HomeMy Public PortalAboutMcCall, Idaho: Politics and Government II1v1 /,
..ram. `
McCall advisory board g
for ood
quits
BY JEANNE SEOL
TheStar•News
Two hours of discussion in a spe-
cial meeting called by the McCall
City Council last Thursday could not
convince the McCall Transportation
Advisory Committee to reconsider
their recent resignations.
Members of the transportation ad-
visory board resigned Feb. 1 after
feeling left out of a railroad right-of-
way settlement the city negotiated
with developer D. John Carey.
That settlement committed the city
to construct city streets that were not
included in the city's master transpor-
tation plan, a plan transportation board
members had worked more than 10
years to implement.
Board Chair William Kirk, as well
as board members Jodell Barber, Rich
Cowdery, Tom Kerr and Dan Krahn
said they were frustrated and tired of
working countless hours only to have
the city council dismiss their recom-
mendations.
"We've spent 10 years on this plan,
and we felt we should have had input on
a settlement that was going to affect it,"
Kirk said. "After a series of meetings,
the board unanimously decided to re-
sign. We felt like you didn't need us"
Other board members agreed, citing
a need for "new blood" on the transpor-
tation committee. .
"I'm not angry, I'm just tired," Kerr
said. "I've been at this 20 years and I
don't want to do it anymore."
Krahn said he had enjoyed work-
ing on the board, but said a lack of
communication between city council
and city committees would make him
not reconsider his resignation.
"We aren't leaving angry, we're
just frustrated," Krahn said. "We've
overspent our time."
Council member Ralph Colton
urged the board to come back to work
for the city and offered his personal
apology to the transportation board.
"It's no big secret that there's things
we could have done better, but there
was never any intent to hide or con-
ceal anything from you," Colton said.
"We just screwed up on this issue."
"The amount of information you
have is an extreme value to the city
and I would hope you would recon-
sider your resignations," he said.
Despite apologies from other city
council members, transportation board
members said they would not recon-
sider coming back to the committee.
They said they would consider help-
ing the council to implement an orien-
tation process for new committee
members.
Such a program would instruct all
committee members on their roles
and responsibilities, as well as intro-
duce to them the tools they could use,
including maps, ordinances and a copy
of the McCall City Code.
Council members also discussed
placing one city council member on
every city committee to help commit-
tee -council relations.
"I hope that in the future, commu-
nication between the council, staff.
and committees is more positive,"
Krahn said.
ate- - — z 9- l g q 62
McCall officials
have 60 days on
J-Ditch project
BY JEANNE SEOL
For The Star -News
McCall 's treated sewage may soon
be flowing onto farmland instead of
into the North Fork of the Payette
River pending signed agreements from
landowners involved in the J-Ditch
sewage pipeline project.
City officials have 60 days to ob-
tain signatures from landowners who
must formally agree to sprinkle the
city's treated effluent on their crop-
land and pastures for the next 20 years,
the Cascade Reservoir Coordinating
Council decided last Thursday.
The council, meeting in Cascade,
gave all parties involved two months
to move the project forward, or it will
urge the Idaho Legislature to revoke
an earlier $1 million grant to the city
for construction costs of the J-Ditch
alternative.
Council members said they would
also discourage legislators from ap-
propriating another $670,000 that the
council liars requested for construc-
tion of the sewage pipeline project if
city officials don't work out lingering
conflicts with the Division of Envi-
ronmental Quality and get agreements
from landowners.
"We have the ingredients of some-
thing good here and I would hate to
see everybody give up," McCall City
Attorney Ted Burton said.
The J-Ditch Alternative would be
the first phase of an $11 million sew-
age treatment improvement project
the City of McCall is undertaking to
meet standards in a newly drafted
sewage discharge permit from the
Environmental Protection Agency.
The new permit requires 100 per-
cent phosphorous removal from the
North Fork by January 1999.
The J-Ditch project is also a solu-
tion to Valley County farmers who
have been ordered by DEQ to reduce
their phosphorus contribution to Cas-
cade Reservoir.
Instead of flooding land to irrigate
crops and pastures, which carries
phosphorus and other nutrients into
Cascade Reservoir, landowners would
irrigate by sprinkling effluent mixed
with irrigation water onto their land.
The J-Ditch alternative, which
would use the sprinkling method, has
been recognized by both DEQ ani. the
federal National Resource Conse Na-
tion Service as a significant was for
farmers to reduce their phosphorus
contribution to Cascade Reservoir.
Most of the landowners located
south of McCall who have been asked
to participate in the J-Ditch project
are willing to accept the effluent.
The most notable exceptions have
been the J. R. Simplot Company,
which has refused to include its 1,900
acres for acceptance of the effluent/
irrigation water mixture, and 138 acres
owned by Michael and Laurie Tilton.
Two pipelines - one carrying just
irrigation water and one carrying ef-
fluent mixed with irrigation water -
must now be built through the Simplot
and Tilton lands, adding $500,000 to
the first phase of the project, which
now totals $2.5 million.
The City of McCall has committed
$1.8 million toward the project, City
Manager Gary Shimun said last week.
But he warned the Cascade Reservoir
Coordinating Council the city had no
more money to donate to the project.
"We seem to be continually asked
for more money," Shimun said. "We
have no more money. There is noth-
ing in reserve. It's gone."
Shimun's adamant stance came
after Cascade Reservoir Coordinat-
ing Council Chair Ken Roberts said it
may take more than $1.8 million from
the city to jump-start the project.
Included in draft agreements be-
tween the parties involved are addi-
tional fees the city would pay land-
owners to accept effluent.
The agreements were drawn by
Bang Albert, soil conservationist for
the National Resource Conservation
Service, who has worked with all par-
ties to move the project forward.
Those agreements say the city will
pay each landowner a "one time Ef-
fluent Application Fee" to offset costs
incurred by landowners to install
sprinklers on their land.
Further stipulations in the agree-
ments call for the landowners to es-
tablish an association called the J-
Lateral Water Users Association by
March 15, and for that association to
assume ownership, maintenance and
operation of the pipeline for one year.
Following the first year, the Lake
Irrigation District will assume own-
ership and will charge non -district
members a fee (currently set at $10.50
per acre) to deliver water to non -
district lands.
The City of McCall will assume
liability for the pipeline for 20 years,
and will deliver effluent mixed with
irrigation water at a ratio of three parts
water, one part effluent.
Albert said if city officials can
obtain signatures from landowners,
construction of the pipeline could start
by July, with completion by the first
part of October.
City officials and landowners both
seem to be fairly comfortable with
agreements reached at last Thursday's
work session, but Burton is still wor-
ried about phase two of the city's
sewage improvement project.
Phase two calls for the construc-
tion of a 300 million gallon winter
storage lagoon for the effluent during
non -irrigation season. More than $5.2
million is still needed for construc-
tion of that phase, and city officials
have gotten no firm answers from
state legislators for help.
"There's still the issue of what
happens if and when the city runs out
of money," Burton said. "If we don't
get funding, we can't promise 100
percent removal of phosphorus (from
the North Fork) by 1999."
DEQ Regional Administrator Joy
Palmer told city officials that the EPA
may be lenient in enforcing the city's
permit for 100 percent phosphorus
removal, and may extend the city's
deadline for full removal to June 1,
1999.
"If the city shows good faith in
trying to meet that 1999 deadline, but
can not because it doesn't have fund-
ing, EPA will use discretion in en-
forcing the permit," Palmer said.
News Mai-c.61� 1 Q 96
Police OK
mutual -aid
agreement
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
A mutual aid agreement between
three law enforcement agencies in
Valley County was finally agreed
upon and signed last week despite
continued "disharmony" between the
Valley County Sheriff's Department
and McCall and Cascade police de-
partments.
The agreement outlines when, how
and at whose liability police officers
from the McCall and Cascade police
departments are to assist deputies in
the Valley County Sheriffs Depart-
ment.
The agreement has been years in
the making, but has never been signed
because of differences in opinion on
liability issues between Valley County
Sheriff Lewis Pratt and McCall Po-
lice Chief Ed Parker and Cascade
Police Chief Chris Hall.
At past Valley County Commis-
sioner meetings in Cascade, Pratt had
put off signing the agreement over
concern about whose liability insur-
ance would cover city officers
responding to a problem in the county.
Under the agreement, each depart-
ment assumes its own liability,
regardless where district officers are
located.
But Parker said liability should
never have been an issue because all
three law enforcement agencies have
the same insurance carrier.
"I've been ready to sign an agree-
ment since 1990," Parker said, adding
that the McCall Police Department
has had a mutual aid agreement with
the Adams County Sheriff s Office
since 1993.
Pratt acknowledges there has been
tension between the sheriff's depart-
ment and city police departments in
the past, but he said the new mutual
aid agreement proves those relation-
ships are getting better.
"There has in the past been some
disharmony between the cities and
the county, but in the last two years
things have improved," Pratt said.
"We're working better together."
That improved relationship has
been almost mandated by the Valley
County Commissioners, who late last
year ordered the three agencies into a
room and told them not to come out
until they had details ofoia mutual aid
agreement hammered out.
That meeting forced the sheriff,
police chiefs and agency attorneys to
finally sit down and work out liability,
concerns and hammer out the final
agreement.
But the recently signed pact still
does not allow city police officers to
fully do their jobs, Parker said.
Parker said he would like an addi-
tional "extraterritorial agreement"
signed between the cities and sheriff's
department so city officers can better
investigate crime.
Currently, if a McCall suspect com-
mits a crime in the county, McCall
officers cannot even enter the county
for investigation purposes without first
notifying the sheriff, chief deputy or
investigator, Parker said.
Then the McCall officer must ar-
range to meet with the county officer
at that person's convenience to talk
with a suspect or investigate a crime
in the county.
"What happens when none of these
three people are available is that it
creates a huge backlog for our depart-
ment because we can't investigate
and solve crime," Parker said. "The
wheels of justice are slowing and we're
not serving our victims properly with
these delays."
Pratt said he favors such an extra-
territorial agreement, but hasn't had
time to sit down with city officials to
work out a deal.
"We've been concentrating on the
mutual aid agreement," he said. "We
will be working on an extraterritorial
agreement in the future."
Conditions in the recently
signed mutual aid agreement include:
• Mutual aid will be provided to the
requesting department in the case of
an emergency, catastrophe, or when
needed.
• The agreement is for five years
unless one of the parties wants to pull
out early by giving 30 days notice.
• No department employee will
receive any compensation for mutual
aid assistance provided. Officers re-
sponding outside their district will be
paid by their current employer.
• The agreement will be enforced
by a joint board consisting of the
sheriff and the city police chiefs.
• Any request for mutual aid will
be made through the Valley County
Sheriff's dispatch office. That request
must name the official who is in chaise
of police control at the scene where
assistance is needed.
• The requesting department will
have on -site command and direction
of equipment, and will be primarily
responsible for making arrests.
7m Cesar- lyPwS
Mayor of Estonian town
gets tips on taxation
during McCall visit
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
The mayor of a city in the
eastern European country of Es-
tonia spent a few days in McCall
this week learning how the city
creates revenue to maintain and
b,uild its infrastructure.
Aivar Nigol, 30, of Otepaa,
Estonia, met with McCall offi-
cials Monday and Tuesday as part
of a U. S. government exchange
program that teaches developing
countries like Estonia how capi-
talism works.
Estonia, a small country that
declared independence from the
Soviet Union in 1991, is still
struggling with a parliamentary
government.
Nigol is the appointed mayor
or Otepaa, a city in southwest
Estonia that is similar to McCall
in location. The city, population
2,500, depends on summer and
winter tourism for much of its
economy.
Like McCall, it is located on
the edge of a large natural lake
and has its own ski hill.
"Otepaa is very much like
McCall," Nigol said. But he added
his local government faces a con-
stant lack of money and needs to
learn how to develop entrepre-
neurship.
Aivar
Nigol
Estonian
mayor
visits
McCall
Nigol met with several city of-
ficials and learned how the city
uses taxation and voter bond is-
sues to pay for improvements. He
said the city' s tax system was "very
complicated," but he would take
the knowledge of such revenue
systems back to Estonia.
Nigol is one of 10 Estonians
spending six weeks in different
states in the United States as part
of the exchange program. Last Sep-
tember, several Americans visited
Estonia and conducted seminars
on finance.
Nigol arrived in Idaho in Feb-
ruary, and has visited several com-
munities, including Sun Valley and
Boise. He will return to Estonia on
April 13.
"Everyone has been very kind
and helpful," Nigol said.
45t6A.3,e--(A}s
3/L8/ 76,
Former McCall ROW owner
Kalman dies in San Francisco
Renewal board OKs
Carey g RR agreement
BY JEANNE SEOL The agency gets its revenues from
The Star -News new property taxes generated within
Construction of a new boulevard the urban renewal district, which gen-
from Idaho 55 in downtown McCall erally surrounds the railroad right -of -
through the former railroad right -of- way between Idaho 55 and Lick Creek
way property to Pine Street may be a Road. Those property taxes also would
reality by this fall following action by be used to pay back any bonds issued
the McCall Redevelopment Agency for new construction.
board of directors. On Tuesday, the agency also ap-
The agency board on Tuesday rati- proved setting aside additional prop-
fied the City of McCall's railroad erty within the urban renewal district
right-of-way settlement with devel- for the potential acquisition of land
oper D. John Carey and recognized its for a road between Idaho 55 and Pine
role as a funding source for a new Street, and from Pine Street to Davis
street, parking lots and a bike path to Avenue.
be built in the urban renewal area. Last week, members also discussed
That construction, which is ex- hiring a full-time executive director
pected to cost about $900,000, ac- to oversee the future construction.
cording toToothman-Orton Engineer- Chair Lance Eckhardt, who also
ing, must be completed by the end of sits on the McCall City Council; said
1997 to comply with the Carey settle- the agency's current executive direc-
ment. for - City Manager Gary Shimun -
Agency members on Tuesday rec- should be replaced with someone who
ognized they needed to take action if can concentrate on the project.
they wanted to take advantage of the "We need someone who will have
1996 construction season. the time to oversee what is going to be
"Time is somewhat of the essence a million -dollar project coming up in
here," agency member Ken Twergo the next year," Eckhardt said. "Our
said. city manager is overloaded with other
In a step forward, agency mem- city projects right now."
bers on Tuesday directed Toothman- Agency members took no action
Orton Engineers to complete final on the request, but did set up a regular
design plans and construction apprais- time to meet each month now that the
als for the project so construction ag The is becoming
eco in more active. Redevelopment
costs can be bonded out.
They also instructed McCall City Agency will now meet the last Tues-
Attorney Ted Burton to contact Boise day of each month at 11:30 a.m. in the
attorney Michael Moore about sell- lower level of McCall City Hall. Mem-
ing $1.3 million worth of bonds to pay bers also agreed to call and give no -
for the construction. tice special meetings as needed.
The agency currently has $111,000 Last Thursday's meeting was the
in cash, but is indebted by $200,000 to first time the agency met since it reor-
the city's sewer fund for cash pay- ganized with newly appointed mem-
ments negotiated in the Carey agree bers Rick Fereday, John Russell and
ment. On Tuesday, the redevelop- Twergo, who was elected vice -chair
ment agency approved paying of the board.
$100,000 back to the city sewer fund The three men join Eckhardt,
and repaying the balance when funds McCall Mayor Bill Killen and Valley
become available. County commissioner Francis
City Clerk Jim Henderson said the Wallace. The group is still seeking
agency can expect an additional one additional member to complete
$30,000 by Sept. 30 in property tax the seven -member board.
receipts, and members can expect in- The agency reorganized after three
creased tax income from the urban other agency members resigned and
renewal district as more development one member did not seek re -appoint -
progresses. ment when his term ended in January.
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
Sam Kalman, the former owner of
the railroad right-of-way through
McCall who was the target of a law-
suit by the City of McCall, died March
12 in San Francisco.
Kalman, 83, died of natural causes,
according to a spokesman for
Kalman's real estate investment com-
pany headquartered in San Francisco.
Other details were not released at the
request of his family.
In 1989, Kalman purchased the
19-acre strip of railroad right-of-way
from Union Pacific Railroad. The strip
extends from Lick Creek Road on the
north to First Street on the south.
The railroad had operated trains
through the city from 1914 to 1977,
when the Boise Cascade Corp. saw-
mill on Payette Lake closed.
The tracks on the right-of-way were
removed in 1982, and the city spent
several years in unsuccessful nego-
tiations with the railroad trying to buy
the roadbed for city street, bike path
and other uses.
Negotiations with Kalman also
bogged down, mainly over claims by
the city that parts of the right-of-way
had reverted to city ownership when
the rails were removed. In 1990, the
city filed a lawsuit against Kalman to
force the issue to resolution, but the
case dragged on for, five years. .
Last year, D. John Carey, a Silicon
Valley millionaire and part-time
McCall resident, announced he had
struck a tentative deal with Kalman to
buy the right-of-way.
An agreement between Kalman
and Carey was reached on Jan. 24 and
the deal was closed on March 1, less
than two weeks 'before Kalman's
death, said McCall attorney Greg
Pittenger, who represents Carey.
Pittenger said he doubted the deal
would have been affected if Kalman
had died earlier because most nego-
tiations had been conducted with
members of Kalman's family.
Bud Schmidt to manage
Oregon coastal town
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
Bud Schmidt, who was
McCall's city administrator for 8-
1/2 years, has been hired as city
manager in Waldport, Ore., a town
of 1,700 people located on the Pa-
cific coast.
Schmidt will manage the city
government in Waldport, a bed-
room community of Newport, Ore.,
which is located about 15 miles to
the north. His annual salary will be
$40,500, Waldport Mayor Pat
Tryon said in an interview on Mon-
day.
