ll talk to you soon I’m sure. Bye.
M/CC PDS
N/R
9/8/06
Michael Williams
2011 S. Penninger Dr.
Noxious Weeds: He is extremely frustrated with his next door neighbors at 2017 S. Penninger Dr. It is full of thistles and goat head thorns. He has called Ada County Noxious weeds repeatedly and has been told it would be taken care of a few weeks ago and he still waits. In the meantime he and his other neighbors try to keep their yards nice and eradicate the noxious weeds but can’t stay ahead of them. He needs help.
M/CC Ada County
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Sep 14, 2006, 9:13 am
Ah-Ha! So I’m not the only one grousing about those noxious weeds. Bryce Peppard of Nampa is absolutely right that our own City Code department doesn’t enforce noxious weed control and Boiseans have to call over to the Ada County Weed & Gopher in Meridian for help. With the “affordable housing market” getting gobbled up by out-of-state slumlords, we are seeing an increase in yards getting overrun by goatheads, field bindweed, and yellow star thistle. Not only is it a bitch to get rid of, it spreads like wildfire into adjacent yards and is difficult (if not impossible) to control organically.
The Code Department needs to get with the program before some agency decides that aerial spraying or roadside burns will be necessary to contain the spread.
Sep 15, 2006, 8:20 am
This is hearsay, however, my sister is a horticulture student and informed me that if you have noxious weeds on your property and they spread to a neighbors property, you could be held liable for the cost of eradicating them (provided your neighbor can prove the weeds spread from your lot). In the case of something like thrush skeleton weed, it can take up to five years of applying chemical herbicide before it is gone completely.
Sep 16, 2006, 5:58 am
The biggest problem we have with weeds is the canal companys. All the water ways through the state always overgrown with weeds. When you call the noxious weed board (Mr Batt) he informs you that the canal companys can’t be made to clean them up. They have grandfather rights that go back 100s of years. Isn’t it time to change some laws. Maybe Mr Batt should be replaced with someone who really care’s. Does any one wonder how he got the job? Could it be because of his Father. Ex govenor of the state. Doesn’t apear he’s doing much of a job, just more excusses. Hummm wonder where he learned that?
Sep 16, 2006, 10:54 am
Ditch and Irrigation Districts have unique jurisdictional discretion. My experience is that most districts will take care of weeds on main drainages, irrigation laterals, but not individual ditches on private property. It’s the old “once the water leaves the headgate” rule. What is as concerning is homeowners in ticky/tacky/box subdivisions who build gates in their back fence, so they can walk directly out to the irrigation ditch running behind their house and dump their yard waste. Grass clippings, weed seeds, it all goes downstream and causes havoc for the next water users on the line.
Developers have much of the blame to bear (again) in the weed matter. They buy up acres of farmland, where weeds were eradicated and kept at bay through careful agricultural work. Then the land sits for two or three or four summers awaiting permits, final plats, etc. In that time weeds take over the entire 40 or 60 acre parcel. No one irrigates them, so not only are the seeds spread to every property for miles, but a fire hazard is created. There are areas in the valley where if a range fire started, it would swallow up hundreds of longstanding ranch homes, barns, and haystacks….all because developers aren’t interested in stewardship….just money.
Sep 18, 2006, 6:58 am
Tam I have to wonder where you look. I live by a canal and its always one long weed patch. Goes for miles. Yes I installed a gate to the canal just so I can spray the weeds along my property.
I have never seen the canal company do anything to prevent the weeds there. And yes I’ve complained many a time the weeds and got no where.
Sep 18, 2006, 10:42 pm
Eagle doesn’t do a very good job of keeping the goat heads under control. (We used to call them puncture weeds because of what they did to our bike tires.)