I hope everyone is staying warm. I don’t know about you, but I am ready for the temperature to start moving up a bit.

And speaking of cold, what would you think of divers willingly going into the Snake River right now? That is what divers from an engineering firm did for Weiser last week. They were checking out our intake system for the City’s water system.

The City has two water intakes, one from the Snake River and one from the Weiser. Before you become alarmed that we drink river water, just know that the water goes through an extensive purification process to make it clear, sparkling, and perfectly drinkable before it reaches your house.

That being said, Bill Taylor at the Water Department had been noticing a little bit of organic matter getting past the first barrier, so we decided to check it out. The advantage of diving this time of year is that water flows are low and the water clarity is high. So, these divers went into the frigid water of their own free will to check out your water system.

The initial finding was that the screen in the Snake River had been knocked loose and just needed to be put back in place, which they did. The Weiser River intake had been bent due to ice and/or boat damage and will require some minor repairs, which the engineering firm will get back with us on how to implement.

In addition, these intake systems were put in place in the 1970’s with an engineering life of about 50 years. So, it is about time to check out not only the initial intake point, but also to run a camera down into the pipes to find out if there are any problems inside. This will be done at a later date. There are some issues with size and layout of the pipes that are creating concerns for the engineering firm on how to insert and retrieve their very expensive camera. There will be more on this later.

Also speaking of cold water, the aerators at the Fishing Pond were turned off last week. The Fire Department is needing to practice ice rescues. With the extended cold-spell this was a perfect time to create the conditions needed for this exercise. For those who are concerned about the fish population in the pond without the aerators, I am told that the fish will not be in any danger. The aerators will be turned back on after the exercise.

In other City news, I was visiting with Police Chief Smith this morning. Phoenix, the newest member of our police force, has probably already paid her way by the street value of the drugs she has sniffed out. Good Job Officer Phoenix! Weiser is proud of you! Your fellow Officer Abby has been doing a great job for years. You and Abby are making a great team.

For those of you who still have yard waste in the alleys from last year, the City has not forgotten you. The alley cleanup will continue as soon as the freezing temperatures break. Experience has taught our crews that in this kind of weather the yard waste also gets frozen making it difficult to pick up and potentially causing things to break. So, as soon as there is a thaw, the clean-up will continue.

Also, just a reminder to keep a trickle of water going to prevent pipes from breaking.

Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you stay warm and have a great week!

This last week was an interesting one. I had the privilege to meet for the first time with the group of Weiser High School leaders who have agreed to form an advisory committee to myself and the City Council. I was very impressed with this group, which consisted of Brylee Williams, ASB President, Alexandra Froshiesar, ASB Vice-President, Jaiden Gomez, ASB Secretary-Treasurer, Shelbi Burns, Senior Class President, Bryan Juarez, Junior Class President, Trista Buescher, Sophomore Class President, and Pearl Kaewta, Freshman Class President. We had just a short time to visit, but I was impressed by the sense that these students were used to working well with each other and had earned their leadership positions.

The purpose of this committee is two-fold. The first is to provide a student’s perspective to the needs and wants of living in Weiser. As I pointed out to them, when trying to improve Weiser, we can never get too many constructive perspectives.

Also, this committee will allow these young leaders to get a taste of how city and other levels of government work. I have asked that in bringing forward their ideas, they also vet the ideas for potential cost, payment method, and how to implement the ideas. The last piece is to make a presentation for their recommendations to the City Council for consideration.

I am really looking forward to working with these students and seeing where their ideas and perspectives lead us.

Another event that happened last week was a day for city officials to meet at the State Legislature. On Thursday, I was joined at the Capital building’s Lincoln Auditorium by your City Council members Alicia Cavazos and Sterling Blackwell.

The meeting started off with Governor Little addressing the audience to tell us about his state budget and policy agendas for this session. In addition, the governor took some time to answer questions from the city officials.

We also heard from Senator Jim Rice about potential reforms to the property tax law enacted last year and about state funding for school levies. Then we listened to Representative Jim Addis talk about possibly using impact fees to help finance growth particularly with highway districts.

There were three other state departments heads talking about everything from transparency and consistency in financial records sent to the state from cities and counties, to federal funds available for water and sewer projects, and funds available for roads and bridges.

