City Government
Boise Refuses To Post Free Warning Signs
August 6, 2010 
Following the drowning death of a Garden City woman, a GUARDIAN reader contacted editor David R.Frazier suggesting that after three incidents at the same location in two weeks, perhaps some signs would be a good idea. We got them made overnight.
After the GUARDIAN provided free warning signs–funded by reader donations–Boise Fire officials said they would “accept the signs and evaluate them,” but they refused to post them along the Boise River. The GUARDIAN posted them anyway!
No matter how many websites or videos they have, highway officials put up signs warning motorists of BUMPS at construction zones. It just makes sense to warn river users of deadly hazards like dams as well.
Thurman Mill Diversion on the Boise River has proven to be a deadly hazard, so the BOISE GUARDIAN news blog commissioned 4 sets of warning signs to be placed in plain view of folks using the Boise River west of the Fairview bridge crossing.
We originally contacted Boise Fire Chief Dennis Doan with the offer and said we would deliver them to a training exercise/media event at the diversion where the tragedy took place. However by the time we got to the site the STATESMAN had run a brief on their web page which got immediate response from the office of Mayor Dave Bieter. Firemen were instructed to NOT PLACE the warning signs along the river. Meanwhile the signs are in place despite the efforts of Team Dave and should serve as a warning to the unwary that it is not safe to tube or raft downstream of Ann Morrison Park
Chief Doan later said his staff is meeting with Boise Park staff Monday to come up with some “more permanent signs.” Several city workers told us, “at least you got the ball rolling,” obviously chagrined at the official response to the charitable offer.
HERE IS SOME HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE ON BOISE CITY’S RIVER POLICIES:
https://boiseguardian.com/2006/03/23/swimming-upstream/
https://boiseguardian.com/2006/03/27/drowning-in-bureaucracy/
To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.
Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Aug 6, 2010, 6:17 pm
Props to Dave, BG and the reader who got a shout out tonight on KTVB’s News at Six! Great idea!
Aug 6, 2010, 10:53 pm
you stole union jobs
Aug 6, 2010, 10:54 pm
Why do you always have to make everything such a controversy? If you had gone to the city, not the fire dept who have no juristiction over signage, and offered to donate signs, what would have happened? Perhaps they would have accepted your donation or directed you to the proper department to help install appropriate signage. Oh, but wait, you would have lost the opportunity to slam BFD and the city administration and get your own media attention. Grow up Dave.
Good idea to warn rafters, wrong avenue!
Aug 7, 2010, 7:46 am
Patti, why slam Dave Frazier? He’s the one actually doing something. The Fire Department is still part of the City, and since their the one’s that rescue people from the river, could and should be an appropriate entry point for suggestions, signs, etc.
Thw whole point here is that the city leaders are behaving childishly. And it appears they will be spending an enormous amount of time (taxpayer paid) and money (new signs with officialese) to do what’s already been done. But hey, it’s not their money even though they’re seriously in a deficit hole.
PS Patti, where do you think the Statesman got the idea to run the article? It sure wasn’t from their own reporting.
Someone needs to grow up here, but it ain’t the Guardian!
Aug 7, 2010, 8:24 am
Go to the city and offer to donate signs Patti? I’m guessing you’ve never dealt much with the city government.
If we’re lucky, those signs would get placed in time for next year’s floating season.
Thanks Dave, good idea and good job.
Aug 7, 2010, 8:57 am
Good comment Patti. Dave was even on the KTVB news last night!
This is a “news” blog? Really? I thought news reporting was generally supposed to be unbiased. Looks to me as though you’re trying to make news rather than simply report on it.
Aug 7, 2010, 9:34 am
To the shrew (appropriate name)–
Your comments always seem to favor Team Dave which is hardly unbiased. Channel 7 also often leans your way so LOGIC tells me it was KTVB that saw the G-Man did a good deed and made unbiased news. Your city mouth said there were no plans or requests for any signs.
As usual Frazier won.
Aug 7, 2010, 9:41 am
Josh,
Be sure you are in Garden city tonight so you can be with your antiunion brethren. Get a life3
Aug 7, 2010, 1:23 pm
Imagine that – someone with common sense and a care for humanity that actually takes action, Vs standing by and complaining or worse yet, waiting for big brother government to right all wrongs…. the world needs more BG’s.
The winners here are the unwary river floaters who at least now have some warning of the dangers.
Aug 7, 2010, 2:30 pm
Geeze! As a lawyer I can imagine the city atty saying posting a sign
before the dam may create a duty to post signs at other dangerous
places on the river, e.g., where tree limbs overhang the river. But
Geeze, let’s get real. That location is dangerous so people need to
be warned. Good job.
I suppose it is fortuitous that Team Dave has abandoned full text
reproduction of calls to the mayor’s hotline with summaries. A call
to put a goddamn sign before the dam will probably be translated into
“A citizen called with some river safety recommendations”.
Aug 7, 2010, 3:10 pm
You can plaster all the signs you want, and if it saves one person, I’m all for it. But let’s not pretend that outdoorsy folks, you know, the ones riding downtown on their bikes with babies in trailors behind them, are going to pay any more attention to a drowning threat than they do to a car running down a trailor. And, I am surprised by extending our firefighters 13 miles when they are already worked to the max.
Aug 8, 2010, 7:13 pm
Untamed Shrew is a “pseudonym” for her real name which is “Angry Rodent”! She wouldn’t give the Guardian credit for anything even if it meant she could leave her crappy government job.
Congrats Dave, but you had to know the phone at the fire chief’s office was going to ring and either Reilly or Zuzel would be on the line saying ” don’t even think about putting up those signs! We will make up our own signs and charge the taxpayer a bundle to do so.”
Aug 8, 2010, 7:54 pm
I am puzzled by people’s actions on the Boise River. It’s not a ride at a carnival… but then I’ve grown up floating it and being told how to respect the willows, etc. But it is no longer that era and people need to be warned where there is danger ahead and where they should exit the river.
Good job Frazier. I am sorry that the people “in charge” miss no opportunity to fail to serve the public by doing what is right.
Aug 9, 2010, 9:45 pm
The most dangerous place in Boise is not on the river…It’s standing between Dave Frazier and an imagined controversy which involves the city and their inability to recognize his significant contributions to our “awesome” Boise lifestyle. Thanks again Dave. Have you broken your arm yet patting yourself on the back? How many times can one man be our hero?
Aug 9, 2010, 10:28 pm
Caveat emptor. Lawyers have made us all afraid to do anything for anyone in the fear we may get sued.
People who can’t swim or control a tube or boat need to be aware of the downside possibities.
A decent set if signage warning people of what lies ahead seems reasonable to me in the interests of “public safety”.
Aug 10, 2010, 6:21 pm
Signed in again under a different name Bored? Or is it Boring??? You know, eventually that cushy little job he has is going away!