Area Construction to Slow Commutes; City Hall Opens May 26 at Depot
The New Meadows City Council met Tuesday, May 13. All council members were present. No public comment was offered.
Mayor Julie Good began the meeting with her report giving updates from an ITD meeting earlier that day. She noted that upcoming bridge work north of town would result in one lane traffic. She also reported the Goose Creek Bridge project restart is delayed to not disturb some fish as well as an ongoing dispute resolution with the contractor. A tentative start date of June 6 is anticipated. Mayor Good gave ITD input on a safer location for the stop light and also expressed strong disappointment that the Last Chance campground would be closed for another season.
Mayor Good also asked at the meeting about a drain in front of the park restrooms that does not drain because of its height above ground and ITD representatives said they could look at the maintenance agreement between them and the city. The Mayor hopes they can update the agreement to be current and hopefully get help with problem areas.
A discussion in the meeting also brought up that only three passes in Idaho require chains by law. Mayor Good asked ITD to look into a chain requirement for Goose Creek canyon considering the frequency of jackknifed vehicles blocking the road in the winter months.
The Mayor reported that Idaho Power was doing some overhead preliminary work for the Ziply Fiber project. She said Ziply did get a public right of way permit and that John Stone has been overseeing that as a liaison for the City, but that Ziply had not yet sent a true plan for approval. A plan was sent with street names that do not exist in New Meadows. Ziply will also need to have a direct contract with John Stone for inspections before beginning work.
Mayor Good reported that around ten letters concerning the mowing grass and weeds ordinance were sent to citizens.
Next up, the Mayor introduced Traci Jamieson, Executive Director of Ignite Idaho for a presentation and update on their work. Ignite was founded in 2021 by Jamieson and Ashley McCoy. The organization is looking to expand and have a local office in New Meadows as well as in Cascade. Jamieson showed a video of the history and work of Ignite Idaho called “The Story of Ignite Idaho”. The video can be viewed on the Ignite Idaho Family Resource Center YouTube page.
Ignite Idaho’s mission is to strengthen families and prevent child abuse. Their goals include connecting individuals and families with community resources and they assist this effort by offering behavioral health services, parenting classes, quality drop-in daycare, youth support groups, and a youth assessment center inhouse. Their youth support groups offer lessons on healthy connections and boundaries as well as a safe and fun place to be. They also offer anxiety and grief specific support grounds for youth and families, as well as counseling, case management, and recovery coaching.
This summer, Ignite is offering an Adams County Summer Camp off of Longview Road. The 7th Day Adventist church has donated the use of their facility and Ignite received a grant that will pay for 8-12 year old New Meadows children to attend the camp for free. They have also arranged daily bus transportation to and from camp. The camp will run for ten weeks and they currently have 25 kids signed up with 10 of those being from New Meadows.
A discussion followed with Jamieson discussing local meeting space options especially once the new Youth Center opens and future youth mentorship program.
The council continued discussing the New Meadows Youth Center with Mayor Good noting there has been a delay in finishing the roof with the recent winds. The Mayor also said they are finishing work on the HVAC system and that the flooring has been delivered. Fill dirt was brought in on site the week ahead of installation of sidewalks and gutters. The Mayor noted a donation of $3,000 worth of sheetrock donated between C&M and a supplier. The Mayor and council along with project contractor Joseph Dalrymple discussed their gratefulness that the community has come together on this project with local companies stepping in and offering time, work, and supplies.
A drainage plan for the youth center and skate park is being finalized and once City Engineer Grae Harper approves it the skatepark can get started.
The Youth Center got news they were approved for a grant from the Fosdick. The Early Learning Foundation has decided the daycare will be named The Mini Mountaineers.
The Youth Center Open house has been moved to the Community Center to not compete with local events, but rather join together. The Mayor said the CC graciously let them join their Community BBQ on Wednesday, May 21 and set up a table with information for potential employees, daycare attendees, and volunteers.
Mayor Good met with the Adams County Historical Society board the week prior clarifying a multitude of discussion items related to the transition of City Hall to The Historic Depot.
Other updates to the project include installation by 4 Corners Communications of data access for most of the building City Hall will be using, security camera installation, City Hall sign ordered, and work beginning on a stand alone carousel for city maps.
City Hall is scheduled to open at The Depot on Wednesday, May 28. They will keep their current business hours of Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. City Hall will be closed at its current location beginning Thursday, May 22.
During a discussion on rental of the freight room, Mayor Good brought up an online community calendar option that would allow multiple local organizations to post their regular and special events. She noted that this would provide a true community calendar for the whole city including school, YAC, Community Center, library, youth center, and city events along with others wanting to post.
Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget review has begun for the city. The council reviewed the budget for the Industrial Park Complex.
An update was provided for Brown’s Mountain Recycling with the Mayor noting United Metal plans to be on site around the end of May or early June and that metal clean up should take them two weeks. The property will need to be reverted and cleaned to its prior condition before the Conditional Use Permit.
Joseph and Kymberly Dalrymple of Dalrymple Construction then presented a thorough proposal and business plan to the council for leasing space in the Industrial Complex. Their plan includes a tenant improvement plan and cost breakdown which would include creating a usable shop/storage space, moving and reconnecting all the water, adding an electric furnace in the mechanical room with an A/C, among other improvements. The proposal includes a recommended rental cost with a reduction to cover costs of the improvement to make the agreement mutually beneficial.
The council was very impressed with the proposal. They requested a timeline and presentations of updates throughout the process be included as an agreement term as well as ability to go in and inspect progress occasionally along with other stipulations. The Dalrymples will create a bid for the city council to review and include into the lease agreement and the council approved them to use the building as-is before the agreement is finalized and approved.
The City’s Volunteer Policy has been approved by legal counsel and the city council voted unanimously to approve it.
The Street Funding Brochure was unanimously approved with a note to double check all amounts noted and present it to the Roads & Streets Committee.
The New Meadows Parks & Rec Committee submitted a proposal for the kiosk in the city park and to offer more shaded seating. The east and west side panels in the kiosk would be removed allowing space for two picnic tables. The Committee also proposed locking displays and approval to maintain postings for the north and south panels. The Mayor also noted that ACHS also expressed interest in posting on the remaining panels. A motion to approve the Kiosk Proposal passed unanimously.
A proposal to switch City Hall internet services from Sparklight to Starlink was unanimously approved. The change will save the city money each month versus what they are currently paying and provide a higher bandwidth.
A Short Term RV Use Permit Application was approved after much discussion and intent to update both RV Use Permit forms at a future meeting.
The consent agenda was approved.
The council then moved into Executive Session and returned about ten minutes later.
A motion was made and approved unanimously to invoice All Seasons for services that were not rendered that the city paid for while they were leasing in the Industrial Complex.
Future meeting topics may include a report from Adams County Sheriff, another update on Brown’s Mountain Recycling, a budget review for wastewater, RV permit discussion and permit updates, discussions on Depot rental agreements, audit presentation, finalizing the rental application for the Dalrymple Construction lease, and an update on current water projects and updates with Kirk Kundrick.
The next city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. at 401 Virginia Street.
