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City Government

Mayor Hotline July 7 to 13

 July 17, 2007 ⋅  Post a comment

–GOOD COP-BAD COP
–GOOD FIREMAN
–LEAKY TRASHMAN
–BAD AIR, BAD GROWTH
–GOOD FIREWORKS, BAD FIREWORKS
7/6/07
Anonymous
Air Qualilty: I just want to say that the air in Boise today is 155. That’s unhealthy for all human beings. We’re calling this stuff an inversion layer, we call it haze; it is smog. Instead of some fancy whitewater parks, I truly believe that Mayor Bieter needs to spend some money and not wait for the feds, and do something or other about our air. You can’t talk about Boise being a great place to live and our quality of life and stuff when people wake up in the mornings, sensing inside their houses that the air outside is bad. Something has got to be done. He’s the Mayor; have him do it; forget whitewater; get clean air. Thank you very much.
M/CC

7/6/07
Stan Smith
3701 Crescent Rim Dr.
Boise, ID 83706
Fireworks: I am the manager of the Rimcrest condos. I’m calling regarding the fireworks of July 4th. Number one, thank you to the city for doing so; however, secondarily, we at the condo association had a number of problems with public trampling of private property, including scaling of 4’ metal fences, and telling some of my residents in swearing language that they were going in here and crossing our property and going to Crescent Rim. Additionally we had problems in our shrubbery; they actually tore fences out to get from Meadow onto Crescent Rim. I just need to know how to address this in the future. I think we have the right to lock and fence our property and to ask that the public not use it. Additionally, there were a lot of fireworks being set off on Crescent Rim Drive in front of our property. It was not on our property, but at no time did I see any law enforcement and/or fire people present up here. There were ambulance people on Latah; the fire people informed me they were at the bottom of the hill because the entire hill is bone dry. I would appreciate any input we can get on it; I just want to avoid future problems and/or danger to public and/or private property. 7/10/07 All of the orange cones are still on Crescent Rim both sides of the street as well as the no parking signs are still in front of all the driveways.
M/CC BFD BPD
Action Taken: left msj

7/7/07
Jan Petersen
3361 Forsythia Dr.
Boise, ID 83703
Allied Waste: I just had my garbage collected today, Saturday. While they were doing so, one of the men stepped away and went to the bathroom on one of my trees. Now, this isn’t acceptable to me and I’ll bet you with a word from the Mayor’s office, they would stop doing this. They would figure out a way to take breaks and go to the bathroom at an acceptable location as frequently as required. Having just paid the garbage bill yesterday, I don’t really appreciate it. I have to waste my water to clean up their mess. I don’t like it. I want it to stop.
M/CC PW

7/6/07
Micheline Brunix
Misc: I’m calling because I’m very unhappy with what is happening in the city, especially regarding the graffiti. Anybody can walk into any store in town and buy that spray paint. Any kid who chooses can get spray paint and spray it all over anybody’s private property and the city doesn’t seem to have any kind of cohesive, coherent plan for dealing with this, even though certainly other urban areas have had to deal with this with some success. I’m very, very disturbed by that. In addition to that, you’ve got house upon house upon house being built, usually condos or those shotgun houses being stuffed into neighborhoods. I just heard that 5,000 Hubble homes are going to be put in on the other side of Micron where the Dusty Acres Horseback Riding ranch is currently, but it’s moving. 5,000 homes; where’s the water for this, and what do these developers have to pay to the school system to address all this? My property taxes continue to go up, my pay check doesn’t. Now people who don’t work as hard, don’t make as much money, didn’t work as hard in school, they get to get a 3% home improvement loan? I didn’t get a chance to get a 3% home improvement loan. If I wanted to have my roof replaced, which I did last summer, I had to take out a home mortgage and it wasn’t at 3%. I want you to know I don’t make much more than the gross income listed on this paper. The point is I’m the middle class and I’m unhappy and I’m feeling squeezed. I voted for Mayor Bieter, but it seems to me it’s called growth, growth, growth, development, development, development, pay for the rich, pay for the poor, and in the middle we’re just getting squeezed. I just am very unhappy about this and I guess I’m rambling on, but these are thoughts I’ve had for quite some time and when I got that 3% home improvement loan information in my utility bill, I thought this is just too much. You’re welcome to call me back if you wish. Thank you.
M/CC
Action Taken: left msj

7/9/07
Karen Crapser
10315 Martingale Dr.
Boise, ID 83709
Budget: I would like to know what you are planning on doing with our 9 million dollars that you have collected over and above what is needed to work with the city, and I would like some updates and progress reports on what you are doing. Thank you.
M/CC
Action Taken: contacted

