Saturday, Cathy and I went to Jump Creek Falls, south of Homedale, for a short hike and some scenery. For those of you who may not know about Jump Creek, there are several trails that can be explored. The easiest is straight up the canyon along Jump Creek to the Falls. It is only about a half mile hike round trip along Jump Creek with lots of small waysides where the creek has carved holes in the volcanic rock, making the hike short but interesting. At the end of the trail, you find yourself in a bowl-shaped area with a stark but beautiful 60-foot waterfall and pond.
The other trails take you on top of the canyon to see the canyon and falls from on high. Either way, from below or above, it is well worth the short trip.
Last week, I talked about the Blue Cross of Idaho Community Health Academy. As you may remember, the Academy taught that health has much to do with other factors than just genes, exercise, and healthy food choices. It also involves (1) Economic Stability, (2) Educational Access and Quality, (3) Healthcare Access and Quality, (4) Neighborhood Built Environment, and (5) Social and Community Context. Since there was too much to tell you about in one week, let’s continue this week.
Food Security was the next topic covered in the Academy. Prior to the session, I was assigned to find the food sources available in our community. This is an area where Weiser shines. In addition to having a fine supermarket, there are other discount stores that sell food. Also, there are three food banks consisting of Love, Inc., the Catholic Church, and WICAP as well as the Idaho Food Bank distributing food monthly at the Cornerstone Church. Moreover, the Senior Center provides Meals-on-Wheels and lunches on a regular basis. We are blessed both to have food availability to meet all needs here in Weiser and to have the people who make food availability possible.
The next discussion was around the walkability of a community. The speaker Mark Fenton was introduced as the “Michael Jordon of walking.” Much of the information was covered in the training at the Vendome this spring sponsored by Southwest District Health in which a fair number of community members attended.
As you might expect, making the community easier to walk and bike contributes to the physical health of the community. As you might also expect, some of the suggested changes would involve more expense than the City budget can afford, at the moment. However, over time the city may be able to implement the suggestions in a prioritized fashion.
The City has already implemented many good features, like ADA ramps on major walkway street corners, sidewalks required for new construction or significant remodels, new sidewalks leading to the Middle School and grocery shopping. The City also will be putting in new sidewalk from the High School to downtown and Memorial Park next spring. In the meantime, there are a few simple improvements that can be made, like painting crosswalks in a vertical bar pattern for driver visibility.
The last session had to do with communications and how the City tells its story.
The next step in this process will be sitting down with the Blue Cross Foundation to talk about a Weiser project to promote community health. I reached out to the hospital to get their suggestions. There will be more on this later.
Now, on to City business. Since we have had the first frost of the season, it is time to clean out the garden. For those of you with an alley behind the house, if you place the yard waste in the alley and out of the way of the garbage trucks, the City crew will come through and haul it off for you. This free service will start Monday on the east side of town. So, be sure to get the yard waste in the alley quickly to take advantage of this service.
Also, as the leaves have started falling, the city crew will soon be going around to pick up the leaves for free. Simply rake the leaves into the street next to the curb. If you do not have a curb, rake the leaves into the asphalt on the street. Since the City uses a vacuum to collect the leaves, any other foreign objects may damage the impellers. Please make sure there are only leaves in your pile.
Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you are having a great fall and taking advantage of this great weather!

Cathy and I had planned on going camping one last time this last weekend.  Well, you know what the weather was like, so we revised our plans.  It wasn’t as much fun as what camping usually is, but it was more fun than sitting in a trailer in the rain.

This week I thought I would write a little more in depth about the Community Health Academy, which was made available by the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation, that David Tate and I attended.  The education revolves around the concepts of the Social Determinants of Health.  The idea is that a person’s health is not just determined by their genes, amount they exercise, or their food choices.  From what I understand researchers had discovered a while back that life expectancy in this country varied from zip code to zip code.  In expanding the research to discover of why this was so, they found that there were five main areas affect a person’s health: Economic Stability, Education Access and Quality, Health Care Access and Quality, Neighborhood Built Environment, and Social and Community Context.

Studying all aspects of all five areas would be daunting to say the least.  So, the Community Health Academy chose to focus on areas where cities could exert some influence or control.

The first session was about affordable housing.  The speaker discussed how housing security was foundational to a person’s well-being.  We then went to see a couple of projects in Boise for getting people into new very modest houses.  Although, the presentation was interesting to learn about and observe, the results would be difficult to replicate here, because of the economics.  Much of the funding for the houses we looked at were financed by grants and donated land to help homeless people get off the street.  Weiser’s housing shortage is a bit different.  The new development in town has the possibility to help ease the housing shortage, but again, economics will be the major factor on the success.

The next presentation was by the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children.  The discussion centered around the need for quality early childcare and education and the impact of the lack thereof on Idaho’s economy.  The economic impact included the fact that parents must often leave the workforce to provide for their children.   If a parent can find childcare, the quality of the care has a huge impact on the development of the child.  The quality of the care and education is typically dependent on the cost, which many young families have difficulty affording. 

