Good Reports that Skatepark Exceeding Expectations
The regular New Meadows city council meeting held on November 14 covered updates on the New Meadows Youth Center and Mehen Memorial Skatepark as well as new city business regarding personnel policies and bank accounts.
Mayor Julie Good reported the Skatepark is exceeding expectations and has seen daily activity. She said final documents for the city council to sign will be compiled soon along with receipts from completed work. The park contract with Grindline includes a one year warranty.
Good also said the city council’s decision to have John Stone act as inspector on the Ziply project has saved the community in many ways. Mayor Good said Stone has had to intervene at certain times to avoid issues and gave thanks for his work on this project. She also said the Right of Way permit and agreement states the project must conclude by November 1.
The Mayor said she was able to secure additional funding from the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for the Youth Center and has submitted a grant application for a $25,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant. She said the City also plans to submit a $50,000 gym grant application to benefit the Youth Center.
The Meadows Valley Early Learning Foundation is still interviewing for the Executive Director position, said Good. She reported that volunteers from Idaho First Bank and Creekside Nursery had spent time installing cubbies in the Youth Center hallway.
The city’s newest employee started last week jumping right in to help with repairs on S. Miller.
The Mayor said they have not received much response from the 4-way stop survey, but are still accepting feedback.
Regarding the Meadows Subdivision on Peterson Memorial, the Mayor reported that she had reached out for them to fill in the street holes and reopen the sidewalk. She said she then reached out to the project engineer and said they would not be able to continue work connecting to city services until the street was fixed. She noted work then began and while digging, a storm drain pipe along the sidewalk was damaged. The Mayor said she told the company they needed to repair the drain. A picture shown to the city council showed the pipe had been repaired, but the city council and mayor concurred it was not an appropriate fix for the coming winter weather and it would need to be fixed appropriately by November 1. Peterson Memorial was closed for repairs and paving October 16 and 17 and the closure was extended through Monday, October 20. The mayor told the council they would have a much more robust schedule and timeline in place before construction starts in the new year.
The city’s annual Trunk or Treat in the Park event put on by Parks & Rec will be held from 1-3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 31.
Mayor Good reported that St. Luke’s is highlighting the New Meadows Youth Center project as one of the important projects funded by their community health improvement fund.
She also reported that the New Meadows Food Bank is inviting local and regional organizations to attend and share resources on monthly food bank days to help raise awareness and access to local services.
Upcoming events at The Depot include History Night with Dale Fisk on October 22, Town Hall event with mayoral and school board candidates on October 30, and a Christmas Bazaar on November 22.
The mayor said she met with a local real estate agent regarding the old city hall building and the Council entered a discussion on how to move forward with the building. Mayor Good did receive the original 1958 deed and said the city does own the building. The discussion revolved around repairs that would need to be made if the city wanted to rent it out. Councilmember Shiloh Ryker said she thought it would be great to have a great space for renting, but wondered if the costs for repair might make it a better decision for The People if they sold it instead.
The council also discussed the possibility of rezoning the lot to allow for business and residential use so an apartment could be included in the back of the building. All involved agreed to get some quotes for an inspection to explore possible repair costs. Councilmember Traci Foster asked if they sold the building where would the money from the sale be allocated and the mayor said it would go back into the general fund.
The council reviewed possible options and approved the rules for the Mehen Memorial Skatepark. The Park Board is making the signage that will include the rules along with signage with park donor information.
Mayor Good said the city has used a US Bank credit card for quite awhile and they were wanting to make a change. The council approved a decision to open a credit card account with Idaho First Bank and close the US Bank account.
Councilmembers discussed finalizing changes to the city’s personnel policies regarding compensatory time, paid time off, and personal leave. They clarified paying out employees for amounts according to existing contracts and policies in order to move forward with changes. The changes were discussed with statements that the purpose of the changes was to honor employee’s worked hours and accrued benefits as well as to protect the city from large payouts for these types of benefits in the case of sudden employee departures.
The council then approved a few contracts and agreements including a two year Industrial Park lease with Salmon River Mobile Vet and approval to provide space for a trailer holding supplies for Meadows Valley Days. A Memorandum of Understanding will be drafted for the latter item. The council also approved an agreement with Idaho Intrastate Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (IdWARN) for mutual aid and a Law Enforcement agreement.
The Law Enforcement agreement is in the same amounts as in prior years. Foster said she and other community members had noticed a higher presence lately and at events like MV Days. She said she also noticed more Idaho State Police presence. Councilmembers and the mayor said they felt heard by Sheriff Zollman at their recent meeting. The mayor mentioned recent events including National Night Out, a night parade, and Meadows Valley Days and hoped this had helped foster a better relationship.
Future meeting topics may include finalizing the personnel policy and new bank account, reviewing inspection quotes for the old city hall building, and an MOU or rental agreements for the youth center kitchen and community room.
The next city council meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m..
