CCDC
CCDC, County Still At Odds Over Parking
This came in from a disgruntled worker along Front Street: “Taxpayers subsidize Ada County employee parking fees at the Courthouse. Wish someone would subsidize mine – I work in the same complex and CCDC is charging the highest in the downtown area and there is no 1st hour free.” Her complaint is only the tip […]
GUARDIAN Top 2009 Stories By Month
As the legacy media does its annual TOP TEN stories to fill space between the holidays, the GUARDIAN has done the same thing based on what we have posted in the past year. In rereading some of the posts and comments, it appears we have an inordinate number of comments on police and fire stories. […]
GUARDIAN Christmas Wish List
For those who believe in Santa Clause, we have a Christmas wish list which has plenty of room for additional items. A toy train for Dave Bieter so he will stop trying to force a trolley and AMTRAK upon the kind, decent inhabitants of the City of Trees. A toy ambulance for the Boise FD […]
Urban Renewal Agencies Plot State Law Revisions
While most of us are planning for the holidays and trying to finance toys for the kids, urban renewal agencies around the state are plotting legislation that will give them unbridled control of spending public funds for projects that belong under city control–like sewers, transportation, and public buildings. Their plan to get the state law […]
City, Simplot Can’t Agree On New Building
A proposal for an agricultural museum and new offices for the J. R. Simplot Company to be built by the family foundation for about $100 million in downtown Boise is apparently on hold. Simplot and City officials have been meeting to hash out designs issues after the city declared the initial Simplot idea was not […]
TJ Favors Vote Of People On Trolley
Boise City Councilor-elect TJ Thomson told the GUARDIAN Monday he favors a vote of the citizens on Team Dave’s proposal to spend $60,000,000 on a downtown street car. When asked if he favored a vote, Thomson flat out said, “Yes, I support a public vote on the Street Car.” With regard to the petition drive […]
More On “Desire Named Street Car” (sorry)
EDITOR NOTE–We hate to keep beating this Trolley Horse, but the politicos and press just won’t let it die. Team Dave Just won’t quit Pushing this streetcar bit There is no way they can Cover this crazy plan They’ll just put a LID on it! –Poet Paul Both the DAILY PAPER and the BOISE WEEKLY […]
Poll Supports GUARDIAN Transit Plan
According to a poll commissioned by the Daily Paper, 63% of folks in the city of trees agree with the GUARDIAN position that we should upgrade the bus system and forget about the “Desire NAmed Street Car.” OK, they didn’t exactly say they supported the GUARDIAN position, but we have indeed advocated bus improvements over […]
Trolley PR Transparency Not So Clear
FROM POET PAUL– The streetcar bid was Cronin’s wish Now there seems to be something amiss The facts are apparent And may not be transparent But we can certainly see through this! Chalk one up for the DAILY PAPER! Using the public records law and some good old fashioned reporting skills, Cynthia Sewell raises some […]
Government, WAC, Bend Minds With PR Dollars
The use of Public Relations firms to build support for everything from jails to street cars and now football bowl bids is reaching the level of absurdity. Does anyone really believe ADVERTISING and promotion will influence coaches and sports writers to grant BSU a bowl game bid? The most prominent recent PR exercise was the […]
How A Bad Idea Just Got Worse
Only Team Dave and a handful of people with blinders and earplugs think there is public support for a $60 million trolley to nowhere in downtown Boise. Just when we figured the issue was off track, council candidate Dave Litster sends us a lettter he received from the CCDC confirming the agency is budgeting $75,000 […]
Team Dave Tries Brainwashing Public
We have long been unhappy with the efforts of Team Dave to shape public opinion on the “Trolley Folly.” Now it looks like the mayor and staff are following in the mold of the infamous Brent Coles Coles spent public funds to influence the outcome of the Foothills Tax Levy election, but it was only […]
Bogota, Colombia Adopts GUARDIAN Bus Plan
A reader sent us a link to a NEW YORK TIMES story about the South American City of Bogota, Colombia adopting a plan espoused by the GUARDIAN to establish a “bus rapid transit system” in Boise. Despite the success in other cities and the simplicity of the idea–using buses on a grid route much like […]
More Join GUARDIAN With Trolley Concerns
Looks like at least some of Boise’s business folks–even those appointed by Team Dave to promote a trolley–are leaning just a little toward the GUARDIAN point of view that a trolley is a surefire folly as it stands today. We continue the mantra: LET THE PEOPLE VOTE ON THE FINANCING! If they vote to tax […]
A Street Car Named Dumbo (White Elephant)
GUEST POST BY TIM RHODES Boise Mayor Dave Bieter’s plan to have streetcars rolling in Downtown Boise by summer 2012 may be receiving some help from Sen. Mike Crapo to push it to the next level if Congress springs for the pork. Team Dave’s plan is to have the first phase of a downtown streetcar […]
Simplot Dream Project Has Potential
We’ve seen it all before–the Daily Paper features a huge color architect rendering on the front page with a gushing story about extravagant plans. The plans seldom work out because the hype is just the first phase of what is really a financing scheme. Things like a convention center, hotel, high rise tower, Tamarack, “European” […]
Straight Poop On Saturday Market
GUARDIAN reader Hillary got our attention when she wrote about the overflow demand for “services” at the Saturday Market on 8th street. Never one to suffer in silence, Hillary wrote to the CCDC about increased fees for vendors at the market to cover the cost of those plastic phone booth style restrooms known as Porta […]
Farmers Market Unlikely Despite Citizen Pleas
Even with the qualifier of being a “Northender,” we doubt the people who want fresh veggies during the growing season under the politically correct greenie label of “sustainable,” will be able to overcome the powerful CCDC urban renewal agency (Capital City Development Corp.) or the Downtown Business Association. Those outfits control the popular Saturday market. […]
CCDC Blinks On Ada Parking Policy
It looks like Boise’s urban renewal agency, the Capital City Development Corp., is backing down on its proposed draconian parking policy at the Ada County Courthouse. It would have eliminated a 10 minute free drop and a reduced rate for jurors and coppers. Previously the Commishes ponied up $18,000 a month to give citizens first […]
Proposed Amendment To Limit Voting Rights
In a shameful act of disdain for the constitutional rights of citizens, The Idaho legislature is trying to strip voters of authority currently guaranteed by the Idaho Constitution. At issue is Article VIII, sec 3 of the the constitution which gives citizens authority to approve long term debt by any “subdivision of state government”–generally cities, […]
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