The presenter provided a considerable amount of material for us to take back to learn more about the challenges and, also, ways to address those challenges.  I am happy to say that I reached out to one of our early childhood educators here in town for both of us to look over the material and then get back together to go onto next steps.

The third presentation was more to help us as participants.  The session revolved around civility.  The speaker gave some very helpful instruction on how to maintain personal control of ourselves and keep the conversation civil when we find ourselves in stressful situations.

There were more sessions that I will talk about in the next article.

Well, that’s it for this week.  I hope that you are adjusting to the cold weather.  I just wouldn’t recommend camping right now.

This last week was very busy and very interesting. Monday was a holiday, so Tuesday was the first day of the week.
The week started off in Nampa with Council Persons Alicia Fowler, Sterling Blackwell and I attending the semi-annual workshop of Associated of Idaho Cities. This session was a hands-on team effort to “re-build” a hypothetical downtown area after a fire. We were given a “map” of a downtown area, which buildings had survived, and, as in real life, a number of competing interests on what was wanted and needed for the present and future of the “new” downtown. It needed to have a mix of business and residential, arts and education, parks, and other amenities. On top of it all financial considerations had to be taken into effect with absorption rates, non-taxable properties, relative tax value for diverse types of property, etc. culminating in a projected return rate for the developer and tax income for the services provided to the area. It was a remarkably interesting and challenging exercise.
Alicia, Sterling, and I were on the same team developing our “city” and benefited from each other’s insights. This exercise is potentially beneficial as the Economic Development Committee begins working with the Main Street America program.
On Wednesday, City Clerk David Tate and I attended the last in-person training for the Blue-Cross of Idaho Foundation’s Community Health Academy in Boise. There were two sessions for the day: one on walking and biking and another on communication. The session on walking/biking was similar to the one held last spring here in the Vendome. However, a gentleman named Mark Fenton, an MIT engineer who is considered the “Michael Jordon” of the walking world, presented this session. The credentials may seem a little arrogant, but Mark was a very down to earth and knew that a one size fits all solution does not work everywhere. Every community is different with unique needs and abilities. David and I came away with several ideas and, just as importantly, possible funding sources.
The communications workshop was centered around telling the city’s “story.” In other words, what makes Weiser Weiser? Why are we unique? Why do we live in Weiser? It was a wonderful way to think in terms of a story instead of just facts.
Overall, the Community Health Academy was a thought provoking and useful experience. There is one more Zoom session this Friday. Then in November, I will have a one-on-one session with the Foundation leaders to discuss a community health project. The foundation will be offering a grant for Weiser’s proposed project of up to $20,000. I have some ideas of my own but would like to also hear from you. So…if you have ideas of projects that could promote healthier living in Weiser, please let me know.
In City news this week, Timbra Long, the librarian, wanted me to let you know the Library will have ANOTHER movie day this Friday, October 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This week’s feature presentation will be “The Bad Guys.”
At first, I was alarmed by this title! Why would we want to show a movie about BAD GUYS to a bunch of kids? But then, I looked it up online and I guess it looks OK. The animated movie is based on a series of children’s books by the same name about bad animal actors who try to go straight. The reviews and audience ratings are high and there appears to be a good moral to the story. So, if you are looking for something to do this Friday while school is out, go on over to the Library for some good movie fun.
Also, Wayne Wallace of the Electrical Department said the electrical crew usually trim trees out of the power lines during the winter months. Winter is the time of year that the leaves are off from the trees and therefore easer for the crew to trim and to see which limbs need to be trimmed. So, if your leaves are starting to touch the lines, please be patient, winter will be here soon.
Well, that’s it for this week. If you have ideas for the community health grant, please let me know. And, have a great week!