Schmidt, who left his job in
McCall in June 1994, has been
working in private jobs in the Port-
land area for the last two years,
Tryon said. His new job will give
him day-to-day powers over about
18 city employees.
Waldport converted to the city
manager system about 1-1/2 years
ago, but has gone through two city
managers since then, Tryon said.
Schmidt, 51, appealed to Tryon
and the six -member city council
because of his background in fiscal
management and planning, she
said.
"We are a community that needs
to do some planning, and he had a
good feel for that," Tryon said.
"He was a close fit to what we
needed."
During his tenure in McCall,
Schmidt held the position of city
Bud
Schmidt
Named
manager
of Waldport,
Ore.
administrator, which put him in
control of day-to-day operations.
But he also shared power with the
city's mayor, which sometimes led
to conflicts, particularly with
former Mayor Larry Smith.
McCall voters in 1993 decided
to change to a city manager form of
government that stripped the
mayor's post down to a largely
ceremonial position. A new city
council was elected in November
1993, and Schmidt was appointed
interim city manager in January
1994 until a formal selection pro-
cess could take place.
Schmidt applied for the
manager's post, but placed third in
the city council's final list of pref-
erences. The council's first choice
for the job, Hal Schilling, declined
the offer, while the council's sec-
ond choice, Gary Shimun, accepted
and continues to hold the position.
" T H E S T A R - N E W S - T H U R S D A Y , J U L Y 1 1 , 1 9 9 6
S h i m u n g e t s g o o d
r e v i e w s , 5 0 / o r a i s e
B Y J E A N N E S E O L
T h e S t a r - N e w s
M c C a l l C i t y C o u n c i l m e m b e r s
a p p r o v e d a 5 p e r c e n t m e r i t p a y i n -
c r e a s e f o r C i t y M a n a g e r G a r y S h i m u n
d u r i n g a n a n n u a l p e r f o r m a n c e r e v i e w
o n M o n d a y .
C o u n c i l m e m b e r s g a v e S h i m u n
m a r k s r a n g i n g f r o m " v e r y g o o d " t o
" o u t s t a n d i n g " f o r h i s p r o f e s s i o n a l ,
i n t e r a c t i v e a n d a d m i n i s t r a t i v e s k i l l s
a s c i t y m a n a g e r , a n d u n a n i m o u s l y
v o t e d t o g i v e S h i m u n t h e p a y i n -
c r e a s e .
R e t r o a c t i v e t o l a s t F r i d a y ,
S h i m u n ' s a n n u a l s a l a r y w i l l b e
$ 4 9 , 5 7 5 . H e i s n o w t h e h i g h e s t p a i d
c i t y e m p l o y e e , f o l l o w e d b y C i t y A t -
t o r n e y T e d B u r t o n , w h o r e c e i v e s a n
a n n u a l s a l a r y o f $ 4 5 , 9 0 5 .
S h i m u n w a s h i r e d a s M c C a l l ' s f i r s t
c i t y m a n a g e r t w o y e a r s a g o a f t e r c i t y
v o t e r s a p p r o v e d t h e c i t y m a n a g e r -
c o u n c i l f o r m o f g o v e r n m e n t i n 1 9 9 3 .
P r i o r t o t h e o r a l e v a l u a t i o n , e a c h
c i t y c o u n c i l m e m b e r t a l k e d w i t h d i f -
f e r e n t a g e n c i e s , o r g a n i z a t i o n s a n d
d e p a r t m e n t h e a d s w i t h i n t h e c i t y t o
g e t r e p o r t s o n S h i m u n ' s w o r k i n g r e -
l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h o t h e r s .
C o u n c i l M e m b e r L a n c e E c k h a r d t
s a i d h e w a s i m p r e s s e d w i t h S h i m u n ' s
a b i l i t y n o t t o " m i c r o - m a n a g e " e v e r y
c i t y d e p a r t m e n t , a n d i n s t e a d l e t o t h e r s
d o t h e i r j o b s .
" E m p l o y e e s a t c i t y h a l l a r e h a p p y , "
E c k h a r d t s a i d . " M o r a l e i s w a y u p . "
M a y o r B i l l K i l l e n s a i d t h e c o u n t y
o f f i c i a l s h e t a l k e d w i t h w e r e " u n i v e r -
s a l l y a p p r e c i a t i v e " o f t h e g o o d w o r k -
i n g r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h S h i m u n a n d t h e
G a r y
S h i m u n
M c C a l l c i t y
m a n a g e r
C i t y o f M c C a l l .
C o u n c i l M e m b e r M a r i l y n A r p
a d d e d s h e w a s i m p r e s s e d w i t h
S h i m u n ' s d e p t h o f k n o w l e d g e a n d
a p p r e c i a t e d h i s a n s w e r s t o q u e s t i o n s
a t c i t y c o u n c i l m e e t i n g s .
C o u n c i l m e m b e r s s a i d t h e o n l y
n e g a t i v e c o m m e n t s t h e y h a d r e c e i v e d
w a s t h a t S h i m u n w a s h a r d t o r e a c h
b e c a u s e h e i s o f t e n o u t o f h i s o f f i c e i n
m e e t i n g s .
" E v e r y o n e I t a l k e d t o s a i d y o u ' r e
h a r d t o g e t a h o l d o f , b u t y o u a l w a y s
r e t u r n c a l l s , " C o u n c i l M e m b e r D e a n
M a r t e n s t o l d S h i m u n .
T h e c o u n c i l r e c o m m e n d e d t h a t
S h i m u n s e t a g o a l t o s p e n d a c e r t a i n
p e r c e n t a g e o f t i m e i n t h e o f f i c e e v e r y
w e e k , a n d t o t r y a n d d e l e g a t e m o r e o f
h i s r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s .
D i s c u s s i o n a l s o f o c u s e d o n h i r i n g
a n a d m i n i s t r a t i v e a s s i s t a n t f o r S h i m u n
t o f r e e u p m o r e o f h i s t i m e .
S h i m u n w a s t o l d t o c r e a t e a l i s t o f
g o a l s a n d o b j e c t i v e s a n d r e p o r t b a c k
t o t h e c o u n c i l a t t o n i g h t ' s r e g u l a r
m e e t i n g .
LL.)-71-,& - /Ye 76-
New McCall P.O.
may be built by
1997, official says
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
McCall residents could be mailing
letters at a new, much larger post
office by the end of 1997, a U.S.
Postal Service official in Denver said
Tuesday.
Post Office Real Estate Specialist
John Walters said his office has not
yet approved McCall's request for a
new post office, but said he expects to
give that approval by August.
"Right now we have a staff group
working out the technicalities,"
Walters said.
For several years, McCall's cur-
rent downtown post office at Second
and Lenora streets has been evaluated
by postal officials to be too small to fit
the needs of the community. McCall
is now first on a U.S. Post Office list
of cities needing larger facilities,
Walters said.
A planned new McCall post office
calls for a 15,000 square foot building
located on two acres, enough room
for semi -trucks delivering mail to
maneuver, and ample space for park-
ing, Walters said.
"We build buildings to last 20
years, and we have to build them big
enough for what's coming," he said:
But finding two acres of available
land somewhere in McCall's down-
town district is what concerns city
officials.
At a June McCall City Council
meeting, discussion focused on per-
suading postal officials to keep the
post office downtown. City council
members directed City Manager Gary
Shimun to write an official letter
throwing McCall's support behind
either relocating or building a new
post office somewhere in the down-
town district.
McCall Downtown Planning Sub-
committee member Ken Twergo said
he wanted to see McCall's core down-
town area stay intact, allowing people
to walk from banks to the post office
to several downtown shops.
Discussion focused on offering a
site somewhere in the city's urban
renewal district, or converting the
former Shaver's supermarket one
block north of the current post office
into a community center and post
office.
McCall's concern over relocating
its post office has reached Walters's
office in Denver.
"I understand the interest of the
local people is to stay downtown, and
we will take that into account if the
city can accommodate our site size,"
Walters said.
But once approval is given for a
new facility, things can move quickly,
he said. Finding a suitable site and
then designing and constructing a
structure could all be completed within
18 months, he said.
"Once I get this assignment, my
first task will be to talk to city officials
and look at the sites available. We
will try to work with the people,"
Walters said
cs%J: — NL
Judge OKs McCall borrowing
Fourth District Judge George
Carey ruled last Thursday that the
City of McCall may borrow $650,000
to fund an automatic sprinkler system
for the original 18 holes of the McCall
Golf Course.
Carey 's "judicial confirmation"
allows city officials to borrow the
money without presenting the issue to
voters.
Bids for the project are expected to
be opened Aug. 6 with construction
starting after Labor Day, City Clerk
Jim Henderson said.
Nine holes will be closed at a time
to replace the current manual sprin-
klers with the automatic system, al-
lowing 18 holes to stay open for play,
Henderson said. Construction is ex-
pected to be completed by the end of
1996.
The $650,000 loan will be repaid
from golf course fees over the next 15
years and will not be repaid by prop-
erty taxes.
The golf course is self-supporting
and does not rely on property taxes.
Automatic sprinklers already op-
erate on the new nine holes located
within Spring Mountain Ranch. The
automated system will improve irri-
gation coverage, run on a timer and
use less water, city officials said. The
new nine holes opened in June.
QGr, / 6-?6,
BY JEANNE HEINS
The Star -News
A lawsuit over the long -disputed
railroad right-of-way through Earlier this year, Carey, a retired
McCall could be settled as early as Carey wants the lease so he can path on the land that would extend to
tonight, with proposed construe- native the
England who made afor= yette Lake fora Deinhard Lane along portions of the
g P P have access to Pa
lion of a new city street, bicycle tune in the semi-conductorindustry, ro osed marina that would include right-of-way previously urchasedb
g YP YP Y
path and off-street parking by the became interested in the old rail- u o ed slips. The marina would the city.
end of 1997. road depot and station master's P
serve homes or perhaps a hotel that •The city would build four off -
between proposed deal was struck house, which sits next to railroad Carey might build along the railroad street parking lots in the right-of-way
between the city and a California right-of-way property. right-of-way. area.
man who is in the process of bum Carey, 59, purchased those
P buying Approval for the` marina itself Construction of the new bou e-
the right-of-way from its current buildings from their former own- would have to come from the Idaho yards, parking lots, bike path, and
owner. ers, and also purchased the McCall utility relocation would cost the city
Tire and Auto property to gain Department of Lands. Y
The tentative agreement calls P p, y g Because the location is probably about $900,000, according to a pre -
for the new owner, is John Carey, •
o ' '�
to donate or sell parts of land to the access to the rear of the old buildings. the last remaining site on the lake for liminary cost figure set by Toot man -
city for the streets, parking lots and Both acquisitions were made in 1994. a marina, council members on Tiles- Orton Enon e erinland acquisition costs
bike paths. This year, he also purchased a pri- day questioned that move.
In return, Carey plans commer- vate parcel of open space, popularly `Are we selling out the last avail- of private property to finish the bou-
cial development along the known as "Frazee Park, located able marina site to a private devel- levards is not included in that cost,
right-of-way and he wants the city across from Legacy Park and adja- oper, when instead we should be say- Eckhardt
st of construction as well as
to support him in building a 100- cent to the old depot. ing it for an affordable public -use cost of acquisition the right-of-way
slip marina in Payette Lake. He became a player in the right -of- marina?" Mayor Dean Martens asked. would be funded by the McCall Ur -
McCall City Council members way lawsuit when he agreed to pur- Council member Bill Killen said ban Redevelopment District.
Ur -
met in special session Tuesday af- chase, as part of the lawsuit settle- he was uncomfortable with the "per- The district was formed it. 1990 to
ternoon to discuss details of the ment, all of Kalman's property in the petual" clause of the proposed lease, buy the right-of-way and develop it
settlement and instructed council railroad right-of-way. The proposed and would rather see a "long-term" member Lance Eckhardt, who has Purchase price to Kalman is "in the agreement for the marina use. into a boulevard for the then -pro-
posed Payette Lake Lodge. But plans
been negotiating with Carey, to ballpark of $1.5 million, Carey said. Eckhardt said he would discuss for the lodge were withdrawn by de -
hammer out final points. Carey, who owns an 1,800-acre details of the marina portion of the for theroougwsManchesterin y de-
93,
The final agreement is sched- ranch east of Lake Fork and a condo at settlement again with Carey, and coun- and the plan has sat idle since then.
uled for the council's regular Brown's Palace, said he and his wife, cil members then agreed to the re- The urban redevelopment district
meeting, which is set to start at 7 Teresa, started vacationing in McCall mainder of the settlement. is a separate taxing district that can
p.m. tonight at McCall City Hall. 15 years ago. Details of the proposed agreement issue bonds without voter approval
The settlement would bring to I fell in love with the depot and with Carey includes: for ublic improvements within the
an end a five -year -old legal battle old station master' shouse, and Igiiess • Carey, doing business as McCall ,district, which surrounds the railroad
between the city, which filed the in a moment of madness, decided to Gas Station, Inc., would purchase all right-of-way. The bonds would be
purchase the buildings," Carey told of Kalman's property in the railroadid back with any new property taxes
The Star -News in an interview. "What right-of-way. The right-of-way in- paid backted within the new
from taxes
I'm going to do with the buildings, eludes about 19 acres extending from gate development.
pri-
I' m not sure, but I would like to re- First Street on the west to Davis Street Besides being council members,
store them." on the east. Eckhardt and Killen are also part of
Carey holds a degree in electronic • The city would dismiss the law- the seven -member urban redevelop -
engineering from the University of suit. ment board, which would have to
D. John Liverpool and came to the United •Carey would convey by deed approve the plan.
Carey States in 1963. He founded Advanced land to allow the city to build a boule- pP`We have access to funds that could
Microdevices, a Santa Clara, Calif., yard connecting Third Street to Pine make all this happen," Eckhardt said.
Seeks to buy company which he says has between Street.
right-of-way $2 billion and $3-billion a year in •Carey would cooperate with the
sales. city to allow' the city to condemn a
Carey said he was also one of the portion of land north of Fir Street to
A < build a city parking lot. Price of the
original investors and is currently
lawsuit, and San Francisco real es- chairman of the board of Integrated parcel was set at $200,000.
tate magnate Sam Kalman, who Device Technology, also of Santa • Carey would convey a bike path
bought the 19-acre strip of land right-of-way between Idaho 55 and
Clara.
"I am absolutely not a developer, pine Street, allowing the city to move
from Union Pacific Railroad in though to some small extent, I sup- ahead with bike path construction.
1989. Y pose I am now because of this pur- .Carey would agree to sell the
The cit , in its lawsuit, claimed chase," Carey said."I don't •
have plans right-of-way behind McCall City Hall,
one-fourth of the land actually be- to purchase any more property in between First Street and Idaho 55,
longed to McCall because the city McCall." also for $200,000. The city was noti-
hadmaintained streets on the prop- Council members said Tuesday the feed this month that it likely will re -
Council for years. The matter is set to p� of the agreement that may gener- ceive a $157,000 state grant to help
go to trial Monday in Fourth Dis- ate the most controversy is a proposal purchase the land.
trict Court in Cascade. to grant a lease for a portion of city- The city would then build a bike
owned lakefront land just north of
Sports Marina.
City council to consider
11-0-W deal
McCall
employee
files pay
complaint
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
A City of McCall employee has
filed a sex discrimination charge
against city officials, saying she is
being underpaid as a staff accountant
because she is a woman.
Judy Sargent, 42, of McCall, filed
the complaint with the Idaho Human
Rights Commission and theo federal
equal Employment Opportunity
Y
Commission *against the city in Sep-
tember. She charges that because she
is female, she is being paid at least $3
less per hour than outlined in an occu-
pational wage survey.
Sargent works as a staff accoun-
tant in the city clerk and treasurer's
department under Clerk Jim
Henderson. Hired as a "titled book-
keeper" in March, 1993,upgraded Sargentns
aid
her position was Year
later to a staff accountant, but she did
not receive a pay increase based on an
occupational wage survey.
In a letter filed with the EEOC,
Sargent compares her situation to a
male employee in the City of McCall's
public works department who was
upgraded from a utility service worker
to a foreman. That employee received
a pay increase, Sargent said.
In a response filed with the IHRC,
City Attorney Ted Burton agreed that
Sargent's title was changed in 1994,
but her duties in the clerk and
treasurer's department were not
changed. Therefore, Sargent did not
qualify for a pay increase under the
occupational wage survey, Burton
said.
"The change of job title was not
intended as a promotion or upgrade,
but rather a more accurate descrip-
tion" of Sargent's duties, Burton writes
in his response to Sargent's claim.
In addition, Sargent's comparison
of her job to a foreman position in the
city's public works department is like
"comparing apples to oranges," Bur-
ton said in his response.
"The two are not in the same clas-
sification, are not in the same depart-
ment, do not have the same supervi-
sor and are very different in longev-
ity," Burton said.
The case is currently being handled
by IHRC Senior Civil Rights Investi-
gator Sarah Mae Fisher in Boise. If
Sargent and city officials cannot ne-
gotiate some sort of settlement in the
case, the charge will be investigated
by the IHRC.
2.0/71 g;ile-y r`a oc_cr7--. //.29/ 9-7
McCall City Council
approves resolution
on Post Office siting
MCCALL—The McCall City Council last Thursday night approved
a resolution that expresses "the city's strong concern that the McCall area
Post Office remain at a location in or adjacent to the central business dis-
trict in the zoning map of McCall."
That resolution follows in the wake of the expressed preference of the
U.S. Postal Service to build a new post office for the city of McCall on
land at the McCall Marketplace, which is owned by Idaho industrialist
J.R. Simplot.
The resolution, which carries the signatures of council members Marilyn
Arp, Ralph Colton, Lance Eckhardt and Dean Martens, asks the U.S.