7/9/07
Addie Haas
1285 N. Astor Pl.
Boise, ID
Half-Way House: In a recent article in the Statesman the Mayor was quoted as making Boise a safer livable city. Why don’t you start with Astor St. Those young men who are there make up more than a third of this cul-de-sac. I don’t feel that is safe. Thank you.
M/CC

7/9/07
Evelyn Barker
2998 Maywood Ave.
Boise, ID 83704
Fireworks: I have a concern about the fireworks. I guess my main concern is why, if it is against the law to shoot off airborne fireworks and things that have loud volume to them, are they allowed to be sold in Idaho at all? To me it’s like saying you can’t buy marijuana because it’s against the law, but we’ll put up a stand and sell it to you anyway. The other questions is why do people get away with setting off fireworks until 2:00 a.m. in the morning, when I believe there is a law that states that it is disturbing the peace.
M/CC BFD

7/9/07
Sylvia
Police Contract: Mayor, you’ll probably throw this in your garbage can like everything else, but I’m a senior lady and I live on Kootenai, and I think you should support our police officers. I’ve had several officers that I’ve talked to that have come and helped on our street, and you’re spending too much money on other things. These people take care of you, now think about it, you’re old enough to be my son, and I’d like to shake you upside down. You’ll probably throw it in the garbage can and neglect it and spend a whole bunch more money on frivolous things, but you need to support the people who take care of you, which you’re not doing.
MCC
Action Taken :Contacted

7/9/07
Fred Wyneken
2158 S. Weimaraner Wy.
Meridian, ID
Business Signs: I’m calling about some graffiti that is in the form of unauthorized and illegal signs that are sprouting like dandelions all over the City of Boise as well as my community in Meridian. I pass by there all the time. Today I was in front of a Boise police car and there were five signs right at that intersection plastered all over the telephone pole. These signs are everything from daycare and babysitting signs to lawn jobs and buy houses for cash. I do not understand why somebody can’t get out of their car and take these signs down. I called the Code Enforcement for nuisance complaints and was told that that’s personal property and they can’t do that. That’s a bureaucratic excuse! It can be done, and somebody needs to pass the necessary ordinance if that’s what it requires, saying that any posted sign like that is illegal, which it obviously is, and can be taken down forthwith by any police officer or city employee. I’m really hot over this; I’ve seen other communities with this. It’s no different than spray painting a fence or side of a building. It’s unsightly, it detracts from our community and it needs to be done. I would appreciate somebody doing something about this, and I would like a follow-up on it. If I don’t see any action being done, I think I will contact the press and see if we can’t get something going on this.
M/CC PDS
Action Taken: contacted

7/9/07
Anonymous
Park: I would like to leave a comment about park users entering the park off of Royal Blvd. It’s mostly tubers in the later afternoon. People seem to be speeding through the park and outside the park, coming down Royal Blvd. from Capitol Blvd. I think it’s getting more and more frequent and more and more dangerous for park users.
M/CC BPD

7/10/07
Dave Muir
9512 Martingale Dr.
Boise, ID 83709
Electrical Inspector: We just had an electrical inspector come out to do a cover-up inspection for our addition that we’re putting on. I wonder where customer service has gone when it comes to these electrical inspectors. I realize that they do this sort of thing all the time and they’re used to working with professionals, but when ordinary folks, I work for the city, don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to hire everything done professionally and get everything done. When they showed up, they made my wife feel like crap, who has nothing to do with the addition or anything going on. She’s just there to let the guy in, show him what’s going on, and he belittles her and makes her feel bad. That’s unacceptable. Working for the city, I understand about customer service, I understand there’s an internal customer and an external customer, and I don’t feel the electrical inspectors are giving any external customers any sort of benefit of the doubt, any sort of break; I’m sure it could have been approached in a completely different manner, as in, “mam, we can’t do an inspection here, there are tripping hazards, things that could happen in here.” I was the one responsible, it’s my bad, I moved stuff into the house for the addition that shouldn’t be there. I didn’t understand what was going on and I’ll take the blame for that. But when the inspector belittled my wife, or does something that is inappropriate as far as making people feel bad, and just being a jerk, that’s unacceptable. When they get to the point where they’re asses to people, maybe they need to take a break. That’s my complaint, please call me back. Thank you.
M/CC PDS
Action Taken: PDS contacted and misunderstanding cleared up