In last week’s column, you may remember that I was letting you know about the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation’s Mayor’s Walking Challenge that occurs every October. Well, on the first day of the challenge, Saturday, October 1, I was a little late getting started. So, it was after dark before I went for a walk to get me past the 10,000-step mark.
I went up W. 1st Street to see if I could tell where the water main had broken the week before. When I got to Gladhart Avenue, I found where the main had broken, been fixed, and covered back up. But I also heard then saw a large white truck partially blocking Gladhart about a block and a half away and went to investigate.
What I found was the City’s vacuum truck sucking sewage from a maintenance hole. The Wastewater Plant manager, Lonnie Chambers, and the department’s newest member, Mack Kissel were there pumping a line that had backed up to keep it from re-entering houses.
It turns out that one of the adjoining homes had been working with an area drain plumbing service to put a plastic liner in their wastewater pipe. However, the plumbing service did not stop when they reached the wastewater main line and continued past that point. The result was a highly effective plug to the mainline that did not allow the line to drain, therefore everything above that point was backing up.
So, Lonnie and his crew had to pump water from the line several times and monitor it over weekend. On Monday, a camera and drill were brought in to punch a temporary hole in the plug. At the time of this writing, Friday, October 7, 2022, we are still working on the situation as the section of main line will need to be replaced.
I am mentioning this encounter with Lonnie and Mack because it is just a single example of the dedication that the City employees display in providing services for Weiser. I have worked closely with literally hundreds of businesses. I have not often seen the level of dedication and commitment to their work that is shown by the City’s employees. I am incredibly pleased to be associated with this bunch.
By the way, the homeowner will not be held responsible for plugging the main line. (But the drain and rooter service will be receiving a rather substantial bill.)
Another encounter I had this last week was much more pleasant. Last Thursday, I teamed up with the good people at the Association of Idaho Cities for a program called Readers Become Leaders, in which the mayor reads a book to third graders. The book is about a group of kids who live near each other, but they do not have any water, wastewater, garbage service, or any places to play. So, they go about forming their own city to provide for these things.
So, I had the immense pleasure and privilege to read to about ninety third graders. This was followed by an activity book for the kids. The kid’s first task was to fill out a questionnaire for drawing to be held in a few months for $100 to go to their class for supplies or whatever. One of the questions was what they would change if they were the mayor. I am looking forward to seeing their answers.
After the questionnaire was completed, we went out to where the busses normally park. The City had sent over Lonnie Chambers, Jason Blair, and Nick Edwards to show the Wastewater Department’s vacuum truck, the Water Department’s valve exerciser, and the Electric Department’s drilling truck. (Nick stole the show when he started pivoting the boom around on the drilling truck and the opening and closing the pincers for placing poles. The kids went nuts.)
The children were great! My admiration of the teachers, which was stellar to begin with, rose even further. I also want to say “Thank You” to the Pioneer School Principal, Dr. Sarah Hatfield, for allowing us to create a bit of chaos to her day by making this presentation!
Well, that’s it for this week. May all your wastewater lines flow smoothly! Hope you have a great week!

The grandsons were over this weekend. They came over about noon on Saturday and stayed until 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning. So, it was a whirlwind time of games, toys, reading, picnic and play time in the park, and just having fun. Sunday, Cathy and I rested.
For those of you who might be interested, Seth Mathews, the Chairman for the Weiser Area Rural Fire District and I signed a Joint Powers agreement for the Rural Fire District to provide fire and EMS services to the City.
The original intent was to have the Rural District annex the City into the District. The City residents would be assessed on their taxes to pay for the services rather than to the City. The City would then have lowered the City’s budget and tax assessment by the amount that had been budgeted to operate the Fire Department. However, the State Legislature passed a bill severely limiting all property taxing district’s ability to annex. So, instead, we have gone the route of a written agreement.
Essentially, in the agreement the City turns over most of the fire equipment to the Rural District. Costs are split between the City and the Rural District. In the event for whatever reason either entity decides to discontinue the arrangement, the District would return the equipment so the City could again provide services.
The reason the City decided to go down this road was for cost and efficiency’s sake. The two departments were having to buy much of the same expensive equipment. They were duplicating many of the same expenses. They were competing from the same pool of people for volunteers. The departments were located just a few blocks from each other. And, on larger calls, they would both respond anyway.
An example of why this made sense was the fact, that if this consolidation did not take place, the City would need to be seriously looking at purchasing a new pumper truck for nearly $500,000. This purchase would need to take place within the next year or two in order to maintain the current service level. The Rural has a new pumper on order now. This way the City and the Rural are not duplicating efforts and expenses.
It has taken a few months to work out all the details, but I now feel we have an agreement we can all live with that is fair for both the rural and city residents.
Now on to City business. This week Lonnie Chambers and Waste Water Department will be receiving a shipment of manhole covers, bases, etc. to replace some existing units. Each unit weighs around 2 to 3 tons, so these units are Heavy. The manhole cover alone weighs around 1,200 lbs.! So, please be watch out for these guys working in the streets. You don’t want to accidentally run into what they are working on!
Also, Ken Anderson of the Recreation Department says it is once again time to sign up for basketball. There will be a clinics available for 1st and 2nd grade boys and 1st through 6th grade girls. The deadline for signing up is October 12. The clinics will taking place in November and December. Also, the boys 3rd through 6th grade boys basketball league, which will take place in November and December will have a deadline of October 12. The girls 3rd through 6th grade will have league games in January and February with a sign up deadline of December 14.
In addition, the Recreation Department is registering teams for the Men’s Pre-Season Basketball league. The deadline for these teams is October 19, with games to be played in November and December.
For questions and further information, please contact either Ken or Jhonna at the Recreation Department or by calling 208-414-0301.
Well, that’s it for this week. There will not be a column from me next week, as Cathy and I are going to take a little vacation. Hope you have a great week and we’ll see you when we get back!