Postal Service to locate a new post office in or next to the central busi-
ness district. And, of the three sites that council members know about,
they said their first choice would be the so-called Smith Site, which lies
directly to the south of the McCall Public Library and the McCall City
Hall.
"A second choice would be the so-called Hehr site south of Hemlock
Street, although the latter would damage the ability of the City to finance
Urban Renewal Improvements," the resolution states.
In approving the resolution, the
Council notes that "(I)ocation of
the Post Office outside of the down-
town would threaten deterioration
to the downtown area."
The Council also notes that the
City's Planning and Zoning
Commission has adopted a down-
town plan that calls for the loca-
tion of the post office in the cen-
tral business district.
"In a small town such as this
one the post office serves an impor-
tant function of facilitating inter-
action among citizens and pro-
motes the economic health of the
central area ...," the resolution
states.
It also directs McCall City
Attorney Ted Burton to fully
explore whatever legal remedies
might be available for the city,
and also directs city staff to take
such steps as may be necessary to
bring the resolution to the atten-
tion of the relevant public author-
ities.
It also directs the city's staff
to determine what other similar-
ly affected cities and towns there
might be, and also to consider
what steps the city might be able
to take to facilitate the use of either
of the two sites closer to down-
town.
Secuz. New s
„0/..za/9/7
McCall names its first
female chief of police
Donica is the second woman in
Idaho history to hold the position
of police department chief
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
he may have gotten a late start in law enforcement,
but Carla Donica has made up for lost time.
Donica, 41, was appointed chief of the McCall
Police Department last week by City Manager
Gary Shimun. Her appointment was confirmed by
the McCall City Council on Feb. 12.
Chief Ed Parker will leave the department on Friday to
serve as chief for the Garden City Police Department.
Donica will hcgip lie( 'Julies, at ieft?11;SONNAY -; .:.4 ,
"I am very proud to be a police offieler and feel very
fortunate to be appointed chief," said Donica, who now
holds the rank of lieutenant. "I believe the mayor, the city
council and city manager are all very progressive and I'm
very grateful they gave me this opportunity to lead the
department."
Donica is only the second woman in Idaho history to
serve as a city police chief, according to a spokesman at the
state police academy in Meridian. The other is Katie
Whitely, the current chief of the Troy Police Department in
northern Idaho.
But Donica said her sex is not an issue. "To me, this is
not a gender -based position," she said. "I have had a lot of
support from the department, city leaders and citizens. I
don't feel that support has come because I'm a woman, I
feel it's come because of my performance."
Donica, a Boise native, joined the McCall Police
Department in 1989 as a volunteer reserve police officer. At
the time, she was working full-time as an insurance agent.
"I wanted to become more involved in the community
and found that law enforcement was something I really
liked," Donica said. "I got a late start at age 33, but I really
liked what I could give to the community through the
department."
fter volunteering up to 30 hours a
week as a reserve officer for eight
months, Donica was hired as a full-
time officer in 1990, promoted to
detective, then to detective sergeant
and finally to lieutenant in 1994. Since then, she
has served as the department's lead detective.
Donica is a graduate of the state police acad-
emy and holds an intermediate certificate in law
enforcement. She has completed almost 1,000
hours of state training.
Donica has also been active in the Valley
County Child Abuse Task Force, specializing in
handling crimes against women and children.
Though she said it was premature to talk about
changes she may make, Donica said she will
continue Parker's efforts to develop more coop-
eration between the police and the community.
"You're going to see officers out of their
vehicles more, with more foot patrol and interac-
tion with the public," Donica said. "The public
Carla Donica is the new chief of the
needs to know who their police officers are."
Donica said she will work to establish more
neighborhood watch programs and will take an
active approach to fighting crime by having of-
ficers talk with citizens and business owners to
identify concerns.
"The number one reported crime in McCall is
burglary and grand theft," Donica said. "We need
to find ways to bring those numbers down."
Donica is also concerned with an increase in
juvenile crime and the amount of narcotics enter-
ing McCall. Fighting the influx of drugs and
maintaining the department's "zero tolerance"
toward narcotics will continue to be a priority,
she said.
Starting an employee development program
that will give incentives to officers to stay with
Ole department is also a priority for
Donica. "We don't want a constant
rotation of officers, and we need to
cut down our turnover costs," she
said.
Star -News Photo by Jeanne Seol
McCall Police Department.
Though Donica is determined not
to let her gender play a role as chief,
she said she has worked to overcome
some challenges as a female police
officer. She doesn't expect that to
change.
"I'm not blind to the fact that there
are some people who don't feel I'm
the right person for this position for
whatever reason," Donica said. "But
I have received a lot of support and I
am confident that I will have a posi-
tive impact on this department."
Valley County Sheriff Tommy
Rhea said in an interview that he was
"absolutely and totally elated" at
Donica's appoinnt to McCall po-
lice chief.
"I have had thlipleasure of work-
ing with her for the past six years and
I know the people of Valley County
wi]aenefit from the quality of our
—e relationship," Rhea said.
,,17,1Gf 9 7
Aqo a' i G f 2 Paq r, s
The plan tails for the development
of another committee that would rec-
ommend to city council a funding
strategy to implement the plan "no
later than one month after the adop-
tion of the (whole) plan."
Those funding options could in-
clude applying for federal and state
grants, forming a local improvement
district, using general tax revenues or
making agreements with developers
to pay for new public improvements
as part of private development, Down-
town Subcommittee Chair Rick
Fereday said.
"It's going to be quite expensive to
buy land and a lot more expensive to
build parking garages," Locke said.
"But if we don't start purchasing land,
there's no guarantee it will be avail-
able for parking in the future."
Specific sites identified for park-
ing would, in theory, be purchased by
the city and developed first into one -
level parking lots. As time passed and
parking demands increased, multilevel
parking garages would be built, Locke
said.
Sites for parking identified in the
downtown master plan and located
within the central business district
include:
• A privately owned empty lot lo-
cated east of Paul's Market, formerly
the site of the Jordan Motel.
• A city -owned lot behind McCall
City Hall and the Central District
Health Department.
• Land behind Gravity Sports where
the public ice rink is now located. The
land is owned by both the city and D.
John Carey.
• A city -owned lot near the current
McCall Public Works Department
building located on Samson Trail.
• Privately -owned empty lots lo-
cated north of Park Street and on the
northwest corner of the intersection
of Hemlock and Roosevelt streets.
Building city -owned parking lots
and structures would change the face
of downtown McCall and make cur-
rent buildings that are on the market
more marketable, Locke said.
An example might be the former
Shaver's supermarket building located
downtown, Locke said. The building,
now too big for its current parking lot
undercurrent city code, might be more
attractive to prospective buyers who
would not have to pay a $3,500 fee for
every parking space not provided.
The revised parking code would
also benefit builders of new busi-
nesses who would not have to con-
form to specific parking requirements,
Locke said.
"This is good planning strategy,"
Locke said of the downtown plan's
call for large parking lots located in
areas that would complement busi-
nesses in the central business district.
"What makes downtown interest-
ing is having a variety of businesses
located in a close-knit area, not hav-
ing a lot of little parking lots," he said.
Plan for downtown
would make parking
a 'general obligation'
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
Finding a place to park in
downtown McCall should be-
come a lot easier if concepts
proposed in the City of McCall
Downtown Master Plan are
adopted.
The plan is set for a public
hearing before the McCall City
Council starting at 7:15 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 27, in the lower
level of McCall City Hall.
One of the most significant
sections of the plan proposes lift-
ing current parking requirements
imposed on downtown business
owners and instead building city -
owned parking lots and parking
garages.
Currently, business owners lo-
cated in McCall's central business
district are required by city code
to build a certain number of park-
ing spaces depending on the size
and type of business operated.
For example, retail shop own-
ers are required to build one
parking space for every 250 square
feet of store space, while restau-
rant operators must build one
parking stall for every 100 square
feet, according to the current code.
Offices, meanwhile, must
build one space for every 300
square feet, while businesses such
as appliance stores must build
one parking space for every 600
feet of store space.
If business owners cannot build
enough parking spaces in relation
to the size or type of their busi-
ness, they have the option under
current city code to instead pay a
$3,500 fee to the city for every
required parking space they can-
not provide.
Because space in downtown
McCall is limited, many business
owners over the years have opted
to instead pay the $3,500 parking
space fee, creating a shortage of
parking, City Planner Andy Locke
said.
"Most of the businesses lo-
cated downtown should have large
parking lots, but there's no room,"
Locke said.
To compound the problem, the
parking fees paid by business
owners in the past were never set
specifically aside in a city "park -
HEARING
McCall City Council hears
Downtown Master Plan
7:15 p.m., Feb. 27
McCall City Hall
ing fund" that should have been
used to build parking structures,
Locke said.
Today,because few new down-
town buildings are going up, no
new funds are being generated from
parking space fees. People who
buy current businesses are
"grandfathered in" and are not re-
quired to again pay the $3,500 fee,
Locke said.
As a result, downtown McCall
has been left with little parking
and no funds to build any lots,
Locke said. The downtown master
plan,. however, would change all
that.
Six sites, for parking lots and
parking garages have been identi-
fied in the plan, which would make
parking a "general obligation" for
businesses rather than imposing
specific guidelines.
"The philosophy that all prop-
erty owners and city residents profit
from the economic development
of the central business district
should be adopted as the founda-
tion for this policy change," the
plan reads.
The plan was written by a six -
member Downtown Planning
Subcommittee, formed by the City
of McCall Planning and Zoning
Commission.
Members of the subcommittee
include: Chair Rick Fereday, co-
owner of May Hardware; Gordon
Colbum, McCall U.S. Bank branch
manager; Scott Findlay, owner of
Findlay Real Estate; Tomi Grote,
publisher of The Star -News; Tom
Kerr, Valley County Commis-
sioner and owner of Kerr
Surveying; and Ken,Twergo,
owner of Twergo Commercial Real
Estate.
Funding the purchase of land
for the construction of parking
structures is not specifically iden-
. tidied in the plan, however.
r- /(Pr✓s — ., /? 7 Aq,-# 2' o f Z 1�aq r S
Plan calls foi"human
scale' development
In addition to changing park-
ing requirements for downtown
businesses, the proposed City of
McCall Downtown Master Plan
would also change the face of new
businesses.
The plan calls for a "high stan-
dard of urban design, architecture
and landscape architecture" in
order to make McCall's mountain
setting "attractive to visitor and
resident alike."
Design guidelines in the plan
call for:
• Buildings to be designed on a
``human scale," with individual,
creative shop facades on the lower
level and decks and balconies on
the upper level that encourage out-
door uses, such as outdoor seating
for restaurants.
• On -site parking be located to
the rear of buildings and be screened
by walls, fences, landscaping or
berms at least four feet tall.
• Natural landscaping, when
possible, to be preserved, and sum-
mer floral displays encouraged.
• All decorative and lighted
signs that flash, blink or are col-
ored, except during the Christmas
season, would be banned. Night
illumination should also be "low
level and low glare."
• Continuous sidewalks would
'be built, when practical, through-
out the downtown. If covers are
built, the covers must span the
width of the sidewalk.
Star -New illustration by Tom' Gro
Illustration shows the kinds of
building construction called for
in the plan. Above: a typical city
block will locate store fronts on
the sidewalk with parking areas
hidden from the street. Below:
multi -story buildings will be
designed to 'human scale' with
shops on the ground floor and
living quarters, restaurants,
studios, etc., on the upper floors.
-5-ja - - 3/.17/ 9-
Snowmobile
ordinance
working so far
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
Jerry Randolph used to dread win-
ter. Living on Mather Road in McCall
- a former a city -designated snowmo-
bile route - meant dodging
snowmobilers who drove through his
yard, ran over his dog and left a blue
haze of smoke in their aftermath.
But this winter was different since
the McCall City Council passed a
new ordinance eliminating designated
snowmobile routes in the city,
Randolph said.
"We had a great winter, the best
we've ever had," he said. "We had a
lot less traffic past our house and had
a very incident -free winter."
On Feb. 1, after several months of
controversial meetings and even a
recommendation from a committee
to ban snowmobiles from city streets,
city council members passed an ordi-
nance that changed the way
snowmobilers could use city streets.
Instead of being assigned desig-
nated routes through the city,
snowmobilers were limited to driving
on streets only when accessing spe-
cific trail heads from their residences,
or when traveling to gas stations for
fuel or snowmobile shops for repair.
Before a snowmobiler could even
start up the engine to ride on city
streets, he or she had to buy a $5 city
sticker, have a valid drivers license
and insurance, and go through a snow-
mobile inspection for working head
and tail lights, brakes and muffler. A
five-foot mast also had to be attached
to the sled for visibility.
Being required to jump through
those hoops may have reduced the
number of snowmobilers driving on
city streets, McCall Police Chief Carla
Donica said.
"We saw less sleds on the streets
once the program went through,"
"I think all the heat on
the issue made
snowmobilers just decide
not to use city streets."
- Harry Stathis, Sports Marina
Donica said. "But I'm not sure whether
that was because of the ordinance or
because the prime snowmobiling sea-
son was over by the time the program
was implemented."
After Feb. 1, when the ordinance
took effect, temperatures warmed and
melted snow from streets. It wasn't
until early March that streets were
again snow-covered. But Donica said
even then, the department received
very few complaints. A total of eight
snowmobile -related complaints have
been filed with the department since
Jan. 1.
"We had no complaints of people
riding on streets without stickers, just
the typical calls from people com-
plaining of snowmobilers driving on
the city golf course and recreating on
large, empty lots," Donica said. "Both
of those activities are illegal."
Only 25 stickers were ever sold to
snowmobilers wanting to drive on
city streets, Donica said. The depart-
ment had ordered 200 stickers,
anticipating a high demand, and spent
almost $1,500 from its budget fund-
ing the program.
The stickers were sold by two city
snowmobile dealers, Harry's Dry
Dock and Sports Marina, and
Medley's Sports. Employees at both
businesses conducted snowmobile
inspections and educated riders on
ordinance changes.
Sports Marina co-owner Harry
Stathis said his business sold only 14
stickers.
"I think all the heat on the issue
made snowmobilers just decide not to
use city streets," Stathis said. "The
people who did purchase stickers were
very cooperative. It turned out not to
be that big a deal."
But having fewer people drive on
city streets is a very big deal to
Randolph. In the past, his typical win-
ters included everything from noise
and air pollution to snowmobilers
"running up and down our street at
midnight," he said.
Randolph, like Donica, said he isn't
sure whether the new ordinance solved
the problems or whether warm tem-
peratures discouraged snowmobilers
in general.
"All I know is that from my per-
spective, it was a nice winter,"
Randolph said.
Donica said she is unsure whether
she will recommend to city council
members that the sticker and inspec-
tion program continue next year.
"It's too new of a program to
judge," she said. "To do so fairly, we
would have to look at the program
from the beginning of one winter sea-
son to the end. We didn't have a
chance to do that this year."
The Star-News April 8, 1997
Jim Henderson
to step down as
McCall treasurer
McCall City Treasurer Jim
Henderson has resigned his
post, effective April 17, citing
personal reasons.
Henderson, 51, has been city
treasurer for 9 -1/2 years. He
said he will soon be moving to
the Boise area.
I felt it is time to pursue
other interests," he said, de-
clining to elaborate.
Hendersonbecame city trea-
surer in 1988. He served in the
U.S. Army for 21 years, retir-
ing in 1987 with the rank of
sergeant first class. He was a
graduate student at Boise State
University when he was hired
for the McCall post.
Henderson listed among his
accomplishments the writing
of the city's first comprehen-
sive personnel policy manual
and working to bringing the
pay of city employees up to par
with similar jobs in private em-
ployment.
"Plus tons and tons and tons
of projects and lots of budgets,"
he said.
The Star-News 7/3/97
Cari
Arthur
Aide to
manager
McCall manager
hires assistant
A former V alley County court clerk
has been hired by the City of McCall
to be an administrative assistant to
City Manager Gary Shimun.
Cari Arthur, 24, of McCall, will
work 30 hours a week and will assist
Shimun with various projects, includ-
ing planning and zoning paperwork
and general secretarial duties.
McCall city council members bud-
geted for Arthur's position last fall.
Her salary is $11 an hour.
Before coming to work for the
city, Arthur worked three years as a
deputy court clerk for Valley County.
She holds a 1994 legal secretary de-
gree from Santa Rosa Junior College
in Santa Rosa, Calif., and is an Ari-
zona native.
Long Valley Advocate March 26, 1997
McCall Planning & Zoning approves
new downtown master plan
Final approval, zoning ordinances up to City Council
MCCALL —The McCall Planning & Zoning Commission
approved a Pew Master Plan for the Central Business District
at its meeting here Monday night.
It is now up to the McCall City Council to give its final
approval to the plan, which is designed to serve as a general
guideline for development in the downtown area for the next
25 years, according to members of the committee that put the
plan together.
And, such a plan is long past overdue.
"This is something that McCall has lacked, almost totally,
in the past," committee member and downtown businessman
Rick Fereday said.
Fereday said later during the meeting that he also hopes that
what was started by downtown business owners, planning,
catches on with other areas of town. Those plans can then be
incorporated into a new Comprehensive Plan for the city.
While P &Z commissioners approved the plan, it wasn't
done without one major change concerning some rezoning that
is proposed to go along with the new plan.
Proposed was the rezoning of five lots now zoned residen-
tial lots that lie across Lake Street from Paul's Market
to commercial.
But that will do great harm to the values of those proper
ties, one of the owners, Jean Odmark, said. A McCall
real estate agent, she said that the value of her lake-
front property would nose -dive if the lots were rezoned
commercial.
"Do we start fighting, getting hysterical and get-
ting attorneys now, or should we wait. Odmark
asked the commission. She said she and others should
have been paying more attention to the proposed
plan.
But both Odmark and Bonnie Shikrallah, who
runs the 1920 House Bed & Breakfast across from
Paul's, said the city didn't do a very good job of
,potifying property owners about the prospective zone
change.