7/10/07
Mark Reinhart
5326 Kootenai
Boise, ID 83705
Irrigation: I’m calling the hotline for the council meeting, this evening, Tuesday, 7/10/07, regarding the Letter to the Editor published in the Statesman today entitled Boise Pushes an Unfair Tax on Boise Residents. The gist is about a local improvement district by the Lindsey Lateral Water Users Association. This topic will be in front of the Boise Council this evening. I would hope that the Council will be wise enough in their wisdom to ban this practice completely, as it’s not fair to pay United Water rates, then turn around and also have to subsidize the water company. Not acceptable. Where I live, United Water provides water for pressurized sprinklers and for drinking and domestic use. Even in the area of the bench where there’s lateral water users from the canal, I suspect the residents in that area do the same thing as I do. Not fair and not right to pay one water company contracted or in association with the City of Boise and then have to do a limited improvement district for extra water whether you want it or not. Completely unfair; I would hope that in your wisdom that you would vote this proposal down or not even give it any of your attention whatsoever. This is blatantly unethical. Thank you very much for your time.
M/CC PW

7/11/07
Anonymous
Quinn’s Pond: I would like to complain about the vandalism and littering at Quinn’s Pond at the Ester Simplot Park. I have a suggestion that the city make those docks boat launching only. Thank you.
M/CC BPR

7/11/07
Tiffany Tanner
Half-Way House: I was calling to let you know that I would like to see the ordinances for sex offenders being 1000 ft. from schools, school bus stops, day cares, and things for that to be put in place. I would also like to see an ordinance where no more than two unrelated felons can live in the same house that is zoned single-family dwelling in a neighborhood where it would not be zoned for a halfway house. I would also like to see a city ordinance stating that any individual or organization that wants to house men or women in a home as a recovery, group, or treatment home, that they would have to jump through the same hoops that I would have to jump through if I wanted to have a day care or hair salon or something in my home because they are running a business out of that home. I also would like to know why it’s okay for the felons to be living in these homes throughout the town of Boise. I understand there are 47 group homes in Boise where they’re housing anywhere from 6-9 felons in the same house, whether they be sex offenders or whatever they were convicted of. They are felons, therefore they have lost their civil rights and I don’t believe they should be protected under the American Disabilities Act or the Fair Housing Act because they have lost their civil rights. I understand that the cities in the state of Washington are winning cases that have been put before them because the felons have lost their civil rights; therefore they are not protected by those two acts. Please let me know if there’s anything more I can do to help with that or if you could please help us solve this problem with them all being together.
M/CC PDS

7/11/07
Sherry French
Quinn’s Pond: I would like to make a suggestion about Quinn’s Pond in the new Ester Simplot Park, back behind the Clock Tower Apartments. I’ve noticed later in the afternoons after about 4:00 that there seems to be an awful lot of people down there including a little criminal element, and I am suggesting more police patrol. On the couple of times I’ve been down there, I’ve not seen any police and I don’t even go there any more because it’s getting so horrible. My suggestion is that the docks, which seems to be where all the trouble is and the teenagers hang out, be made for boat launching only, or maybe one or two of them for boat launching only so the people who want to put a boat in there, or the divers or whoever aren’t being harassed by the other folks.
M/CC BPR BPD

7/11/07
Anonymous
Quinn’s Pond: I have a complaint about the Clock Tower Pond, Quinn’s Pond. There are a group of people who go down there all the time later in the evening and vandalize, litter, and break bottles. There have even been some assaults down there. There are a large group of people who are tired of it and now we’re standing up to say what is going on, and hopefully the Mayor can do something about it. Maybe send police down there or something, I don’t know. Something needs to happen. Thanks.
M/CC BPR BPD

7/11/07
Rob Thompson
BPD: I’m calling in regard to Police Case #709132, where my house was broken into. After making numerous calls to the police and the detective, giving them everything from the kid’s name who broke into our house two times, and did damage to the house, stole over $2,000 worth of property between the two times. With all the information we’ve given the police, including the fact that he used our (cleared his throat), should have been able to have gone through X Box Live to find out where the address of the box was at because it was being used. They never followed through with anything; I’ve never heard back; it’s been six months now and to the best of my knowledge, the last time I actually had a talk with the police officer, which was on May 8, the district attorney still hadn’t ever followed up with a subpoena to even try to find the IP address. I’m extremely disappointed that there’s actually a criminal out there where nothing is being done, and meanwhile my son has had over $2000 stolen from him and has given the police all the information as far as who did it and how they did it. They have chosen to do nothing; it sets a great example for our children to see that crime does pay.
M/CC BPD