We then went to lunch where we were joined by two of the three members of our District 9 legislative team. Senator Abby Lee and Representative Ryan Kirby met with us to discuss our concerns and give their perspectives. They also provided us with their contact information, and emphasized the importance of hearing from us on matters as the legislative session progresses. Overall, it was an informative day and one where Sterling, Alicia, and I were able to have a good conversation about our city’s needs with two of our legislators.

Well, that’s it for this week. Stay warm and let’s hope we start seeing the sun more soon.

This last weekend, Cathy and I had two of our grandsons over from Thursday afternoon through Saturday morning. We had a great time playing with them and their new toys from Christmas, taking advantage of Friday’s beautiful cold weather to sled in Memorial Park, putting together toy sailboat kits, playing games, and staying up until midnight to ring in the New Year and bang pots together.

Cathy and I are still recovering.

With the weather as cold as it is, I’d like to remind everyone to take precautions to keep your water pipes from freezing. There have been at least two homes in Weiser that experienced freezing pipes last weekend. The snow on the ground helps provide some insulation, but keeping water taps trickling keeps the water moving and moving water is less likely to freeze. So please, do yourself a favor. The water is cheap compared to frozen or busted pipes.

In City news this week, the snow crews have a request. When you are clearing your sidewalks and drive-ways, please shovel or blow the snow into your yard rather than in the street. The snow crews work hard to not just plow the snow from the middle of the road, but to remove the snow entirely. In order to remove snow in a timely manner, the workers often put in many overtime hours to complete the job. Shoveling or blowing your snow into the street just adds to the work and requires more time to clear the entire town. The additional snow placed in the streets from sidewalks and driveways increases the overtime thereby costing the city and ultimately you – as taxpayers – more for snow removal than necessary. And the crew doesn’t necessarily want the hours. So please, do your part by keeping the snow from sidewalks and driveways out of the street.

On another note, historically, Weiser has had one garbage collector in the fall, winter, and spring with a seasonal collector hired in the summer when there is increased demand (and smell.) Over the last couple of years, it was noticed that this rotation no longer met the demands of you, the residents. There have been several factors that have played into this, one of which is the fact there is no longer a recycling center in town. Another is that during the pandemic people began shopping more online and therefore discarding more cardboard.

As a response to the increased need for services, we looked at the budget and fee schedule for the Garbage Department and realized we could reasonably add one employee without increasing rates.

So, in early November the City hired Joe Mills as an additional full-time garbage collector. We have been working with Joe to train him with the trucks and bring him up to speed. He is excellent with the equipment and is working out well.

That being said, the City is planning on beginning twice-a-week garbage pickups toward the end of February. Schedules will be announced and posted on the City’s website in the Maps section. We just wanted to give you some advance warning. You may be seeing some twice-a-week pickup before then as we experiment with the routes.

Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you stay warm and dry out there – and have a good week!

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! It happens to be my favorite time of year. To me, Christmas is special because of we are celebrating Christ’s birth. The tradition of giving presents at Christmas comes from the Wise Men bringing gifts to the Christ child. So, when watching the kids, both young and old, opening presents, and spending time enjoying each family member, there is a special joy other times of the year cannot match.

Whew! It really turned off cold quickly this week. Last week there were times when you could go outside without a coat for a while. Not so much this week.

That being said, Bill Taylor from the water department would like to provide tips for keeping your water pipes from freezing.
• Turn on cold water facets and let them trickle while freezing weather persists.
• Open cabinet doors to allow heat to get at the pipes.
• Close outside vents, crawl spaces and doors so cold air doesn’t seep inside.
• If you plan on going away, keep a minimum amount of heat on in the house. This will protect the pipes in case the temperature drops.
• If you plan to turn the heat off, drain all the water from the pipes, toilets, and water heater. Turn off the power source to the water heater. If your heater operates on gas, turn the heater to “pilot.”

These simple precautions can save a whole lot of trouble during freezing weather.

Also, this is the time of year when we can expect substantial snow. (Do you remember how much was on the ground by this time in 2017?) In the event of snow, please park your vehicles off from the street whenever possible to assist in the snow removal process. Keeping the streets clear includes trailers, basketball hoops, etc. Having the streets as free of objects as possible makes the snow plowing efforts much more efficient. This allows the plowing crews to reach all of Weiser as quickly as possible.