Dave Peugh, a P &Z member who is also a pro-
fessional planner who worked on the proposed plan
and because of that excused himself from voting on
it at Monday's meeting, said that the rationale for
proposing the zone change was to maximize the
potential lakefront area available for commercial
development in the future.
Both Peugh and Fereday said they weren't going
to sacrifice the entire plan for pushing for a rezone
of those properties.
The zone proposed for those lots and along the .
entire downtown lakefront, with the exception of
Legacy Par,k is a "Marina" district. A drawing on
display at Monday's hearing showed boat docks all
along the lakefront from opposite Paul's to beyond
the net pens to the north of Sports Marina.
Peugh said that the intent of the plan is to create
more of an "interface" between downtown and the
lake in that zone. It is hoped that more available boat
dock space, and more temporary tie ups will gener-
ate more boat -to -town traffic that would patronize
small downtown businesses, he said.
Odmark and others weren't happy with the prospect
of having more bars downtown, establishments that
they say make too much noise and aren't policed at
all for noise violations.
"In other words, more bars like the Yacht Club
making noise until 3 a.m. in the morning and you're
talking about compounding the problem," Bill
Shikrallah said.
McCall City Planner Andy Locke said that the
design reviewacomponent of the plan will reduce the
amount of noise emanating from such establish-
ments.
Other concerns raised at the hearing had to do
with funding the improvements that are proposed to
be part of the plan.
"The Downtown Master Plan puts the city in the
position of subsidizing businesses," McCall resident
Marion Johnson told the commission.
She noted that there are streets in the city that
aren't paved, streets that aren't plowed, and yet,
according to the plan, the city's general tax revenues
are one of a number of sources of money that may
be tapped to pay for improvements.
Johnson said the plan comes from "the hands of
business owners who are protecting their self- inter-
ests." She said the plan needs to be revisited with
oftater consideration given to the affects it will have
on all of McCall's citizens.
"I don't want to pay for parking lots in down-
town McCall," she said.
Curt Spalding, representing the McCall Ice Skating
Association, spoke in support of components of the
plan that call for maintaining and improving out-
door recreation sites within the downtown.
Commission members Richard McChrystal, Kathy
Showers and Pat Allen all approved the plan with
the clear understanding that the five residential lots
would not be zoned commercial, but would instead
having the enacting ordinance written so that some
commercial development could happen in the future
through a special or conditional use permit process.
The Star-News 5/1/97
board considers
post office site
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
Almost 50,000 square feet of
McCall Urban Redevelopment Dis-
trict property between Mill Alley and
Roosevelt Street in McCall will be
proposed for a new post office, agency
members decided on Tuesday.
The property, formerly part of the
railroad right -of -way, will be offered
as part of a package that contains
adjacent land owned by the city, D.
John Carey of McCall and Lloyd
Kalblinger of Boise.
If the U.S. Postal Service selects
the site, about one acre of urban re-
newal district land will be taken off
the agency's tax rolls, prohibiting the
district from earning money from other
new development on that site.
Under state law, the district funds
public improvements on its land by
using new property taxes generated
by private development inside the
district's borders. The district sur-
rounds the area near the railroad right -
of -way between Idaho 55 and Lick
Creek Road.
Because the postal service is a
quasi - federal entity, it is exempt from
paying local property taxes to the
district. But that tax loss will be mini-
mal if the post office spurs new devel-
opment on current unused, adjacent
urban renewal land, Agency Vice
-hair Ken Twergo said.
Post office site would
remove trailer parks
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
Two trailer parks and two homes
on Park Street could be eliminated to
make way for a new post office under
a proposal set for a hearing next week
by the City of McCall Planning and
Zoning Commission.
A public hearing to rezone the four
residential lots into McCall Central
Business District property is set for
next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the lower
level of City Hall.
Park Street Trailer Park owner
Allen Derr of Boise and McCall
Trailer Park owner Brent Patrick of
Lake Fork plan to propose the loca-
tion to the U.S. Postal Service for a
new post office. The parks, located at
117 and 123 Park Street, as well as
two adjacent older homes, must first
be rezoned as commercial use and
then razed.
Both homeowners have offered to
sell their property to Derr, while ten-
ants in nine trailers currently living in
the trailer parks would have the op-
"We have the ability to foster de-
velopment in the area of town where
we want development to grow,"
Twergo said. "This (post office pro-
posal) would do that by encouraging
further development in that part of the
central business district."
The U.S. Postal Service is cur-
rently soliciting bids for land in both
the central business district and out-
side of downtown for a new post
office. All bids received will be pub-
licly opened at McCall City Hall on
May 15 in a joint meeting between
postal officials and the McCall Post
Office Vision Committee.
In other business, urban renewal
board members voted to award a con-
tract to P &M Excavators, effective
May 10, to reconstruct Railroad Av-
enue.
P &M Excavators were the low bid-
ders on the project and will transform
the gravel road into a wide, paved
boulevard with adjoining bike path,
sidewalk and parking lots for
$690,970. That bid was about
$156,000 less than what was esti-
mated by local engineers.
Completion is set for fall, 1998.
The project is being funded by the
urban renewal agency, which will soon
sell bonds to pay for the project. That
money will be repaid during the next
15 to 20 years using the district's
special tax financing powers.
portunity to relocate.
"No one will be thrown out of a
home," Patrick said. "I'll do every-
thing I can to make sure everyone has
a home and I'll do it at my expense."
Derr, a Boise attorney, said he be-
lieved the site would be an ideal loca-
tion for a new post office and "would
be good for the city."
"Development of this site for a
new post office, if done carefully and
correctly, can be a great improvement
and beneficial to the neighborhood
and the community," Derr said.
But McCall City Manager Gary
Shimun said he doubted whether the
city would approve of the rezoning
request because it would eliminate an
area of affordable housing in McCall.
"The city council is interested in
making affordable housing available
in the community and this proposal
would not do that," Shimun said.
The McCall City Council will ulti-
mately have to approve of the rezon-
ing proposal if the planning and zon-
ing commission approves it.
The Star-News 5/29/97
McCall won't hire contract attorney
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
The McCall City Council voted to
retain City Attorney Ted Burton last
Thursday after receiving and reject-
ing three bids for a contract attorney.
The council had advertised for a
contract attorney to bid on Burton's
job in an attempt to find someone to
do the city's legal work for less money.
Three proposals, including one
from Burton, were reviewed by coun-
cil members but rejected. They in-
cluded:
• An offer from Burton to privately
provide all city legal services for
$158,098. Burton also offered to split
the job by providing civil services for
$109;088, or criminal services for
$49,010.
About $100,000 is currently bud-
geted for the city attorney's depart-
ment. That figure includes Burton's
annual salary of $49,148.
• An offer from Boise attorney
Derik Pica to provide both criminal
and civil services for $84,000.
City Manager Gary Shimun, how-
ever, told council members Pica had
"no municipal legal experience" and
that Pica's bid did not include any
litigation costs, publication fees, main-
tenance of a law library, bonding or
computer research costs.
• An offer from McCall and Boise
attorney William Harrigfeld, who also
works as the Valley County Deputy
Prosecuting Attorney. Harrigfeld of-
fered to provide only criminal pros-
ecution for $40,000.
Shimun said Harrigfeld's offer
would leave the city "struggling to
find someone to do the civil side."
Adding Burton's civil offer, if taken
separately, would also "greatly ex-
ceed the current budget," Shimun said.
"My advice to council is to reject
all offers and maintain the current
arrangement," Shimun said.
Council members agreed by vot-
ing to retain Burton, but council mem-
ber Dean Martens said he was "glad
we went through this process and I
would not preclude us from doing it
again."
"It's a good check point to see if
we are on track for what we budget
compared to what we can get on the
street," Martens said.
Burton is the only full -time attor-
ney the City of McCall has ever hired
and has worked forMcCall since Feb-
ruary 1992. He replaced Bill Killen,
now McCall's mayor, and Greg
Pittenger of McCall, who together
contracted as McCall's attorney for
one year.
Prior to 1991, Cascade attorney
Robert Remaklus worked as a con-
tract attorney for the city for more
than 30 years.
The Star-News 9/4/97
McCall bias charge dismissed
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star-News
A sex discrimination complaint
filed last year by a City of McCall
employee against city officials has
been dismissed by an Idaho Human
Rights Commission investigator.
A report released last week by Civil
Rights Investigator Cara L. Weech of
Boise said she could find "no prob-
able cause to believe that discrimina-
tion occurred" against Judy Sargent,
43, of McCall.
Last September, Sargent filed a
complaint with the IHRC and the fed-
eral Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission, charging she was being
paid $3 less per hour as a staff accoun-
tant because she is a woman.
Sargent works in the city clerk and
treasurer's department under Clerk
Jim Henderson. Sargent declined to
comment on the IHRC's decision
when contacted by The Star -News.
Hired as a "titled bookkeeper" in
March, 1993, Sargent said her posi-
tion was upgraded one year later to a
staff accountant, but she did not re-
ceive a pay increase based on an occu-
pational wage survey.
In her complaint, Sargent com-
pared her position to a male employee
in the city's public works department
who last year was upgraded from a
utility service worker to a foreman.
That employee received a pay in-
crease, Sargent said.
City Attorney Ted Burton had ar-
gued that though Sargent's title was
changed in 1994, her duties were not.
Therefore, she did not qualify for a
pay increase under the occupational
wage survey, he said.
Weech agreed. In her investiga-
tion, she noted Sargent's title was
"blended" into performing both ac-
counting and bookkeeping duties.
"That is the name of the game in small
towns and firms," Weech said.
Weech also noted that since 1993,
Sargent was "given every cost -of-
living and every merit increase" un-
der the city's compensation plan, and
said Sargent's use of comparing her
position to the public works
employee's position was "inappro-
priate."
"The two positions are not in the
same classification," Weech said, add-
ing the public works employee had 15
years of experience working for the
city, while Sargent had three years at
the time the complaint was filed.
The Star-News 9/25/97
McCall mayor undergoes
surgery, will run again
BY JEANNE HEINS
The Star -News
McCall Mayor Bill Killen is home
and recovering this week after under-
going surgery for colon cancer.
Killen, 58, returned to McCall on
Monday from a seven -day hospital
stay at St. Luke's Regional Medical
Center in Boise. He said he "feels
good."
"The doctors think I'm going to be
okay, but only time is going to tell,"
Killen said. "It appears (the cancer)
was found early enough."
During his hospitalization, Killen
turned over his mayoral duties to coun-
cil member Ralph Colton, because
Council President Marilyn Arp was
out of town. On Monday, Killen, an
attorney, resumed his city duties as
mayor and will work out of his home
for the next several weeks.
Killen has also filed to run for his
second, four -year city council term,
but said he is not interested in being
mayor again. The five- member city
council elects one city council person
to be mayor for a two -year term.
"It eats up too much of my time,"
Killen said. "It's gotten to the point
where I'm spending between 30 to 40
hours a month on city - related busi-
ness."
Being mayor is, for the most part,
an honorary title that doesn't carry
much weight, Killen said. "About the
only perk is you get a little higher
salary," he said.
Because McCall operates under a
city manager government, the city
manager performs the day -to -day
duties of running a city, but works for
and answers to the mayor and city
council. City council members are
paid $200 monthly and the mayor
receives $350 monthly.
As mayor, Killen said he spends
most of his time attending meetings,
signing documents, welcoming people
and groups to the city, answering ques-
Bill
Killen
Will seek
new term
tions on the phone and performing
weddings.
Under Idaho law, a city mayor can
perform weddings, and during his two -
year tenure as mayor, Killen has wed
eight couples. "It's kind of neat," he
said.
Killen said he decided to run again
for city council because several major
projects are just getting underway,
and he was concerned with the posi-
tions other candidates are taking on
those issues.
"People say, `Our water bills are
high, therefore our city government is
a total loss.' I think that's an ex-
tremely poor conclusion and shows a
lack of knowledge for what's going
on," Killen said.
Killen said he is "fearful" of step-
ping aside to people who may be
looking for "simple answers to com-
plex questions."
"The tough decisions are the ones
that are going to make some people
unhappy," Killen said. "That's what a
city council has to do. We have to
make the right decision for the long
haul. This isn't a popularity contest."
Killen is one of three city council
members whose terms expire in No-
vember. He is also one of three candi-
dates who has filed for those posi-
tions. Henry Murillo, 41, and Ray
Venable, 75, both of McCall, are also
running for city council.
IN
The Star-News 11/6/97
Waterloo:
Reformers sweep election
Anger over water
rates, spending
heavily influenced
McCall voters
BY JEANNE HEINS
The Star -News
Three McCall City Council candi-
dates who ran on one platform - to
make the city fiscally accountable to
its citizens - were swept into office on
Tuesday.
Kirk Eimers, 52, Allan Muller, 56,
and Ray Venable, 75, were the top
vote - getters in Tuesday's city elec-
tion and will fill three, four -year terms
on city council in January. Eimers,
however, is expected to be appointed
tonight to a city council seat left va-
cant by Lance Eckhardt, who relocated
last summer to Seattle, Wash.
Eimers, Muller and Venable were
backed by Citizens For Fiscally Re-
sponsible Government in McCall, a
citizens' group co- founded by Eimers.
The trio campaigned in flyers, stickers,
brochures and advertisements to work
together to reform city government.
"Times are changing," Eimers,
who topped the election with 537
votes, said in an interview on Wednes-
day. "Our people worked hard for us.
They were obviously ready for a
change." Eimers is co- manager of the
McCall Best Western.
Muller, a retired high school
teacher, came in second in the elec-
tion with 528 votes, followed by
Venable, a piano teacher and piano
player at Shore Lodge, with 347 votes.
Incumbent Mayor Bill Killen was
ousted from his city council seat by
coming in fourth with 252 votes.
"This means I have about 25 hours
of more free time a month that I didn't
have before," Killen, an attorney, said
in an interview on Wednesday.
"It's pretty easy to throw rocks
from the outside, but once you're in-
side you have to see all the points of
view and make the best decision,"
Killen said.
Eimers said he would not cam-
paign to be the city's next mayor, but
predicted the next mayor "will come
from our side of the candidate list."
The mayor is elected by city council
members for a two -year term.
Killen will continue to act as mayor
until the newly - elected candidates take
their positions in January.
Three other candidates ran on Tues-
day for city council, but were not
elected. They were: Scotty Daven-
port, 242 votes; Randy Berg, 53 votes;
and Henry Murillo, 51 votes.
Council memberDean Martens did
not seek a new term. Continuing to
serve on the council for two more
years are Ralph Colton and Marilyn
Arp.
About 43 percent of all registered
voters cast ballots in McCall on Tues-
day, with 693 votes counted.
In the City of Donnelly election,
Donnelly City Council member
Jeanna Johnson ran uncontested for
mayor and was elected with 42 votes.
Arthur Jack Harvey was elected to
a two -year seat on Donnelly city coun-
cil with 22 votes. He beat Monir
Desoky, who received 17 votes.
Jill Layton and Susan Dorris were
elected to four -year terms on city coun-
cil. Layton received 28 votes and
Dorris received 24 votes. They beat
two write -in candidates, Ron Carico,
who received 14 votes;. and Karen
Ellis, who received 13 votes.
In the New Meadows city election,
both De Ole Priddy and Ron Wittig
were elected to four -year terms on the
New Meadows City Council. Priddy
received 130 votes and Wittig got 80
votes. The pair beat write -in candi-
date Dennis Mencer, who received 54
votes.
New McCall council members from left;, Muller, Eimers, venaDie
Long Valley Advocate 11/12/97
McCall election reshapes McCall City Council
MCCALL —The McCall City Council
quality service to its customers."
will have a very new face in January when
Eimers said that if the city is success -
three new members take office.
::
ful in getting 80 to 90 percent of the peo-
In last week's election, a slate of three
'
pie doing business with the city walking
candidates supported by a group of citi-
away feeling they had a nice experience,
zens concerned about fiscally responsible
r
"then we're making progress.
government, swept the top three spots in
''
"That's what we did in the timber indus-
a 7 -man race.
c
try and it worked," he said. Eimers previ-
Kirk Eimers received 537 votes as the
ously worked as a trouble - shooter in that
top vote- getter, Allan Muller received 538
industry, traveling around trying to find
votes, and Ray Venable got 347 votes. Bill
Kirk Eimers
ways to make lumber mills operate more
Killen, the only incumbent in the race,
smoothly and profitably.
received 252 votes, Scott Davenport got
"We're not delivering a piece of lum-
242, Randy Berg received 53 votes and
ber, it's a service and the same conditions
Henry Murillo got 51 votes.
should prevail, customer satisfaction in the
"I think our people did an awfully good
end is what should count," he said.
job of carrying our message, and I'm pleased
"We want to become facilitators rather
that the people of McCall believe change
than obstructionists," he said. "If we can
is appropriate and they voted for it," Eimers
do that the people in city hall will have
said last week.
more fun, the people in the community will
"And, we're going to do our best to
have more fun, and the whole thing will
deliver," he said.
work."
Both Eimers and Muller received about
Allen Muller
Eimers said he'd also like to see anoth-
70 percent of the votes cast, and Venable
er aspect of his private industry experience
received about half.
instilled in city government — pushing
With the election behind them, Eimers
>!!<<1�:v , , "'' "`
decision making as far down the or ani-
g g
said it is time to get to work, and the first
zational hierarchy as possible. That would
thing he wants to do is make the City of
be contrary to what he said he sees hap -
McCall be more responsive to its citizens.
pening a lot with the McCall Council —
"We need to make the city as easy to
everything ends up coming out in the Council
deal with for its customers as possible, to
meetings.
bring businesses back into the fold so they
Eimers said he's already talked to some
don't feel oppressed," he said. "And, we
city staff to get them started looking at ways
need to restore public confidence in the
to implement some of the things he said
ability of the City of McCall to deliver
Ray Venable
need to be done.