7/11/07
Jan Petersen
Misc: I was on a walk on our street this morning early along with several other neighbors on Forsythia from 34th and Forsythia to Hill Road, when a branch of a tree fell off at 33rd and Forsythia narrowly missing me. I felt fortunate that I wasn’t clubbed, killed, injured, whatever, and looked up in the tree and saw that several other branches are ready to go. I called the ditch rider because this is along the ditch bank that runs along our street, and either they or the highway district are responsible for removing this refuse and/or the tree. This evening nothing had been done except to drag the branch to the other side of some bushes. This really concerns me. I just saw a woman ride by on a bicycle, right through that very same area, with a baby on the back of her bicycle in a car seat situation. Had she been hit, I want you to know that somebody has been talking about this today, and that’s me, and asking these various entities to take care of the business and it hasn’t been done. It’s an accident waiting to happen. There are quite a few trees in that area that are falling apart. We would appreciate your attention to this matter. Thank you.
M/CC BPR

7/11/07
Lorraine R. Hopkins
4710 N. Maple Grove Rd.
Boise, ID
ACHD: I’m wondering, as citizens, if we have any rights when it comes to ACHD. They have been rocking our homes for nearly nine months now, tearing up roads and redoing, and they have been working for about 18 hours, waking us up at 3:00 in the morning, starting to work at 6:00 a.m., and rattling our houses still at 8:15 p.m. Do we have any rights when it comes to ACHD and noise and everything that they’ve done? They have torn up the road and redone it, and then tore it up again. It’s been going on for a long time. Right now I’m most concerned about the long, prolonged, and it’s affecting my health and my family who have to go out and work, because they wake us up at 3:00 in the morning and rattle our house until at 8:00 p.m. I would appreciate hearing from you. Thank you.
Action Taken: contacted

7/12/07
Addie Haas
1285 N. Astor Pl.
Boise, ID 83704
Half-Way House: I am still unhappy about the house across the street with the sober house that Dennis Mansfield has set up. I have to look right into that garage every time I open my door and I am hoping that you will do something soon about it. Thank you.
M/CC PDS

7/12/07
Myrna Reese
Pool Charges: I am very upset about the price that you charged my granddaughters, 7 years and 10 years of age, to get into the Fairmont pool – $1.75 each. I pay enough in property taxes to nearly fund the whole damned city, so I want something done about the price that you guys set for these swimming pools. It’s not right; we’re only there an hour and a half, maybe two hours if they’re lucky. I want something done about the price change; I want that dropped so I can afford to take the girls there at least maybe three times a week if I’m lucky. I want something done about it; I want this price lowered and kept lower so more kids besides my granddaughters can enjoy the pool. If you need to call me, go for it.
M/CC BPR

7/12/07
Phillip Sansota
1801 N. 24th St.
Boise, ID
Fire Dept: Honorable Mayor, City Council, Chief of the Boise City Fire Department: I just want to commend the Boise City Fire Department for their quick response to an inside fire that we had in our home, and our home is on the corner of Irene and N. 24th. My wife called 911 while I was trying to contain the fire myself, which was kind of a stupid thing to do because there was smoke all over the place. By the time I did what I had to do, the Fire Department was there and they did a tremendous job. I couldn’t have asked for a quicker response or a more complete job of containing the fire. It could have been a serious one, but they contained it very well. There was one person in particular who went above and beyond what we all did, but the only name I got was a Dennis Clery, but it makes one feel good that the tax money is well spent in our community. Again, my thanks and I would appreciate it if the particular fire group who worked on this fire were in some way given a pat on the back because my wife and I very much appreciated it and the neighbors also appreciated it. They did a fine job, a quick job, and a compassionate job. Thank you.
M/CC BFD

7/13/07
Anonymous
Police Contract: As the wife of a police officer, I would like to apologize to the citizens of Boise for the disgusting antics of Kip Wills. My husband and I are disgusted with the tactics of Kip Wills on behalf of the Police Union. They would have a contract by now, but he messes things up by attacking people personally. It isn’t in Kip Wills’ best interest that the union reaches a contract agreement. He loves the fight and he’s not working on behalf of the police; he’s only good at spewing hate-filled diatribes. Kip Wills is more interest in barter politics than what’s good for police and their families. We need to elect new union leadership. Kip Wills made a fool of himself and Channel 7 recently, and he’s an embarrassment to the Police Department. Not all police officers are like him, and he does not represent all of us. Thank you.
M/CC BPD

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