The Mayor’s Corner 05/09/2018

Time for another update on the current status of the rebuilding of Ridley’s. Last article indicated the City had received the plans for the new building and they had been hand-delivered to our engineers for review as well as local review by the department heads. The reviews were completed last Tuesday and a meeting was scheduled for Thursday to discuss any needed adjustments to the plans. Unfortunately, Ridley’s indicated on Wednesday, they were unable to send a representative to attend the meeting. In order to keep the ‘ball rolling’, the City representatives and current property owner met to complete the review. The needed changes were recorded and finalized by those present and sent to Ridley’s on Tuesday, May 1. The City has not received any information regarding the progress of the ITD required traffic impact study.
Clarification on the choice of location for the rebuild of Ridley’s: the City had no input into the corporations decision to rebuild on E.6th. The corporation chose an area where they could build a bigger store and capitalize on the traffic from Hwy 95 more is my understanding. It was a purely business decision on their part.
Mr. Ridley indicated they hope to go out for bid in the next week. That will depend on the time it takes for the changes to be met, clarified or agreed to. The City Council agreed to issue a permit to begin site and foundation work as soon as the changes are addressed. That is the current status of the project from what we are aware.
Time for beginning annual fire hydrant flushing. The City Water crew will begin flushing hydrants on Thursday, May 17. “Annual flushing of the hydrants is necessary to provide better quality water and fire protection. Customers may experience fluctuations in pressure and/or discoloration of their water during flushing. If you experience discolored water, run your COLD water tap until it clears. During periods of discoloration, postpone washing clothes and limit your use of hot water until the cold water clears,” according to Bill Taylor, Water Department supervisor. Along with the exercising of values and ongoing maintenance of the hydrants, this helps insure the hydrants are functioning properly when needed.
May 15 is Election Day. Don’t forget to cast your vote in the primary of your affiliation. Vote at your regular voting poll. If you are not sure where that is, contact the Washington County Clerk’s officer at 208-424-2092 for further information. Remember you can register at the polls and you do need photo identification to cast your vote.
This Wednesday, May 9 is the first Weiser Wednesday sponsored by your local businesses. It will be held on State Street between W. Main and W. Idaho from 5-7 pm. There will be food, entertainment and vendors. The goal is to showcase some of our small businesses.
Careful on Hwy 95 for a little longer and watch traffic coming from Hwy 201 it has increased and sped up considerably with the construction on Hwy 95. Law enforcement coming that way has also increased. Drive carefully. Construction on Hwy 95 is scheduled to be done before Memorial Day weekend.
Who would have thought the wind and a small limb could have created so much havoc Saturday night!. The deep darkness and quiet on the west side of town was amazing. With all our lights and activity, we forget how dark and quiet it is. Thank you for your patience as our crews worked a long night to get the power back up. Thank you to our crews for their dedication to work on the problem to find a way to get service back to our residents as quickly and safely as possible,
This is National Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you to all our teachers and their dedication to our children. It seems appropriate that this is also the week before Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to the original teachers. Have a wonderful day on Sunday.