The Star-News November 13, 1997
Star -News Photo by Tom Grote
First of new council -elect begins term
Kirk Eimers, left, takes the oath of office for the McCall City
Council last Thursday from Acting City Clerk Cherry Woodbury.
LEEimers' mers was the top vote - getter in the Nov. 4 city elections, and was
mediately appointed to the seat vacated by Lance Eckhardt, who
ved to Seattle. The other two council members, Allan Muller and
y Venable, will take their seats in January. For a report on
first council meeting,
The Star-News 12/18/97
Brian Olson of Bellevue, Wash. (left) and John Koelsch of Sandusky,
Ohio (right) met the public at an open house Saturday at Shore Lodge.
McCall city manager
finalists pledge to
take `calculated' risks
BY JEANNE HEINS
The Sear -News
The McCall City Council is ex-
pected to decide tonight who will be
McCall's next city manager after in-
terviewing two finalists and hosting a
public open house on Saturday.
Brian Olson, 42, of Bellevue,
Wash., and John Koelsch, 50, of
Sandusky, Ohio, are vying for the job.
Both have several years of experience
as city managers in other towns and
both said in interviews on Saturday
they want the job.
The selection of a city manager is
on tonight's city council meeting
agenda. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.
in the lower level. of McCall City
Hall.
In an interview on Saturday with
members of McCall's city manager
selection committee, Olson said
McCall appealed to him because of
the challenges the community is cur-
rently facing.
"I won't come here with all the
answers, but I will come here with the
ability of help you find the answers,"
Olson said in his interview.
Olson currently works as the presi-
dent of his own economic
development company, The Rivendell
Group, in Bellevue, Wash. He previ-
ously worked as the city manager in
North Bend, Wash., from 1992 to
1996.
"The city manager is the represen-
tative of the city and the city council,"
Olson said. "A city manager has to
have aclose working partnership with
the business community, get out into
the community and talk to people, go
to meetings and get involved. My job
is to achieve your city's goals."
While working in North Bend,
Olson said he led the community
through many of the same issues
McCall is now facing. When North
Bend was faced with the Safe Drink-
ing Water Act, Olson said he
advocated for the city to drill wells to
avoid building an expensive filtration
plant to treat its surface water source.
The city is now served with one
large well and its water is being cov-
eted by Seattle, Wash., located about
30 miles away, Olson said.
"I am a calculated risk - taker. I take
the steps other people wouldn't have
the confidence to take," he said. "I
take risks that are directly related to
the achievements I want to make."
. Olson also led North Bend through
a $4 million downtown revitalization
project. During his tenure in the Wash-
ington community, he secured almost
$1 million in grants to build parks and
other improvements.
In addition to his city manager
experience, Olson also worked as the
director of business development at
the Washington State Department of
Community Trade and Economic De-
velopment in Seattle, Wash., from
November 1996 to last September.
He holds a bachelor's degree and
master's degree in business adminis-
tration.
Koelsch has 13 years of experi-
ences as city manager and assistant
city manager in six states. He said he
wanted to be McCall's next city man-
ager job because of the community's
"potential."
Koelsch also said he wants to help
McCall develop an identity, and
started during his interview by pre-
senting selection committee members
with a page full of ideas on how to
promote McCall. Koelsch's ideas in-
cluded developing a city logo and
erecting billboards in other cities that
tout McCall's assets.
"There's a lot you can do with how
you look,,but you have to plan that
look and where you're going,"
Koelsch said. "To make progress in a
community, you have to get a com-
munity involved."
Koelsch said his motto in life was,
"If it ain't broke, make it better." He
said, if hired, he would "take McCall's
financial resources and do everything
he could with it."
During his career, Koelsch has
earned four Government Financial
Officers Association certificates of
achievement in financial reporting,
and has developed his own budget
process, called "strategic budgeting."
Instead of looking at pure budget
numbers, Koelsch said he specializes
in reviewing a city's goals and whether
those goals are being achieved through
its current budget. "I help make the
budget numbers match what it is you
want," Koelsch said.
During his career, Koelsch said he
acquired more than $12 million in
grants, most of which were awarded
to Jackson, Wyo., during his tenure
there as city manager from 1986 to
1989. He helped secure grants to build
a downtown square, improve city in-
frastructure including a new water
system, and build several parks.
Koe1'sch also described himself as
a "calculated risk - taker," but said he
wasn't "stupid about it. You have to
take advantage of opportunity, you
have to take ri sks, but you have to take
the right risks. I will work to make this
community a better place."
Koelsch holds a master's degree
from the University of Tennessee and
a bachelor's degree from the Univer-
sity of Kentucky.
The new city manager will replace
Gary Shimun, who resigned his post
in September after three years to be-
come city manager in Hannibal, Mo.
Shimun was the first city manager to
serve under a new system of govern-
ment approved by McCall voters in
1993.
;zt
The Star-News Dec 18, 1997
New council pledges
leaner McCall gov't
BY JEANNE HEINS agendas
The spar -News
Three new McCall City Council
members elected in November say
they plan, once in office, to make the
city run more efficiently by reducing
the city's budget and "eliminating all
frills."
In a three -page memo distributed
this week to all City of McCall depart-
ment heads, newly-appointed council
member Kirk Eimers and council-
elect members Allan Muller and Ray
Venable say they plan on giving tax-
payers "better public service for less
money."
"We're going to look closely at the
budget and see what's in it," Eimers
said during a special city council find out."
meeting on Saturday. "I've never seen
a system in my life that couldn't be
improved. That's what this is about.
We want to find efficiency."
Eimers, Muller and Venable were
swept into office last November after
they ran on one platform and were
backed by Citizens for Fiscally Re-
sponsible Government in McCall, a
citizens' group co- founded by Eimers.
On Jan. 8, the trio will form a
majority on the five- member McCall.
city council. Eimers has already taken
his seat after being appointed to re-
place Lance Eckhardt, who relocated
to Seattle, Wash. Muller and Venable
will take their seats on Jan. 8. The
three men will join current council
members Marilyn Arp and Ralph
Colton. first wave of change brought by
Eimers said he, Muller and Venable
sat down together and drafted the
memo given this week to city em-
ployees. That memo spells out that
city council members alone will set
public policy, set council meeting
and will set staff goals and
priorities.
The memo also says the new city
council will "reduce the city's bud -
get," "decelerate" all capital projects,
learn to staff McCall City Hall "ac-
cording to base population and meet
peaks with part -time and seasonal em-
ployees," and "eliminate any and all
frills so we are like the private sec-
tor."
"There is a level of skepticism in
this community that the city budget is
too big," Eimers said. "We need to
review the budget. If we find that
what's in the budget justifies its size,
so be it. It may be that none of this is
necessary, but we're sure going to
find out."
Muller said he also wants to re-
view how the city writes project con -
struction contracts. "We need to cut
down on the amount of change- orders
we're seeing and need to have the
contractors put some contingency
money in their contracts," Muller said.
Eimers, Muller and Venable also
spell out in their memo that city em-
ployees must "deal courteously at all
times with customers, be responsive
to taxpayer requests, and overall, pro -
vide excellence in customer service
for the lowest possible cost."
"I want to head to a level of effi-
ciency," Muller said. "Everything we
do has to benefit the taxpayer."
The memo handed out this week to
city employees is expected to be the
Eimers, Mullerand Venable to McCall
City Hall.
In campaign speeches last fall, the
trio pledged to review the city's bud -
get, overhaul the city's water rate
system and make the city "fiscally
accountable to its citizens."
S "rte r� r1EWs
Olson accepts
McCall's city
manager post
Second candidate
'not acceptable' to
some on council
BY JEANNE HEINS
The Stu -News
A Bellevue, Wash., man who said
he would take calculated risks to help
McCall solve its problems has agreed
to be the next city manager.
Brian Olson, 42, said in a tele-
phone interview on Monday he has
accepted an offer from the McCall
City Council to be city manager. No
ctidtract has yet been signed, how-
ever, and Olson said his salary still
has to be negotiated.
"I'm expecting everything to go
positively," Olson said over the phone
from his home in Bellevue. "I feel
comfortable I can contribute to the
City of McCall."
The McCall City Council last
Thursday voted to offer Olson the job
after interviewing two candidates on
Dec. 13. The council said they were
impressed by Olson's "knowledge and
ability" and favored him over a sec-
ond candidate, John Koelsch, 50, of
Sandusky, Ohio.
If hired, Olson said he will start
work in McCall around Jan. 5. He has
four years of experience from 1992 to
1996 as the city manager of North
Bend, Wash., and currently works as
the president of his own economic
development company, The Rivendell
Group, in Bellevue. He holds a
bachelor's degree and master's de-
gree in business administration.
He said he took the McCall job
over several other job offers because
of issues McCall is currently facing,
such as water rates and budget woes.
In North Bend, he led the community
through the Clean Drinking Water
Act by drilling wells and helped the
city find more revenue through better
budgeting.
hriai;
Olson
acceptedjob
as McCall
manager
Olson said he also chose McCall
because of its quality of life. "It's the
kind of town I want to live in and be
part of," he said.
If contract negotiations with Olson
break down, the search for a city man-
ager will "go back to square one,"
council member Kirk Eimers said last
Thursday.
Both Eimers and council -elect
member Allan Muller said they were
not willing to offer the city manager
job to Koelsch because he did not
seem willing to let city council take
the lead in setting city policy, Eimers
said.
"As far as I'm concerned, Koelsch
is not acceptable," Eimers said. "I've
been doing this my whole life and I
just feel (Koelsch) isn't right for
McCall," Eimers said.
At last Thursday's meeting, Mayor
Bill Killen described Olson as "the
kind of guy I'd take to my sister's
wedding," while Koelsch was "the
kind of guy I'd take to a poker game
-especially a high stakes pokerg4me."
City council members selected
Olson and Koelsch in November as
the only two city manager finalists
after narrowing down a field of 80
original applicants.
If Olson does not accept the city
manager position, a goal set by coun-
cil members to hire a new city manager
by the end of the year is unlikely to be
met.
Council members would either re-
advertise for more candidates or look
in,the original pool of 80 applicants.
1Lw-- a +-5-7
McCall Council elects Eimers as
Mayor, hears report on lawsuit
against water treatment plant
Kirk Eimers
McCall Mayor
MCCALL — At a meeting
highlighted by the swearing in of
new Council members Alan Muller
and Ray Venable, who joining
Kirk Eimers, was appointed in
November to fill a vacant seat on
the Council after he gained the
most votes in the general election,
the new Council heard some pos-
itive news on the city's lawsuit
against the engineering company
that designed the city's water treat-
ment plant.
After the swearing in of the
three, Eimers was also elected
Mayor by the Council, which is
largely a ceremonial figurehead
in the City Manager /Council form
of government that now exists in
McCall.
Then, the new Council got down
to business.
Kim Trout of the Boise firm
Omdorff and Trout, told members
of the Council that he believes the
case is one of a City Council rea-
sonably relying on and trusting an
engineering firm to design a pro-
ject that meets specifications and
also can be built for the money
available.
"That's why you hire profes-
Alan Muller
City Council Member
sionals," he said.
In March of 1993, the McCall
City Council hired Montgomery -
Watson Engineers, of Boise and
California, to design a water treat-
ment plant that would satisfy the
Environmental Protection Agency's
Surface Water Drinking Act.
That act required the city to
either stop using Payette Lake as
its source for drinking water or
construct an elaborate, and expen-
sive, filtration /treatment system
for that surface water.
The engineering firm gave the
city a final estimate of the cost for
such a facility of about $4.7 mil-
lion. Voters then approved a $9.9
million bond for that facility, along
with upgraded distribution capac-
ity.
However, when the bids came
in, Trout said they were 47 pe;
cent too high by one calculation,
and 81 percent too high by anoth-
er. He said that Montgomery -
Watson figured its estimates to be
within 10 to 15 percent of the cost.
"That's not plus or minus 10
or 15 percent," he said.
Faced with those costs far in
excess of the money available to
Ray Venable
City Council Member
build the project, the city has had
to regroup and build a project that
doesn't filter the water.
He said attorneys for the engi-
neering firm have successfully
moved the suit into federal court.
And, he said the firm's attorneys
are indicating that their defense
will be that they designed a pro-
ject that the city will have to build
sooner or later to meet EPA and
Idaho Division of Environmental
Quality regulations. So, Trout said,
the engineering firm feels it hasn't
damaged the city.
"You folks relied on them and
they missed it," he said. "It's that
simple. It's not about whether
they're goad or bad engineers."
He said the matter is scheduled
for trial in July, but added that the
nces of that are "zero."
He said he figured it would be
another 6 to 8 months after that
before there was a reasonable
chance of it being heard by a judge
and jury.
"We're doing our homework
and I think we have a reasonable
chance of success," he said.
Olson's first few days
on the job impresses
him, citizens
MCCALL — McCall's
new City Manager Brian
Olson, only three days on the
job as of last Saturday,, has
found himself being impressed
and impressing others.
Following Saturday's pub-
lic hearing on proposed new
rates for city water customers,
Olson said he firmly believes
he made the right decision
by accepting the city man-
ager's job here.
"What impresses me the
most is the quality of the Peo-
ple here," he said. "We have
a very good City Council and McCall City Manager
they want to do the right thing."
Hired to replace Gary Shimun, who left in September to
become City Manager at Hannibal, Mo., Olson was also
impressing more than a few citizens and government types
with his conduct at Saturday's hearing.
More than a few speakers at Saturday's hearing agreed
that Olson should be given a shot at trying to develop some
other alternatives to the rate structure proposed and the sub-
ject of the hearing.
"There are so many people who are involved and engaged
in the government process here, and that leads to quality
government," Olson said.
"This is a high quality citizenry, a highly educated citi-
zenry," he said.
What Olson said he feels he can bring to better govern-
ment in McCall are his organizational skills and his ability
to foster a team spirit among those working with him and
for him.
He describes his management style as being "very par-
ticipative." He said he will try to get all of the city staff
engaged and providing input on different issues, where it
is appropriate.
The present controversy over city water rates, for exam-
ple, involves many different departments of city govern-
ment, he said, from the city's public works department to
bookkeeping. He said he will try to get representatives from
the half -dozen or so affected areas together to look at more
options and alternatives.
Olson said he also wants the city staff to have fun doing
their job, which he'said leads to their being more effective.
He also said that he expects to be more of a facilitator
in handling city matters. In relation to the city's Comprehensive
Plan, for example, he said those involved in updating the
plan need to hear what people want. Defining what people
want for the community is the first step, and the goal of
meetings Wednesday at Shore Lodge.
Olson said he also expects to launch a city newsletter
that will be mailed to city residents, that will include a mail -
in form on which citizens can always mail in their com-
ments to City Hall.
"After three days, I've just taken a deep breath," he said.
"I'm excited to be here as a citizen as well as the city man-
ager."
McCall city manager failed
to take drug test
BY JEANNE HEINS
The Star -News
McCall City Manager Brian
Olson, hired in January and on
the job for more than two months,
has not taken a required preem-
ployment drug test, city officials
said this week.
The City of McCall Personnel
Manual requires pre - employment
drug tests for all potential city em-
ployees. The manual says a
candidate must pass a drug test
before being hired.
"No one told me about it," Olson
said in an interview. "It is abso-
lutely untrue that I have refused a
test. I have no problem taking (a
test) because I've never been on
drugs."
Mayor Kirk Eimers said he
thought a pre - employment drug
test was scheduled for Olson on
Jan. 9, but some sort of "miscom=
munication" between Olson and
Program supervisor Judy Sargent
delayed the test. Sargent is a staff
accountant at the city.
"I have talked to Brian and told
him to get it taken care of," E imers
said. "There's nothing insidious
about this. It was just a case of
ships passing in the night."
Sargent said in an interview
she could not comment on whether
a test had ever . been scheduled for
Olson. "That's not public infor-
mation," she said.
Since being informed of the
drug test requirements, Olson said
he has scheduled a drug test for
today. Results of all tests for all
employees are confidential.
Tests are performed at Ikola
Testing Services in McCall. The
company is contracted by Minert
& Associates, Inc. of San Diego,
Calif., to perform the city's ran-
dom and pre- employment drug
tests.
In addition to pre- employment
drug tests, all city employees are
subject to a monthly random test.
Minert & Associates assigns a
number to every city employee
and those numbers are randomly
chosen through a computer, City
Brian
Olson
McCall City
Manger
Clerk Jim Henderson said. Only
two to four city employes are ran-
domly tested each month, he said.
Since enacting the city's drug
test policy in 1995, three preem-
ployment drug tests performed on
potential city employees have re-
turned positive, Henderson said.
None of those candidates were
hired, he said.
No random drug tests on cur-
rent city employees have returned
positive since the city started the
policy, Henderson said.
Any current employee who
might fail a drug test is not subject
to automatic dismissal, according
to the city's personnel manual.
Supervisors first consider the
employee's work record and have
the option to instead refer the em-
ployee to a drug treatment agency,
Henderson said.
McCall city
atty. resigns
Council to seek
contract lawyer
BY TOM GROTE
The Star-News
McCall City Attorney Ted Bur-
ton will leave the job he has held
since 1992, citing uncertainty
over the future of his position.
Burton is the second depart-
ment head at McCall City Hall to
resign this month. McCall City
Treasurer Jim Henderson re-
signed earlier this month after
9 -1/2 years in his position.
Burton, 57, told the McCall
City Council in a letter dated Fri-
day that he has accepted a
position "with another govern-
ment." In an interview Tuesday,
he declined to name that agency
because final details of his new
job had not been worked out.
The resignation came the day
after council members voted last
Thursday to draft an advertise-
ment to have tkae city served by a
contract city attorney.
