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City Government

Mayor Hotline May 22 to 28

 June 3, 2010 ⋅  Post a comment

DIRT IN SEWER, HAZ MAT, HAMMER FLAT, BUS, TRADE FOR TABLE ROCK
5/27/10
Mark
Hammer Flat: I don’t necessarily need a call-back on this. I just have a suggestion about the
Hammer Flats issue. What is the possibility of swapping that land out there, swapping the state
for Table Rock. The State Department of Corrections, as I understand, owns that property and
has for years, and doesn’t make utilization of it. I think that would be a great place for a future
park or interpretive center, or any number of things. Right now the gate is locked and you can’t
get up there. I just think that’s such a wonderful resource and it would be a great place if it were
developed. I know we don’t have the money at the moment but that’s something I think forward
looking would be a great, great attraction for visitors to the city and for the rest of the citizens.
So, think about that – let’s swap Table Rock for Hammer Flats. Thank you.
BPR

EDITOR NOTE–WE HAVE LONG ADVOCATED MAKING A PARK AT TABLE ROCK!. It is owned (or administered) by the Idaho Historical Society. Spectacular views, but no public access by vehicle.

5/22/10
Lynn Lockhart
Morris Hill
520 N Archer St 06
343 9294
Hazardous Waste: I was just speaking with an area merchant who was treated rather poorly by
a hazardous waste employee. I felt compelled to call and make mention of this. Apparently the
merchant brought some paint cans to the monthly mobile hazardous waste collection site and
the city employee refused to take the paint cans because she was a merchant. I wasn’t aware of
the guidelines and I just checked the cities website and I guess there is some type of rule
against local businesses being able to utilize these monthly mobile hazardous waste collection
sites. I’m wondering if this might be something the city could reconsider. I attended the city of
Boise’s’ bench business forum held in April and I also listened to the NPR radio news clip which
was narrated by Adam Cotterell. I’m thinking this might be a relatively inexpensive way for the
city to help small businesses’. One of the things Cotterell said was for economic recovery the
city needs to listen to the small business community. We here in the Morris Hill Neighborhood
Assn. partner very heartily with the neighborhood businesses and I’m compelled to tell you that
this particular merchant that was turned away at the site this past month is actually a merchant
who threw a $1200 national night out crime prevention event for our neighborhood community
supported by the police department. She donates regularly to our neighborhood Assn. efforts
and happens to sit on the board this year, and is a highly valued voting member. This might be
one way for the city to change its reputation with the small businesses. Justin Allen, another
small business owner in the bench area was interviewed as well and he said the city doesn’t
help the small businesses at all. I happen to love the City of Boise. I think you all do a wonderful
job. I was shocked when I talked to the merchant about this particular paint can incident. I think
from a customer service perspective, one city representative from the hazardous waste person
could have handled it better to say we don’t normally except these types of items from local
merchants, but since you took the time to come out today and support this wonderful program
we offer, we’ll make the exception. Again, long term looking at the guidelines again, it would
really be a wonderful thing to do. I would appreciate feedback on this. Now knowing the
guidelines about this program I won’t be promoting the program because I didn’t realize only a
certain population of our community would be invited to use this program. We include everyone
in our neighborhood Assn. The business owners, renters, homeowners, the organizations,
they’re all very much part of our neighborhood community and I don’t like to exclude people so I
probably won’t be able to promote the program even though I appreciate it and the cities efforts.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from someone.
PW
Action Taken: left message

5/24/10
Jeffrey Johnston
1105 N 6th
Boise 02
384 1153
Leaf Blowers: Am I allowed to take my yard waste and throw it out in the street, or am I allowed
to take my yard waste and throw it over on my neighbors’ side? Basically whenever I see a leaf
blower person using it to clean sidewalks I always notice how they seem to think its o.k. to take
all the stuff that’s on the sidewalks and blow it out into the street, which number one, they’re
fertilizing that, can talk about what the waste has in it when it’s going into our drainage system.

