The Mayor’s Corner 07/17/2019

Mayor Diana Thomas

The weekend was a sad time for our community. Our sympathy and prayers go out to the families of all impacted by the two vehicle accidents on Hwy 95. These prayers also extent to the first responders who reported for duty to help and to the dispatchers who take the calls and are the first response. We appreciate all these folks some are volunteers and some it is their livelihood and must face these tragedies to often. Thank you for your service and compassion.
The storm Sunday night got our attention. Limbs were down all over town along with a couple of good-sized trees. Thankfully, none of our primary power lines were affected but we did have several service lines that went down. Thank you to those who reported lines down. Please remember to call dispatch or the department on-call number to report the problem so the address can be logged in.
All departments are busy cleaning up after the storm. The Electric Department is busy checking limbs and areas of concern and the Street Department is removing limbs and downed trees around town. They will remove trees and limbs on City right-of-way but do not remove trees and limbs from private property. If you do see limbs on power lines, contact the City office at 208-414-1965 and they will come out to check the line. The Street Department is also replacing signs that were blown off.
Residents where lines went down were very knowledgeable about staying away from the lines this weekend. Just a couple of reminders if this should happen again for the rest of us. These come from Electrical Safety Foundation International: ?”1) If you see a downed power line, move away from it and anything touching it. The ground around power lines – up to 35 feet away – may be energized. You cannot tell whether or not a power line is energized just by looking at it. You should assume that all downed power lines are live. 2) Do not attempt to move a downed power line or anything else in contact with it by using an object such as a broom or stick. Even non-conductive materials like wood or cloth, can conduct electricity if even slightly wet. 3) If you see someone who is in direct or indirect contact with the downed line, do not touch the person. You could become the next victim. Call 911 for help. 4) ? Do not drive over downed power lines. 5) If your car comes in contact with a downed power line while you are inside, stay in the car. Honk your horn to summon help, but direct others to stay away from your car. 6) If you must leave your car because it is on fire, jump out of the vehicle with both feet together and avoid contact with both the car and the ground at the same time. Shuffle away from the car. 7) The proper way to move away from the power line is to shuffle away with small steps, keeping your feet together and on the ground at all times. This will minimize the potential for a strong electric shock.
On Wednesday morning, July 17 from 4-9 am, the Electric Department will be adding connections at the new Ridley’s and BiMart stores. The power will be off during those hours but are expected back on before shopping time although BiMart does have a generator backup system.
After the cleanup, the Electric Department will be returning to work on the east side of town in the alley between E. Hanthorn and E. Butterfield to upgrade and replace the service in the area.
Congratulations to the Weiser Valley Roundup for their successful celebration of 75 years this past weekend. It was great seeing the former Rodeo Queens and princesses join in celebration on Friday night.
Free sports physicals on Monday, July 22 from 5:30-7:30 at the WHS Auxiliary Gym. If you have students taking part in athletics be sure to take advantage of this great service provided by our local Medical providers. It’s hard to believe that the summer is winding down so quickly. Enjoy what is left of it and stay cool.