At the end of last Thursday's
regular council meeting, council
member Ray Venable said he
wanted to put out proposals for
contract services for both the city
attorney and city engineer, which
was converted to an in -house po-
sition two years ago. Jackie
Fields is the current city engi-
neer.
Venable said he wanted to see
whether the city could save
money by contracting those posi-
tion rather than having them on
the city payroll. The motion
passed on a 3 -2 vote, with council
members Marilyn Arp and Ralph
Colton objecting.
At the meeting, Burton noted
the city had gone through the pro-
cess of advertising for a contact
city attorney only last spring.
Three bids received in May, in-
cluding one from Burton, all
exceeded Burton's budget of
about $100,000, which included
his salary of just over $50,000.
In his letter of resignation,
Burton said his newjob "willpro-
tect me from wondering as
frequently as every 10 months
whether or not there is going to
be a job position to occupy."
"My family is not in a position
to live with such perpetual inse-
curity, nor can I work at full
effectiveness under such stress,"
the letter said.
On Tuesday, Burton said he
had received the new job offer
before last Thursday's meeting.
The decision to seek proposals
for a contract attorney "with no
prior notice to anybody - it kind
of removed all doubt," he said.
Burton's last day will be April
24. He is a graduate of Harvard
Law School who spent 20 years in
private practice in Alaska.
At last week's meeting, Arp said
the move to seek contract employ-
ees would harm employee morale
at the city.
She noted she was a member of
the city council that moved to bring
the engineer's position in- house.
A contract engineer often would
have a conflict of interest by work-
ing for the city and also for a
developer with an application
pending before the city, she said.
-McCall Mayor Kirk Eimers said
Tuesday that he wished both Bur-
ton and Henderson good luck.
"They have served long and well,"
Eimers said.
The resignations fit in with the
intent of the three new members of
the city council who are seeking
ways to streamline city govern -'
ment, Eimers said. "This gives us
an opportunity to do it a little
quicker than we had anticipated,"
he said.
Eimers said it was his inclina-
tion to hire a temporary city
treasurer while the position is re-
evaluated. He also said he would
suggest to the council that adver-
tisements be put out for both a
contract city attorney as well as a
full-time attorney to compare quali-
fications and costs.
Eimers said he regretted the loss
of experience that Burton and
Henderson possessed, but he said,
"none of us are irreplaceable."
TA, 9tA R At
BY JEANNE HEINS
The Star -News
Three engineering and construc-
tion bills totaling almost $100,000
were paid twice by City of McCall
officials during fiscal year 1997, a
Boise auditing firm reported last
week.
Only one of the three double pay-
ments was detected by city officials
before auditors caught the error,
said Jae Hallett of Balukoff,
Lindstrom and Co. Certified Public
Accountants.
Hallett presented the city's an-
nual audit report at last Thursday's
McCall City Council meeting.
Invoices paid twice included a
$59,931 bill paid to Ross Enterprises
of Jerome for water pump station
modifications, and $22,505 paid twice
to Toothman -Orton Engineering of
McCall and Boise for airport work. A
bill for $17,014 was also paid twice to
Bezates Construction for work on
sewer pipes on East Lake Street.
City Clerk Jim Henderson said
the double payments made to both
Ross Enterprises and T -O Engineer-
ing had been applied toward later
bills submitted by the firms to the
city. The double payment made to
Bezates Construction was returned,
he said.
"The city is very concerned about
these double payments and the po-
tential for others," Henderson said
in a written response to the auditors.
Since auditors found the double
payments, the city has changed the
way invoices are paid by assigning
Audit:
McCall
made
$100,000
in double
payments
project numbers to pay requests
and better reviewing all invoices,
Henderson said.
Department heads also verify
all pay requests and record them
sequentially so double payments
can be identified immediately,
Henderson said.
In addition to changing the way
the city pays its invoices, Hallett
also recommended the city correct
city departments who run their
budgets in a continuous deficit.
The recreation department
ended fiscal year 1997 more than
$53,000 in the red, city records
show. The deficit resulted from a
projected user -fee revenue short-
fall, combined with deficit balances
carried over from past years,
Henderson said.
Hallett recommended the city
fold the recreation department into
the city's general fund and subsi-
dize its operation with property
tax revenue.
"I don't think you're going to
get out of the hole with just user
fees," Hallett said. "You need to
either shift more property tax into
the fund or put it into the general
fund. A lot of cities don't put recre-
ation into a special fund because
they know user fees can't pay for
it."
City council members took the
audit recommendations under ad-
visement and took no action at last
Thursday's meeting. They are ex-
pected to address the recreation
department issue during the city's
budget process this spring.
��' q Y ' / ! P y 'S
M c C a l l O K s p a y t o B u r t o n
t o m a n a g e c i t y W e b p a g e
B Y J E A N N E H E I N S
T h e S t a r - N e w s
M c C a l l C i t y A t t o r n e y T e d B u r -
t o n w i l l r e c e i v e a n a d d i t i o n a l $ 1 5 0
p e r m o n t h t o m a i n t a i n t h e C i t y o f
M c C a l l ' s s i t e o n t h e W o r l d W i d e
W e b .
A c o n t r a c t b e t w e e n B u r t o n a n d
t h e c i t y w a s a p p r o v e d l a s t T h u r s -
d a y b y t h e M c C a l l C i t y C o u n c i l .
B u r t o n w i l l b e p a i d f r o m h i s o w n
c i t y d e p a r t m e n t b u d g e t . H i s a n n u a l
s a l a r y a s c i t y a t t o r n e y i s $ 5 0 , 2 3 2 .
" T h i s w i l l e n a b l e m e t o m a k e
t h e d e m a n d s o f ( B u r t o n ) f o r t h e
t h i n g s y o u w a n t o n t h i s W e b s i t e , "
C i t y M a n a g e r B r i a n O l s o n s a i d .
C o u n c i l m e m b e r s h a v e a s k e d
t h a t c i t y c o u n c i l a g e n d a s , m i n u t e s
a n d g e n e r a l c i t y i n f o r m a t i o n b e
a v a i l a b l e o n t h e c i t y W e b s i t e ,
w h i c h c a n b e s e e n a t
w w w . m c c a l l . i d . u s .
S e v e r a l M c C a l l r e s i d e n t s c r i t i -
c i z e d t h e a c t i o n , h o w e v e r . S o m e
a r g u e d h a v i n g a W e b s i t e w a s n o t
c r u c i a l t o t h e c i t y . O t h e r s s a i d t h e
j o b s h o u l d b e b i d .
" I d o n ' t t h i n k t h i s p r o j e c t g i v e s
a n y p a r t i c u l a r b e n e f i t s t o t h e c i t y , "
T e d W i n k e l o f M c C a l l s a i d . " C o n -
s i d e r i n g t h e p o o r f i n a n c e s o f t h e
c i t y , I ' m n o t s u r e w e s h o u l d b e
s p e n d i n g m o n e y o n t h i s . "
S t a n S e a r s o f M c C a l l a s k e d w h y
c i t y s t a f f h a d n o t f i r s t p u t t h e j o b
o u t t o b i d t o m a k e i t a c o m p e t i t i v e
p r o c e s s .
O l s o n s a i d h e b e l i e v e d t h e c i t y
c o u l d f i n d n o o n e t o m a i n t a i n t h e
W e b s i t e f o r l e s s t h a n $ 1 5 0 p e r
m o n t h .
" W e ' r e p u t t i n g t h e c o u n c i l m i n -
u t e s , t h e c i t y n e w s l e t t e r , t h e
c o u n c i l a g e n d a s o n t h i s s i t e . I t ' s a
- - - - - ' - g a b l e a m o u n t o f w o r k , "
t i d . " T h i s c o s t i s v e r y m u c h
i n l i n e . "
C o u n c i l m e m b e r s a g r e e d t o p a y
B u r t o n t h e e x t r a $ 1 5 0 a m o n t h , b u t
w i l l r e v i e w t h e i s s u e w h e n t h e y
s t a r t t h e b u d g e t p r o c e s s t h i s s p r i n g .
I n o t h e r a c t i o n l a s t T h u r s d a y ,
t h e c o u n c i l :
jq,4� liEWs M,4 4r-C -5 x198
•
council
rocks
Members, standing
room crowd hear a
meaty, long agenda
Arp raps Olson for holding
up J -Ditch sewer project
BY JEANNE HEINS
The Star -News
McCall City Manager Brian Olson was
accused of making "back room" deals last
week after he stopped a sewer lagoon project
previously approved by the McCall City
Council.
McCall City Council member Marilyn Arp
criticized Olson at last Thursday's council
meeting for making decisions on his own
instead of first asking for council approval.
The accusation came after Olson told
council members that on Feb. 9, he had or-
dered a halt to design work on the second
phase of the J -Ditch pipeline project. That
project, approved last October by council
members, was to build winter storage la-
goons for the city's effluent.
Olson told council members he had
stopped the $3.3 million project after receiv-
ing a letter from the state Division of
Epvironmental Quality. That letter ex-
pressed concern about project costs and
details of a contract approved with J -U -B
Engineers of Boise.
"I really felt I could not go through with
this from a financial standpoint," Olson said.
"I don't think it's wise to expend funds on a
site - specific project before we even own the
site. The land should have been bought first."
The storage lagoons are planned
on 39 acres of private land south of
the current waste water treatment
plant in McCall. The lagoons will
hold the city's effluent during win-
ter months when it cannot be
pumped to ranchers south of the
city through the J -Ditch sewer and
irrigation pipeline during the sum-
mer.
Negotiations to purchase the
property are continuing, Olson
said, but the city should approve
no more billing for engineering
project design work until that prop-
erty is in the city's hands.
Instead, Olson recommended
council members form a "Value
Engineering Services" team to
evaluate the project. Such a team
would require hiring another en-
gineering firm that would meet
with local citizens, city staff and
other officials to make sure the
project is needed and all funds for
the project are spent efficiently.
Arp disagreed. She said Olson
should have come to the city coun-
cil before making the decision to
stop the project. "You called a halt
on a council- approved project, and
my concern is, are decisions being
made in public, or are they being
made in a back room ?" Arp said.
Arp also criticized Olson for ad-
vertising that the city would be
organizing a value engineering
team in the Feb. 26 issue of The
Star -News before getting council
approval of the value concept.
"Pronouncements of what we
do belong at this (council) table
before they go into the newspaper,"
she said.
Olson said in an interview he
did not need the council's approval
to publish a "request for proposal"
to establish the value team. "It is
up to city staff to draft an RFP and
for city council to pick a consult-
ant" from firms who respond to the
RFP, Olson said.
Olson also said at last
Thursday's meeting he believed he
made the right decision by halting
the sewer lagoon project.
"I made a decision," Olson said.
"I did not feel good spending $30,000
to $40,000 a week in engineering
design costs. You pay me to make
these calls. I got this on the city
council agenda as soon as I could."
Arp said a two -week delay be-
tween Olson's halting the project
and letting city council know was
not good enough. She also dis-
agreed with the value engineering
concept. "I am not willing to spend
money to get people up to speed.
It's not necessary," she said.
Delaying the sewer lagoon
project by forming a value team
may also jeopardize $2,5 million in
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation funds
appropriated to McCall last Octo-
ber, officials said. That funding was
to be spent during fiscal year 1998
on the storage lagoons.
"The time line on this project is
tight already," Payette Lakes Wa-
ter and Sewer District Manager
Ted Whiteman said. "This delay
may move the project into another
construction season, and if that
happens, all bets may be offon your
funding."
City Attorney Ted Burton
agreed. "We need to be careful and
get reassurance from B of R that
the money will not get pulled back,"
Burton said. "This is a political
process. Beware."
Council members elected last
November, however, disagreed
with Arp. Mayor Kirk Eimers and
council members Ray Venable and
Allan Muller said they supported
the value engineering concept. The
three directed city staffers to get in
writing from state officials that
forming the team would not jeop-
ardize federalfundingforthe sewer
lagoon project. Council member
Ralph Colton was absent.
Forming the team and evaluat-
ing the project should delay the
project by three weeks, Olson said.
"It is my opinion that it will take
that long to buy the land (for the
lagoons) anyway," he said.
The proposed construction of
the winter storage lagoon is the
first phase of a three - phase, $7 mil-
lion project required by the state
and federal government. The lay'
goons and the J -Ditch pipeline wiY-
replace the city's current pract
of discharging its effluent into lk
North Fork of the Payette Rives
S -rf_q,e N ,-W 5 V- z- y8'
Informal survey shows distrust
of City of McCall government
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -New.
Respondents to a survey on
McCall city government said they
do not think city government has
been responsive to the needs of the
community and that the perfor-
mance of city employees has been
unacceptable.
The survey was conducted by
Citizens for Responsible Govern-
ment, the citizens group that
helped elect three new McCall City
Council members in last
November's city election.
The results were compiled from
161 surveys turned in last month,
said Covey Ruyle, a member of Citi-
zens for Responsible Government.
A total of 965 surveys were either
set out in local supermarkets or
mailed to those who had signed up
at a meeting on water rates held
last year by the group, Ruyle said.
Ruyle acknowledged the survey
was not scientific, but that the
"They tell me to Keep on
a -goin' and beep on
track. "
- McCall Mayor Kirk Eimers
group could not afford a formal
survey. The results were presented
to McCall City Council members
last Thursday.
"People are unhappy with the
way things have been and they
want change, but I'm not sure what
kind of change," Ruyle said.
The survey asked respondents
whether they agreed or disagreed
with certain statements.
A total of 85.7 percent said they
disagreed that McCall government
"has been responsive to the needs
and wishes of the community for
the past two to four years."
A similar percentage, or 87.3per-
cent, said they disagreed that
"performance of city staff has been
acceptable over the past two to four
years."
A total of 59.7 percent said
McCall did not need a full -time city
attorney. There was a split over
whether the city needed a full -time
city planner or engineer. About 48
percent of respoiVdents said there
was no need for the positions, while
about 32 percent agreed with the
posts.
Eighty -five percent of respon-
dents said they disagreed that
"continuing annual increases
(maximum allowed) in operating
costs of city government is normal
and acceptable," while 73.9 percent
said full-time and part -time resi-
dents should pay the same for basic
city services.
McCall Mayor Kirk Eimers said
the survey results were "a reaffir-
mation of the kinds of things we
ran on. They tell me to keep on a-
goin' and keep on track."
Legality of
waiver que
BY COREY WICKS
The Stu -News
There is confusion among
McCall officials over whether the
McCall City Council acted illegally
when it waived the prohibition
against overnight camping in city
parks at its April 23 meeting.
Apparently it is unclear what
actually took place when the coun-
cil voted on a bill which would
allow overnight parking at
Riverfront Park for the planned
Riverfest Boat Races later this
month.
The question is whether the
council waived the city ordinance
banning overnight camping out-
camping
stioned
right or merely approved the idea
in concept?
Gerrad Anthony of McCall, the
Riverfest event organizer, was un-
der the impression that the city
had already waived the city's pro-
hibition against camping in city
parks.
"Nobody informed me that
there's anything else that has to be
taken care of ' regarding overnight
camping, Anthony said. "That was
absolutely approved then and
there."
McCall Attorney William Killen
said that if the council did waive
the ordinance then it acted ille-
gally, since there is no provision
in the ordinance allowing it to be
waived.
In my opinion they have no
authority to do what they did," said
Killen, a former council member
and mayor. "A city council cannot
waive their own ordinances, pe-
riod, any more than a governor
can repeal a statute of Idaho."
No city attorney was present at
the April 23 meeting, since City
Attorney Ted Burton had resigned.
Had the city attorney been
present, then the attorney could
have written up an amendment to
the ordinance, which the council
could then have passed, Killen said.
When it was pointed out to
Mayor Kirk Eimers that it was ille-
gal for the council to waive an
ordinance, Eimers said he wasn't
sure about the legalities of it but
would check into it.
Later, Eimers said thatthe coun-
cil had not waived the ordinance
but had only approved it in con-
cept. The council plans to vote on
an amendment at its next meeting
on May 14 that would allow over-
night camping at undeveloped
parks, such as Riverfront Park, he
said.
Anthony said overnight camp-
ing is essential to making the May
29 -31 Riverfest Boat Race work.
Anthony added that The Star -
News was incorrect in its story on
April 30 that said the council had
waived the fees. "The ultimate de-
cision on fees is probably going to
be determined by (City Manager)
Brian Olson," Anthony said.
Several rafting and kayaking
companies have committed to at-
tending the event, Anthony said.
Included are Northwest River Sup-
plies, the nation's largest
mail -order boating supply com-
pany, and AIRE Inc., the nation's
largest manufacturer of inflatable
boats.
"McCall is a whitewater town
and some people don't even know
it," Anthony said. " Whitewater is
exploding faster here than any
other area. Ihave all the confidence
in the world that this will be a
successful event."
Olson says more resignations
at City Hall no reason to panic
MCCALL — More resignations at McCall City Hall
have some asking if there isn't too much of a turnover
in City Hall and if some valuable "institutional knowl-
edge" isn't being lost.
This week, staff accountant Judy Sargent tendered
her resignation to pursue something else. That follows
the resignation two weeks ago of City Engineer Jackie
Fields, which in turn, followed the resignations in late
March and early April of City Attorney Ted Burton
and City Clerk/Treasurer Jim Henderson.
Linda Harris, the city's receptionist also resigned
at approximately the same time as Fields.
In addition, City Manager Brian Olson said that
Larraine Hawes, assistant to Burton, has been made
fully aware that her position may well be eliminated if
the City Council decides to go with contracted -for legal
services.
"I don't want anyone to be surprised," Olson said.
He also said that he didn't believe the mass of res-
ignations would greatly affect operations at City Hall.