For those who may not know, there is a map on the City’s website showing the prioritization for snow removal. The downtown core and emergency centers (police, sheriff, hospital) are cleared first. Next are the schools and main traffic arteries, followed by the residential areas. The idea is to clear the critical areas first, then to provide cleared roads as close to as many people as possible, followed by the individual residential streets.

In other City news, Ken Anderson, of the Recreation Department wanted me to remind you we are still accepting applications for Girl’s Youth Basketball through Wednesday, Dec. 29th. The program is for girls in 3rd through 6th grades. If you want to sign up and have not done so – you will need to hustle.

Also, a questionnaire regarding the current state of the city and the direction you would like see happen in the future was sent out in your utility bills. There has been a great response so far. The results will be compiled and become part of the Comprehensive Plan that is in the process of completion. If you have not already done so, this is your opportunity to provide input on what you would like to see happen with Weiser. So, please take the time to complete the questions and return them to City Hall. You may also find the questionnaire on the City’s website.

Well, that’s it for this week! Stay warm out there and hope you have a Happy New Year!

On Thursday of last week, I was driving towards Ridley’s when I noticed flashing police car lights at Bi-Mart. Always curious, I wondered what was going on and then I remembered that the Ho-Ho Express for the Annex children was taking place. I didn’t need anything at Bi-Mart at the moment, but I was determined to think of something to buy so I could justify going in to watch the event.

If there was nothing else going on this Christmas Season, stepping into the store and listening to the children’s giggles, squeals, laughter, and joy would have made my Holidays. Watching the kids search the store for “treasures” for themselves and others, was amazing. Seeing a little girl walking out to show her “elf” the sparkly shoes she had found and then dancing back into the shopping aisle was delightful.

Thursday’s event involved about 90 children and their accompanying “elves”. On Saturday, the Ho-Ho Express took about 250 Weiser kids and their “elves” to Walmart.

The Ho-Ho Express involves more people than most realize. Of course, Santa is at each event. He instructs the kids that the money they are allotted can be spent on anything they want for whoever they want – even themselves. In addition to Santa, there is an “elf” assigned to every one or sometimes two children to keep track of the spending and the kid(s). There are also the bus drivers, the escorting police, the adults helping with wrapping the presents when the kids get back to the schools, the store employees who help find specific requests, and other helpers, all playing a part in providing these children a special Christmas.

And of course, there are the donors without which none of this would be possible.

The spirit of generosity in this community is huge and is one of the many reasons to love Weiser. In this community, thinking of other’s needs seems to be more important than thinking just about ourselves.

It is surprising where this attitude shows up sometimes. Last week, a young boy who appeared to be about 9-years old came into City Hall to drop off his family’s utility bill because he didn’t want his mother to have to get out of car. When Natisha McDaniel asked the boy if he was excited for Santa coming, he responded by saying he was, but went on to say Santa was not the true meaning of Christmas, Christ’s birth was. He then went on – that he appreciated whatever he got for Christmas, because thought was put into the gift and that thought was what made the gift special and meaningful. He kept going along this line quite a bit further. I’m told that the young man came across as quite genuine, rather than repeating something he had heard. He had the office staff floored.

This example may seem a bit unusual, but I believe that this boy did not pick this attitude up in a vacuum. It is my opinion that the same unselfish attitude was displayed at home and I don’t think it is a stretch to think it was also absorbed from his community.

I bring up all of this to say Thank You! to all of you who make up this community called Weiser! The spirit of generosity, caring, and helpfulness is evident all year and especially this time of year. This spirit is a big factor in making Weiser the safest small town in America. We are a community that watches out for each other in so many ways. I feel privileged to live here and to be able to serve you! Weiser is a great community!

OK, moving on to City news. The Electrical Department is looking for a journeyman lineman. If you, or anyone you know is qualified, please come into City Hall or contact Wayne Wallace directly at 208-550-1595 for more information.

Also, the Street Department is in the process of completing the alley clean-up for the year. Leaf pickup has been completed. If you did not get your leaves into the street be vacuumed up, please do not place them in the alley. Dispose of them on your own. If the leaves are placed in the alley, the city crew must separate them before they can be taken to the dump. Both the leaf pickup and alley clean-up are provided as free service to you, so ask you now to please do your part with any remaining leaves.

Well, that’s it for this week. May you have a very Merry and Joyful Christmas!