Highway 95 Closure Hurts Local Businesses, Commuters
Editor’s note: ITD completely closed Highway 95 north of Council this past Sunday evening.
The partial closure of Highway 95 north of Council has had an impact on most of the businesses in Council, and most fear the month-long total closure will have an even greater impact on their businesses and the customers they serve.
Kerri Lynch, supervisor at M&W Market said their business has been down about 40% since Highway 95 washed out north of Council, and she expects it to get worse once the road is totally closed.
“We have about 100 people in Council and in Indian Valley who work in New Meadows or McCall, and they are not buying anything because they won’t be able to work and don’t know how they’ll get paid,” she said.
She also said the store gets weekly deliveries from the north and she doesn’t know how they will get those deliveries now. A Fed Ex driver told her they will continue to make deliveries every other day, coming from the south.
Charles Dickinson, manager of the Farmer’s Supply Co-op said that since the wash out, they have lost all their semi-truck traffic. He estimates that full closure of the highway will cause the business to lose 50% of its revenue.
He said they will try to keep open the same hours from 5:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. but said they may have to cut employee hours.
“It might be a good idea if ITD had an alternative route from Fruitvale to Lost Lake so traffic could still come through. It would take a lot of gravel but might be worth it,” he said.
Jackson’s assistant manager Jayme Sheen estimates that they have lost between 30% and 50% of their revenue during the partial closure. She said full closure looks grim for their business.
Mike Westfall, owner of Dad’s Place, said their revenue has dropped by about 30% over the past two weeks. He said the state knew that section of roadway was in bad shape, for they had flags out for months and didn’t do anything to fix it. He plans to stay open for local residents when the highway shuts down.
Mark Krogh, manager of the Tamarack Mill, said that his business has been impacted by the partial road closure. “Most of our employees live in Council, and it’s been difficult for them to get here. Now, with the impending total road closure, we plan to house as many employees as possible in New Meadows,” he said.
They also typically send two lumber trucks twice a day to their mill in Meridian. Now it is only possible to send those trucks once a day because they must go through McCall.
He expects to lose 30% of his revenue during the coming weeks.
Tosha Dion, owner of Tosha’s Tinctures and Herbs, said she expects to lose about 25% of the store’s revenue during the highway closure, but she also said the store has the ability to mail their products to people living in the New Meadows and McCall areas.
She said she is more concerned about her husband’s concrete and construction business because he does most of his work north of Council.
“He works in New Meadows, Riggins, McCall and Lucille, and so we may have to move up there and stay with friends during the road closure,” she said.
Jerrill Schrock, owner of Schrock Construction and Mesa Sheds, said the partial road closure has been a challenge, and that he expects the total road closure to be an even greater challenge in late April, when much of his work takes place north of the closure.
Harold Carpenter, owner of Carpenters Trim Works, said that 95% of his business takes place north of the slide. His pregnant wife was supposed to deliver at the McCall Hospital last Saturday. He said they will likely try to find a place to rent in McCall.
Bill Brown, co-owner of the Boardroom Lounge at Wilson’s, said since the partial road closure, his business has increased. He believes this to be because people heading north were turned back and landed at his place.
He also said that once the road closes, his business will slow.
Becky Lichtenberger, owner of the Baker’s Pantry, said that her business is typically slower during the winter months, but she has missed some regular customers who come down from McCall and New Meadows. But she also gets quite a few customers who come up from Caldwell, and she’s hoping that will offset the loss of her northern customers when the road closes.
She said that in the past, all her deliveries came from the north, but now they will have to come through Washington, but she will still get them.
Eric Rosengrant, Manager of Napa Auto Parts, said business has been down since the partial closure, and he expects it will go down even more after the total closure.
Western Timber, the Adams County Health Clinic, Council Computers, and the Ace Saloon all say the partial road closure has not affected their businesses.
St. Luke’s McCall has 16 employees who are impacted by the Highway 95 closure. Employees affected work in both the hospital and clinics. Their roles include patient access specialists, environmental linen services, medical assistant, laboratory, nurse, EMT, certified nurse assistants and security. They work a variety of shifts, including day, evening, and night.
St. Luke’s McCall medical center and clinic operation’s will not be impacted. To ensure they are not impacted they are working with employees and department leaders to provide accommodations for those impacted.
Prior to the full road closure, they worked with the employees and their department leaders to flex their schedules that would allow them to travel to and from work during the limited road opening.
Now that the road will be fully closed at least until the beginning of May, St. Luke’s will provide temporary housing for employees. This will be accomplished through hotels and utilizing St. Luke’s existing temporary housing near campus. They have one employee who has a camper, who has shared they will bring it to McCall to use for their housing for the days they are working.
“The response from our leaders and senior leaders has been very supportive. I’m grateful for the tireless work of the McCall team to ensure our team is cared for and the commitment of our staff to make sure we can care for the health care needs of the community during this challenging time,” said Amber Green St. Luke’s McCall Chief Operating and Nursing Officer
Council EMS and Fire, whose boundaries go three miles north of the road closure, said that Meadows Valley EMS and Fire will take any calls from that area.
Adams County Prosecutor Peter Donovan, who has been staying in McCall said he did not feel comfortable discussing what his plans are for when the road closes.
UPS will continue to make deliveries to Council; they will be coming from Payette.