"The sky isn't falling," he said. "We're making some
fundamental changes in the city, and (the resignations)
provide an opportunity to make real productive changes
in how the city government is structured."
Although he said there is some value to the notion
of "institutional memory" and that the loss of it might
affect the city in an adverse way, he said there is anoth-
er side to the changeover.
"The opportunity to bring in new people with new
ideas and new enthusiasm has value too," he said.
Olson said he's also hearing some of the concerns
people are having about the turnover in City Hall, but
he also said he's hearing from a lot of people who are
telling him that he's doing what needs to be done in
pursuing other options for the city.
"Something's got to be done," he said of the pre-
sent situation concerning the city's financial status.
He said he believes that by the time the jobs are
filled and new employees get adjusted to McCall, that
the general citizenry will be pleased with what's hap-
pened.
But, Councilmember Ralph Colton said he's con-
cerned about the resignations.
He said that he and Mayor Kirk Eimers have been
making the rounds of all city departments, and they're
hearing that there needs to be better communications
between the City Council and those departments.
He said they're also assuring city employees that
there is no agenda at work to eliminate jobs.
"We're aware there is a serious moral problem and
we're going to do whatever it takes to correct it," he
said.
He also said that improving and maintaining city
staff morale will be one of the criteria on which Olson's
job performance will be rated, and that the setting of
those criteria will take place at a near - future Council
meeting.
�� S t a g y - / y e w s - s l , 7 / 9 e
A c c o u n t a n t
t o - l e a v e
M c C a l l j o b
B Y C O R E Y W I C K S
T h e S l a v - N e w s
J u d y S a r g e n t , s t a f f a c c o u n t a n t
f o r t h e C i t y o f M c C a l l , r e s i g n e d o n
M o n d a y t o a c c e p t a s i m i l a r p o s i -
t i o n f o r t h e C i t y o f B o i s e .
S a r g e n t , 4 4 , t u r n e d h e r r e s i g n a -
t i o n i n t o C i t y M a n a g e r B r i a n O l s o n
M o n d a y m o r n i n g . M a y 1 5 w i l l b e
h e r l a s t d a y a t w o r k .
" I w a s n ' t g o i n g t o p a s s u p t h a t
g o o d o f a . j o b , " S a r g e n t s a i d . W h e n
a s k e d w h y s h e s o u g h t e m p l o y m e n t
e l s e w h e r e , S a r g e n t s a i d , " I ' m r e a l
g o o d a t n o c o m m e n t . "
S a r g e n t ' s r e s i g n a t i o n a d d s h e r
n a m e t o a g r o w i n g l i s t o f r e s i g n a -
t i o n s o f c i t y e m p l o y e e s i n r e c e n t
w e e k s , i n c l u d i n g C i t y C l e r k J i m
H e n d e r s o n , C i t y A t t o r n e y T e d B u r -
t o n , C i t y E n g i n e e r J a c k i e F i e l d s ,
a n d R e c e p t i o n i s t L i n d a H a r r i s .
S a r g e n t s t a r t e d a s t h e c i t y ' s s t a f f
a c c o u n t a n t o n M a r c h 2 3 , 1 9 9 3 . T h e
p o s i t i o n h a n d l e s t h e p a y r o l l , a c -
c o u n t s r e c e i v a b l e a n d b a l a n c i n g
t h e c i t y c h e c k b o o k . S h e a l s o
w o r k e d w i t h a u d i t o r s a n d h e l p e d
o u t w i t h e m p l o y e e o r i e n t a t i o n .
J u d y a n d h e r h u s b a n d , R o b ,
h a v e l i v e d i n M c C a l l s i n c e O c t o b e r
1 9 9 2 . R o b i s t h e s h o p s u p e r v i s o r f o r
t h e c i t y ' s p u b l i c w o r k s d e p a r t m e n t .
P r e v i o u s l y , S a r g e n t h a s w o r k e d
i n g o v e r n m e n t a c c o u n t i n g i n A r i -
z o n a a n d O r a n g e C o u n t y ,
C a l i f o r n i a .
O l s o n s a i d t h a t S a r g e n t h a d b e e n
i n t e r e s t e d f o r s e v e r a l y e a r s i n m o v -
i n g b e c a u s e t h e r e a r e n o c o l l e g e s
i n M c C a l l .
" O n e o f t h e b i g p r o b l e m s i n
M c C a l l i s t h a t t h e r e a r e n o o p p o r -
t u n i t i e s f o r s e c o n d a r y e d u c a t i o n , "
O l s o n s a i d . " I f o u r n u m b e r o n e e x -
p o r t i s h i g h s c h o o l g r a d u a t e s , t h e n
p e r h a p s w e s h o u l d l o o k t o s e e i f i t
i s v i a b l e t o h a v e a c o m m u n i t y c o l -
l e g e i n M c C a l l . "
O l s o n a l s o s a i d " w e ' r e g o i n g t o
b u i l d a r e a l s o l i d t e a m " i n M c C a l l
a n d t h a t t h e c i t y w a s g e t t i n g " r e a l
s o l i d a p p l i c a t i o n s f o r t h e v a c a n -
c i e s .
��t < a �� N e t ' - ) s
W a s h i n g t o n
w a n t s O l s o n
t o p a y $ 2 , 6 0 3
S t a t e a u d i t o r c l a i m s
e x c e s s i v e e x p e n s e s ,
i m p r o p e r p r o c e d u r e
c o s t t a x p a y e r s
B Y T O M G R O T E
T h e S t a r - N e w s
A W a s h i n g t o n s t a t e a g e n c y s a y s
M c C a l l C i t y M a n a g e r B r i a n O l s o n
o w e s $ 2 , 6 0 3 . 3 0 t o t h e s t a t e f o r i m -
p r o p e r e x p e n s e s h e m a d e w h i l e
w o r k i n g f o r t h e s t a t e i n 1 9 9 6 a n d
T h e W a s h i n g t o n D e p a r t m e n t o f
C o m m u n i t y , T r a d e a n d E c o n o m i c
D e v e l o p m e n t , O l s o n ' s f o r m e r e m -
l o y e r , w i l l s e e k t h e m o n e y f r o m
h i m f o l l o w i n g a n i n v e s t i g a t i o n b y
h e W a s h i n g t o n S t a t e A u d i t o r ' s
f f i c e o f O l s o n ' s e m p l o y m e n t w i t h
e s t a t e .
T h e a u d i t o r ' s r e p o r t l i s t e d s i x
n s t a n c e s w h e r e i t c l a i m s O l s o n
v e r s p e n t $ 3 5 3 . 3 0 i n s t a t e m o n e y
o r l o d g i n g , m e a l s a n d p a r k i n g .
A s e v e n t h c l a i m i s t h a t O l s o n
u t h o r i z e d s p e n d i n g $ 4 , 5 0 0 t o d e -
e l o p a n I n t e r n e t W e b s i t e w i t h o u t
e e k i n g c o m p e t i t i v e b i d s .
" B i d s w e r e o b t a i n e d a f t e r t h e
f a c t a n d a f t e r m o s t o f t h e w o r k h a d
b e e n c o m p l e t e d , " t h e a u d i t o r ' s r e -
p o r t s a i d . O n l y h a l f o f t h e W e b s i t e
w o r k w a s d o n e , s o t h e s t a t e w i l l
s e e k r e i m b u r s e m e n t o f $ 2 , 2 5 0 f r o m
O l s o n , e c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t d e -
p a r t m e n t s p o k e s m a n D e a n J u d d
s a i d W e d n e s d a y .
O l s o n r e s p o n d e d W e d n e s d a y b y
s a y i n g h e d i d n o t b e l i e v e h e o w e d
t h e s t a t e a n y m o n e y , a n d t h a t h e
c o u l d j u s t i f y a l l t h e e x p e n s e s h e
m a d e . H e c a l l e d t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n
" a w i t c h h u n t . "
M c C a l l M a y o r K i r k E i m e r s a n d
M c C a l l C i t y C o u n c i l P r e s i d e n t
A l l a n M u l l e r a l s o s a i d W e d n e s d a y
t h e y w o u l d t a k e n o a c t i o n a g a i n s t
O l s o n w h i l e t h e d i s p u t e c o n t i n u e d .
B r i a n
O l s o n
D e n i e s h e
b r o k e p o l i c i e s
" T h i s i s a m a t t e r b e t w e e n t h e
s t a t e o f W a s h i n g t o n a n d B r i a n
O l s o n , " E i m e r s s a i d .
C o m p l a i n t s p u r r e d p r o b e
B e t w e e n N o v e m b e r 1 9 9 6 a n d
S e p t e m b e r 1 9 9 7 , O l s o n w a s m a n a g -
i n g d i r e c t o r i n t h e T r a d e a n d
E c o n o m i c S e c t o r s S e r v i c e A r e a ,
w h i c h i s p a r t o f t h e B u s i n e s s D e -
v e l o p m e n t P r o g r a m a t t h e s t a t e ' s
e c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t d e p a r t -
m e n t .
O l s o n ' s j o b a t t h e a g e n c y w a s t o
a t t r a c t c o m p a n i e s t o l o c a t e i n
W a s h i n g t o n , J u d d s a i d . O l s o n b e -
c a m e M c C a l l c i t y m a n a g e r i n
J a n u a r y .
L a s t y e a r , a n a n o n y m o u s c o m -
p l a i n t w a s f i l e d w i t h t h e s t a t e
a u d i t o r ' s o f f i c e u n d e r t h e s t a t e ' s
" w h i s t l e b l o w e r " a c t , w h i c h a l l o w s
e m p l o y e e s t o r e v e a l p o s s i b l e
w r o n g d o i n g s w i t h i n s t a t e a g e n c i e s ,
s a i d M i n d y C h a m b e r s , s p o k e s -
w o m a n f o r S t a t e A u d i t o r B r i a n
S o n n t a g .
I n v e s t i g a t o r s l o o k e d i n t o 1 5 s e p a -
r a t e a l l e g a t i o n s a g a i n s t O l s o n a n d
i s s u e d a 2 0 - p a g e r e p o r t o n F r i d a y .
T h e c l a i m t h a t O l s o n p a i d f o r
t h e W e b s i t e w i t h o u t b i d d i n g w i l l
b e f o r w a r d e d t o t h e W a s h i n g t o n
A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l ' s O f f i c e f o r p o s -
s i b l e c r i m i n a l p r o s e c u t i o n ,
C h a m b e r s s a i d .
I n a w r i t t e n s t a t e m e n t , O l s o n
s a i d t h e W e b s i t e " w a s b i d a p p r o -
p r i a t e l y , w a s n o t a u t h o r i z e d f o r
p a y m e n t b y m e , n o r w a s i t c o m -
p l e t e d w h e n I l e f t W a s h i n g t o n . "
A l s o , t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n s a i d
O l s o n u s e d h i s s t a t e c o m p u t e r t o
c o n d u c t p e r s o n a l b u s i n e s s 1 3 t i m e s
i n t h e s p r i n g o f 1 9 9 7 , m o s t o f w h i c h
i n v o l v e d p e r s o n a l r e a l e s t a t e t r a n s -
a c t i o n s .
O l s o n d e n i e d h e u s e d t h e s t a t e
c o m p u t e r f o r p e r s o n a l b u s i n e s s . H e d o w n t o q u e s t i o n i n g o n l y a f e w
s a i d t h e a l l e g a t i o n s t e m s f r o m o c - h u n d r e d d o l l a r s . "
c a s i o n s w h e n h e s a m p l e d W e b s i t e s I n a n i n t e r v i e w o n T u e s d a y ,
t o l o o k a t t h e i r d e s i g n a s p a r t o f W a s h i n g t o n S t a t e A u d i t o r B r i a n
d e v e l o p i n g o f t h e a g e n c y ' s W e b s i t e . S o n n t a g s a i d t h e a m o u n t o f m o n e y
T h e o t h e r f i n d i n g s b y t h e i n v o l v e d w a s b e s i d e t h e p o i n t .
a u d i t o r ' s i n v e s t i g a t i o n i n c l u d e d : " T h e p o i n t i s i t ' s t h e p u b l i c ' s
" O l s o n m a d e r e s e r v a t i o n s a t a m o n e y , " S o n n t a g s a i d . " I ' v e n e v e r
V a n c o u v e r , W a s h . , m o t e l t h a t w e r e l e a r n e d t h e r e i s s o m e a r t i f i c i a l l i n e
n o t u s e d a n d n o t c a n c e l l e d . C l a i m : w h e r e a c e r t a i n a m o u n t o f i r r e g u -
$ 4 6 . l a r i t y w i t h t h e p u b l i c m o n e y i s
" O l s o n w a s p a i d f o r a n " u n n e c - a c c e p t a b l e . "
e s s a r y " l u n c h w h i l e a t t e n d i n g a P u b l i c e m p l o y e e s a r e " s t e w a r d s
c o n f e r e n c e i n M i n n e s o t a . C l a i m : o f a v e r y f r a g i l e p u b l i c t r u s t . T h i s
$ 2 2 . ( c a s e ) i s n o t t h e e n d o f t h e w o r l d ,
" O l s o n c h a r g e d t h e s t a t e f o r s e v - b u t o u r c o n c e r n s h o u l d b e t h a t t h e
e r a l d a y s o f p e r s o n a l p a r k i n g a t p u b l i c a c c o u n t i s m a d e w h o l e , "
h i s o f f i c e i n S e a t t l e . C l a i m : $ 6 4 . 5 0 . S o n n t a g s a i d .
" O l s o n e x c e e d e d a l l o w a b l e l o d g - J o b e n d e d e a r l y
i n g c o s t s d u r i n g f i v e o u t - o f - t o w n
t r i p s . T h e o v e r c h a r g e s r a n g e d f r o m O l s o n l e f t t h e e c o n o m i c d e v e l -
$ 1 3 . 5 2 t o $ 2 4 . 3 0 . C l a i m : $ 8 8 . 8 0 . o p m e n t a g e n c y i n S e p t e m b e r 1 9 9 7 , [
" O l s o n w a s r e i m b u r s e d f o r
t h r e e m e a l s t h a t w e r e n o t a l l o w e d
u n d e r s t a t e r e g u l a t i o n s . C l a i m : $ 6 4 .
" O l s o n o n c e r e c e i v e d r e i m -
b u r s e m e n t f o r l o d g i n g w h e n
s t a y i n g i n T a c o m a , w h i c h i s 3 2
m i l e s f r o m S e a t t l e . S t a t e r u l e s s a y
s t a t e e m p l o y e e s s h o u l d n o t s p e n d
t h e n i g h t c l o s e r t h a n 5 0 m i l e s f r o m
w h e r e t h e y w o r k w i t h o u t w r i t t e n
p e r m i s s i o n . C l a i m : $ 6 8 .
E c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t d e p a r t -
m e n t o f f i c i a l s d i s p u t e d t h i s f i n d i n g ,
s a y i n g i t w a s e a s i e r f o r O l s o n t o
s t a y t h e n i g h t i n T a c o m a t h a n t o
r e t u r n t o h i s h o m e i n N o r t h B e n d ,
w h i c h i s 5 6 m i l e s f r o m T a c o m a .
S o m e c h a r g e s u n f o u n d e d
S e v e r a l c l a i m s m a d e b y t h e
a n o n y m o u s w h i s t l e b l o w e r w e r e
n o t s u b s t a n t i a t e d b y t h e a u d i t o r ' s
i n v e s t i g a t i o n . T h o s e u n f o u n d e d
c h a r g e s i n c l u d e d c l a i m s t h a t O l s o n
c o n d u c t e d p e r s o n a l b u s i n e s s w h i l e
t r a v e l i n g f o r t h e s t a t e .
H o w e v e r , O l s o n ' s m a n a g e r t o l d
h i m i n N o v e m b e r 1 9 9 6 t o s t o p h i s
o u t s i d e c o n s u l t i n g w i t h i n t w o
w e e k s , b u t O l s o n c o n t i n u e d t o d o
c o n s u l t i n g f o r a t l e a s t f i v e w e e k s ,
t h e a u d i t o r ' s r e p o r t s a i d .
O l s o n w a s n o t t h e o n l y t a r g e t o f
t h e a u d i t o r ' s f i n d i n g s . T h e D e p a r t -
m e n t o f C o m m u n i t y , T r a d e a n d
E c o n o m i c D e v e l o p m e n t w a s f r e -
q u e n t l y c i t e d f o r f a i l u r e t o m o n i t o r
e m p l o y e e s , l a c k o f d o c u m e n t a t i o n
b e f o r e a p p r o v i n g p a y m e n t s , a n d
p o o r t r a i n i n g o f e m p l o y e e s o n c o m -
p l i a n c e w i t h s t a t e r e g u l a t i o n s .
O l s o n s a i d t h e c h a r g e s a g a i n s t
h i m w e r e b r o u g h t b y a f o r m e r e m -
p l o y e e " w h o c o u l d n o t a d j u s t t o
h i g h e r p e r f o r m a n c e s t a n d a r d s a n d
r e s o r t e d t o p e r s o n a l a n d i n a c c u r a t e
a t t a c k s t o g a i n r e v e n g e , " h e s a i d .
I n h i s s t a t e m e n t , O l s o n a l s o s a i d
h e h a s m a n a g e d m i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s
d u r i n g h i s v a r i o u s g o v e r n m e n t
j o b s . " I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g . . . w e c o m e
t w o m o n t h s b e f o r e a 1 2 - m o n t h p r o -
b a t i o n a r y p e r i o d e n d e d . J u d d s a i d
O l s o n l e f t b e c a u s e " h i s s u p e r v i s o r
i n d i c a t e d i t w a s n ' t w o r k i n g o u t f o r
t h e d e p a r t m e n t o r f o r h i m . "
O l s o n s a i d W e d n e s d a y t h e d e c i -
s i o n t o l e a v e w a s m u t u a l a n d t h a t
h i s s u p e r v i s o r " w a s v e r y u p s e t I
w a s l e a v i n g . " H e s a i d a c h a n g e i n
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n a t t h e d e p a r t m e n t
p r o m p t e d h i s l e a v i n g . " T h e r e
w a s n ' t a g o o d m a t c h , " h e s a i d .