Two, that waste is fine enough that it does clog up my drains and stuff so I was just curious
about that. I saw somebody over at the playground between St. John’s and their little basketball
area on 8th and Fort and he was just going down there blowing everything that had collected
along the fence and blowing it out on the sidewalk, out onto cars and stuff that were parked
there. I just saw the contract laborers next door walk down the sidewalk they contact, blowing
the stuff over on my side. Personally I don’t want to battle about the leaf blower thing, we won’t
talk about noise pollution, we won’t talk about the un-needed use of a broom like people did and
I won’t go into that but I do want to address the issue of how people with leaf blowers think they
can blow the stuff into the street. Downtown I know they’re pretty careful about that. I’ve seen
how careful they are downtown and I just want to know what the ordinance is on allowing people
to blow the trash out from their yard onto the street or onto a neighbor’s property. Thank you.
PDS
Action Taken: left message

5/24/10
Michael Wray
VRT: My wife and I ride the bus and we’re not happy with the changes that have been made in
the scheduling. Whoever made these schedules did not study the issues; they did not talk with
the people; they did not talk with the drivers. I am a Viet Nam veteran; I have some physical
problems with age and various accidents in the past and I rely on the buses extensively.
Outside of walking I have not other transportation. These changes to this bus schedule do not
work. They do not work for the drivers; they do not work for the passengers who ride those
buses. The only ones they work for are the people who sit behind the desks at Valley Regional
Transit, some outside company that owns this and it operates between three cities – Nampa,
Meridian, and Boise, Idaho, and all I go in is Boise, Idaho. It has affected six to eight different
bus lines, and now you can’t even make decent connections with the other buses if you need to.
You’ve got to sit out in the cold, the heat, the wind, the rain, the snow storms, whatever is out
there as far as weather goes, you’ve to sit out there and wait for the next bus, and it could be 40
minutes before that bus comes. Now I know that Boise City used to own Boise Urban Stage
Lines and they sold out to another company. Why, I don’t know but they did. This does not
work for anybody; it does not work for the disabled; it does not work for the elderly; it does not
work for those that have all of their faculties, and as far as the bus drivers go, their schedules
are so tight that they can’t even get out and go pee, whether it’s a man or a woman. A man
can’t tie a knot in it and a woman can’t put a cork in it for eight solid hours. So, something
needs to be done. They ought to take up those 3,000 schedules that they had made up and
trash can them and somebody sit down and figure out how to get this system fixed, and fixed
right before this next winter comes on. Very unhappy with this, very unhappy with this and I
hold the Mayor and the City Council responsible for this. Thank you.
VRT

5/25/10
Shane Morford
1723 5th St. South
Nampa, ID 83651
989-7709
BPD: I’m calling because I was told to call you and make you aware of my grievances that I was
in a motorcycle accident on the 25th of October, 2009 and the officers that responded to the
accident called the towing company immediately upon the accident and then made them stand
around for over two hours while they investigated the accident. So I was charged over a $450
tow bill because they had to stand around and wait for the officers to finish when they didn’t
need to call them until they were ready to have the vehicle towed. On top of that I was also told
that I could complain about the officer allowing the other driver who hit me to drive home. He
did not have a valid license, he also did not have insurance, and he hit me and was cited for
inattentive driving. While I was carted off to the emergency room, he was allowed to drive
home. I think his vehicle should have been impounded and if not arrested, at least somebody
else should have had to come pick him up. You can reach me any time day or night. Thank
you.
BPD
Action Taken: left message

5/27/10
Greg Olson
389-9956
Hammer Flat: I’ve been a resident of Boise since 1972 and I would like to present that Hammer
Flat, specifically for hang gliders, should be opened up and allowed for limited public use. I do
not agree with restricting that for only the Fish and Game group that presently is in control of it.
I think that it should be limited mixed use with priority given to the deer and other wild life, but
should not be restricted for minimal use from other parties. Thanks.
Action Taken: contacted

5/26/10
Anonymous
ACHD: I’m an Idaho taxpayer and I’ve come to find out that Cloverdale is again torn up. Would
it not have made sense to put that pipe down when you had it torn up last year? To have that
sign sitting there saying your tax dollars at work really makes you look dumb. I don’t know who
is in charge of Ada County Highway District, but they need some new blood. Thank you.

5/26/10
Anonymous:
Disclaimer: I just called to say I cannot even believe that you publish people’s phone numbers
and their addresses along with their comments. You do not specify that you are going to
publish whatever address or phone number people leave, including their unlisted phone
numbers. People are actually leaving that information so that you can get back to them, not so
that you publish it on the internet so everybody knows where it is. That is a violation of people’s
privacy and their safety. I guess I won’t leave my phone number because you obviously don’t
do anything about the complaints and all you will do is get it published on the internet. GOOD
GOING, HOW DARE YOU AND YOU BETTER FIX YOUR DISCLAIMER!

5/27/10
Billy Jo Walker
1110 S. Bond or Pond
Boise, ID 83705
333-0159
ACHD: Our issue is that we have a north-south street and an east-west street that goes no
where and we have duplexes on one side of the street and no parking on the other side. Boise
City Code Enforcement has issues with parking and we need somebody to come check out our
parking so we can get this straight with the city. Thank you
ACHD
Action Taken: I spoke w/ him and sent him to the hotline

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