O l s o n s a i d h e w o u l d n o t b e d i s -
t r a c t e d b y t h e c l a i m s , " b u t w i l l
c o n t i n u e t o c o n c e n t r a t e o n m a k -
i n g ( M c C a l l ) g o v e r n m e n t b e t t e r
a n d m o r e e f f i c i e n t . "
E i m e r s s a i d W e d n e s d a y O l s o n
d e n i e d t o h i m a l l t h e a l l e g a t i o n s
m a d e i n t h e a u d i t o r ' s r e p o r t a n d
t h a t h e c o u l d m a k e n o j u d g m e n t s
n o w . " W h a t ' s t r u e a n d w h a t ' s n o t ?
I d o n ' t t h i n k t h a t ' s o n t h e t a b l e
y e t , " E i m e r s s a i d .
" D o e s i t s a y w e n e e d t o b e a w a r e
a n d c o g n i z a n t a n d p a y a t t e n t i o n ?
O f c o u r s e i t d o e s , " h e s a i d . " D o e s i t
m e a n w e n e e d t o c o n d e m n ? N o t
y e t , I d o n ' t t h i n k . "
E i m e r s s a i d h e w a s s o r r y t h a t
t o p i c s f r o m t h e p a s t w e r e d i s t r a c t -
i n g t h e c i t y ' s a g e n d a . " L e t ' s l e a r n
f r o m w h a t ' s h a p p e n e d a n d g o f o r -
w a r d t h e b e s t w e c a n , " h e s a i d .
M u l l e r n o t e d t h a t t h e M c C a l l
C i t y C o u n c i l h a s a n i t e m o n i t s
a g e n d a t o n i g h t t o r e v i e w c i t y t r a v e l
p o l i c i e s , w h i c h h e s a i d w e r e v a g u e
a n d s u b j e c t t o i n t e r p r e t a t i o n . T h e
m e e t i n g s t a r t s a t 7 p . m . i n t h e l o w e r
l e v e l o f M c C a l l C i t v H a l l . _
T� YV, s /yam
McCall legal cases to be
prosecuted by county
BY COREY WICKS
The Star -News
Valley County Commissioners
approved a plan on Monday that
would allow Valley County Pros-
ecuting Attorney Richard Roats to
prosecute criminal cases in McCall
while the city does not have an in-
house attorney, Valley County
Clerk Lee Heinrich said.
McCall City Manager Brian
Olson said that arrangement would
benefit both the city and the county,
since Roats already does prosecu-
tions within the county and could
do it at a lower cost.
In the interim, Olson said the
city would be willing to pay an
attorney $100 an hour, but that
price would go down once a long-
term arrangement could be made.
Roats would prosecute misde-
meanor cases in McCall while
several other attorneys have ex-
pressed interest in continuing the
city's other legal work, Olson said.
The city is without a legal advi-
sor or city prosecutor since City
Attorney Ted Burton resigned last
month.
The McCall City Council is
considering the possibility of keep-
ing the city attorney a full -time
employee or having an indepen-
dent contractor do legal work for
the city.
Olson said that the city might
not need a full -time attorney for
just criminal prosecutions since
that duty would probably only be.
needed one day a week, he said.
The council will make a decision
in June, he said.
l aeii "L1D vyC� f 'C3 5117 q/2 /Z/ I-q p k
McCall plans to use
federal grant to help
spruce up downtown
MCCALL — McCall will use
a $500,000 federal grant to help
pay for downtown improve-
ments in the resort city.
The funds, awarded through
the Idaho Community Develop-
ment Block Grant program,
will help pay for new side-
walks, curbs, gutters, storm
drainage, street lights, water
and sewer improvements,
building renovation and park-
ing.
Gov. Phil Batt announced the
award Friday.
The grant money will be
matched with more than $1 mil-
lion from local and private
sources and $383,535 from the
Idaho Transportation Depart-
ment and Federal Highway Ad-
ministration.
McCall's request was re-
viewed and forwarded to Batt
for approval by the Idaho Eco-
nomic Advisory Council, a six -
member private panel that
oversees the state Department
of Commerce's economic and
community development activ-
ities.
Idaho gets about $9 million a
year in Idaho Community De-
velopment Block Grant funding
from the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Develop-
ment.
More than half is awarded
each April for public facility
projects and senior centers. The
rest is distributed quarterly for
economic development or im-
minent- threat situations.
Star -News Photo by Jeanne Se.
McCall Redevelopment Agency Chair Lance Eckhardt stands in front of the former railroad depot that
is undergoing renovation within the McCall Urban Renewal District.
McCall's sometimes controversial urban
renewal agency is pushing ahead its vision
BY JEANNE SEOL
The Star -News
Six years after its creation, 'he McCall
Redevelopment Agency has recently bloomed
into a spending powerhouse, propelled by new
development and plans to build a boulevard from
Idaho 55 to Pine Street.
Since January, the agency, which oversees the
McCall Urban Renewal District, has dished out
more than $400,000 to private land owners. That
money has paid for parcels that will by next year
be part of the new boulevard, designed to
someday connect Idaho 55 all the way to Davis
Avenue.
Today, in Fourth District Court in Cascade,
the agency will ask permission from Judge
George Carey to borrow an additional $1.75
million in bonds to fund the street's construction
from Idaho 55 to Pine Street.
That money will be paid back during the next
15 to 20 years using the urban renewal district's
unique tax increment financing powers.
Under state law, the district may fund its own
public improvements, like streets and water and
sewer lines, by using new property taxes generated
inside its borders from private development.
The agency currently owns land valued at
$282,787 and has $13,794 in cash. The agency's
cash on hand will soon increase by about
$140,000 from property taxes within the district
to be collected this year.
The district was formed in 1990 to encourage
new development in what was designated a
"deteriorating area" of McCall. The district's
boundaries start east of Third Street (Idaho 55)
and include all of the former Boise Cascade
Corp. sawmill site, the former Union Pacific
Railroad right -of -way land and several acres
bordered by Hemlock Street and Davis Avenue.
The district ends at Lick Creek Road.
Bud Schmidt, who was city administrator of
McCall from 1985 to 1994, and other city leaders
started developing an urban renewal plan for
McCall in 1990. The plan took off when San
"This has never been
about giving (McCall
developer John) Carey what
he wants. He has come along
at a time when a developer fits
into the urban renewal plan.
The district cannot move
forward unless it is developed."
—Lance Eckhardt, renewal board chair
,G llq�16
Diego developer Douglas Manchester proposed ,
150 -room lodge and convention center on the
former Boise Cascade Corp. sawmill site in
McCall.
Manchester heads M Resorts Ltd., which
owns Shore Lodge in McCall and MeadowCreek
Golf and Field Club near New Meadows.
"We were working to develop the urban
renewal district when Manchester saw the plan
and became interested," Schmidt said in a
telephone interview from his office in Waldport,
Ore., where he is now city manager. "The urban
renewal project opened up some opportunities
for him."
Summary of
expenditures
Since its creation in 1990, the McCall
Redevelopment Agency has spent more
than $500,000 in engineering fees and
land acquisition costs in an attempt to
build a boulevard from Third Street to
Davis Avenue.
Those expenditures include:
• $75,000 paid to date to Toothman-
Orton Engineering in McCall for design
of a boulevard connecting Third Street
to Davis Avenue. Another $15,000 is
still expected to be paid to the firm,
Chair Lance Eckhardt said.
• $60,000 paid to Joe Mandrey of
McCall in 1992 for a one acre lot on
Davis Avenue that will someday be
used when the boulevard is extended to
Davis Avenue.
• $142,000 paid this year to Charles
Chapman of McCall for four lots on the
corner of McCall Avenue and Pine
Street. The undeveloped lots, totaling
one -third of an acre, will be used next
year to build a boulevard from Third to
Pine streets.
• $50,000 paid this year to Albert
Feers of McCall for a four -lot triangular
parcel surrounded by Railroad Avenue
and McCall Avenue. The one -third acre
lot will also be used next year for street
construction connecting Third Street to
Pine. Street.
• $200,000 paid to D. John Carey of
McCall this year for a one -acre bare lot
behind Gravity Sports on Pine Street. The
lot was purchased to secure future devel-
opment in the urban renewal district.
This payment was part -of a land
transaction negotiated with Carey when
the city settled its lawsuit with Sam
Kalman, the late San Francisco devel-
oper who sold the former railroad
4 right -of -way to Carey last year.
Carey also owns the Hotel McCall
and several adjacent parcels. Renova-
tion is underway on the hotel, the former
railroad depot and the former station
master's house.
With Manchester funding the writing of the
urban renewal plan and proposing a lodge and
convention center that would give an economic
boost to McCall, it appeared that the district
would soon begin to flourish.
The redevelopment agency adopted plans
drawn by the McCall Transportation Advisory
Committee to build a boulevard connecting
Idaho 55 to Davis Avenue. The boulevard would
give access to Manchester's proposed develop-
ment and improve traffic flow to Ponderosa
State Park and the McCall Golf Course. Such a
boulevard had been on the drawing boards in
one form or another since 1976.
To build the boulevard, the agency set out to
purchase the former Union Pacific Railroad
right -of -way in downtown McCall from owner
Sam Kalman of San Francisco.
But negotiations with Kalman and Union
Pacific "dragged on," Schmidt said. When
Manchester stalled on his plans to build the
lodge, the urban renewal plan was set aside.
Without any funding from new development
property taxes, the agency's hands became tied.
In 1993, Manchester withdrew his plan of
building a lodge and convention center, and instead
developed his 15 -acre parcel of land into 20 single -
family home lots. Schmidt left McCall in 1994.
It wasn't until a November 1995 agreement
between California businessman D. John Carey,
Kalman and the City of McCall that activity
started again inside the urban renewal district.
Last year, Carey purchased much
of the railroad right -of -way from
Kalman and entered into an agree-
ment with the City of McCall that
calls for construction of a boulevard
from Idaho 55 to Pine Street. Carey
also was paid $200,000 for a one -acre
bare lot behind Gravity Sports on Pine
Street to make way for the boulevard.
Property tax revenues from Carey's
development are expected to fund the
district in the years to come. That
development includes the current
renovation of Hotel McCall as well as
restoring the former railroad depot
and station master's house into retail
shops.
Carey, chairman of the California
microchip company Integrated Device
Technology, has also proposed future
townhouses and more commercial build-
ings on land east of Third Street within
the urban renewal district.
The renovation of existing build-
ings and the proposal for new
development by Carey is exactly the
kind of activity that drives the urban
renewal district, agency board Chair
Lance Eckhardt said.
"It ( Carey's development) has got-
ten the plan off the ground," Eckhardt
said. "The plan has basically been
lying fallow since 1990 and this has
gotten it started again."
The district has been especially
active this year following Carey's de-
velopment. The agency has purchased
private property to build a road con-
necting Idaho 55 to Pine Street via
Railroad Avenue. By next year, the
road, several parking lots, a bike path
and new signal light at the intersec-
tion with Idaho 55 are expected to be
in place. Total cost of the project is
about $1.3 million, records show.
But Carey's development and his
negotiations with the city have come
at a price. Last January, three agency
board members resigned, and inFeb-
ruary, the entire five - member
transportation board resigned. All
those quitting expressed anger and
disappointment in notbeing consulted
in the agreement between Carey and
the city.
Eckhardt, also a member of the
McCall City Council, was appointed
by other council members to negoti-
ate the agreement with Carey as a
means to ending a lawsuit with
Kalman over who owned portions of
the land.
The negotiations between Carey
and Eckhardt were not made public at
first because Carey expressly asked
him to keep the agreement private,
Eckhardt said.
But once the agreement was put in
writing, the public had every chance to
look over the settlement before it was
approved by the McCall City Council
/11 ews �-✓ 3 -3 2 4 Q�
and nothing was approved in secret,
said McCall City Manager Gary
Shimun, who also serves as executive
director of the redevelopment agency.
"Everything the McCall Redevel-
opment Agency does is open to public
scrutiny," Shimun said. "The agency
must follow the same public hearing
process as other arms of government.
The only difference is. that the agency
possesses powers that are more busi-
ness- like."
Those powers include making
agreements with private developers
like Carey. Eckhardt defends the
agreement he negotiated with Carey
and denies the urban renewal district
is catering to the developer's needs.
"This has never been about giving
Carey what he wants," Eckhardt said.
"He has come along at a time when a
developer fits into the urban renewal
plan. The district cannot move for-
ward unless it is developed."
Eckhardt said he regrets the resigna-
tions earlier this year from members of
the transportation board and agency
board. He wishes there had been better
communication between the two boards.
But Eckhardt said some of the res-
ignations were inevitable because the
vision of the McCall Redevelopment
Agency has changed.
"The' original premise was to have
a lodge and convention center on the
old mill site, so agency members
worked toward that goal," Eckhardt
said. "But we had to change our focus
and move on. We're still accomplish-
ing the goals of the plan."
Today, the McCall Redevelopment
Agency includes four members who
have been appointed by the McCall
City Council during the last year. One
of those new members, Rick Fereday take the burden off Shimun, who is
of McCall, shares what he believes is already overloaded as city manager,
the "new vision" for the urban re- Eckhardt said. A separate project di-
newal district. ' rector for the boulevard construction is
Fereday, owner of May Hardware, expected to be hired next year, he said.
Urban renewal
board members
Seven members make up the board
of the McCall Redevelopment
Agency. The members are appointed
by the McCall City Council. They
include:
• Chair Lance Eckhardt: co -owner
of Idaho Heartland Travel and Tours
in McCall.
• Vice Chair Ken Twergo: ower of
Twergo Real Estate in McCall.
• Rick Fereday: co -owner of May
Hardware in McCall.
• Peg Kelker - Miskin: co -owner of
Harvest Moon in McCall.
• William Killen: mayor of McCall
and an attorney.
• John Russell: owner of Russell
Surveying in McCall.
• Francis Wallace: Valley County
Commissioner, retired.
foresees the new boulevard from Idaho
55 to Davis Avenue being built in its
entirety during the next several years.
He also sees the agency perhaps ex-
panding the district's borders to
include more of downtown.
Development proposed by Carey
and renovations of current buildings
now underway can only be seen as
positive for McCall, Fereday said.
"It's a logical progression of what's
going to be happening here," Fereday
said of the development in the Hotel
McCall area. "Carey is doing an ex-
cellent job of developing his property,
and so far, it's nothing but a positive
addition."
The agency will also look to hiring
an executive director in the future to
Styr- /V C -Lt.)S
,fudge grants approval
for urban renewal bonds
: The McCall Redevelopment
Agency received permission from a
judge last week to borrow $1.75 mil -
lion in bonds to fund development in
the McCall Urban Renewal District.
Fourth District Court Judge George
Carey approved the request last Thurs-
day at the galley County Courthouse
in Cascade. Agency members expect
V have the, bonds on the market by
uary.
The $1:75 million will be used to
fund the construction of a new boule-
tard connediing Idaho 55 to Pine Street
tMcCa"*- ""Onstruction on the new
reet, alor►g the former Union Pacific
] ailroad right -of -way, is expected to
start next spring.
The money will be repaid during
the next 15 to 20 years from new
property tax revenues generated
within the urban renewal district. The
district generally surrounds the rail-
road right -of -way between Idaho 55
and Lick Creek Road.
Agency members have been work-
ing since 1990 to acquire the property
and secure funding for the new boule-
vard, designed to eventually connect
Idaho 55 all the way to Davis Avenue.
Kirk
Eimers
New
McCall
mayor
Eimer
elected
mayor
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
The balance of power shifted to the
newcomers last Thursday as three new
McCall City Council members elected
last November were sworn into office at
the council's regular meeting at McCall
City Hall.
The three new council members, Kirk
Eimers, Allan Muller and Ray Venable,
wasted no time in establishing them-
selves as the majority.
Their first order of business was
choosing Eimers as mayor for the next
two years.
Muller nominated Eimers for mayor
and Venable seconded the motion. The
nomination drew opposition from council
member Marilyn Arp, who suggested it
would be better to have a more experi-
enced council member as mayor while
the new members learn , their jobs. She
was outvoted 4 -1.
Eimers, co- manager of the McCall
Best Western, had been appointed to the
council after the Nov. 4 election to fill a
seat left vacant by Lance Eckhardt, who
resigned. Thursday's swearing -in was for
a full four -year term.
Venable then nominated Muller as
council president, which Arp seconded,
and Muller was unanimously elected.
The action officially ended the terms
of former Mayor Bill Killen and council
member Dean Martens. Prior to the
transition, Killen summed up his feelings
about his term.
"I think we've had a damn good
council and I'm proud of it," Killen, an
attorney, told a standing room only crowd
attending the meeting.
Both Killen and Martens, a soils
scientist for the Forest Service, urged the
incoming council members to consider
the long term when making decisions for
the city.
"When you get to tough decisions,
look at what's best for the city in the long
run," Martens said.
"I urge you gentlemen not to confuse
the short-term bottom line with the long-
term view," Killen said. "I urge you not
to shortchange the city."
Arp thanked both men for their service
on the council, as well as Eckhardt, who
moved to Seattle. She presented Killen
and Martens with pen holders in appre-
ciation for their service.
In addition to the new council mem-
bers, new city manager Brian Olson
attended the meeting after his first day on
the job. Olson moved to McCall from
Bellevue, Wash.
Killen said he believes the city
manager-council form of government is
best for McCall, and he wished Olson the
best of luck in his new position.
As mayor, Eimers has few formal day -
to -day powers. He is the ceremonial chief
executive of the city and chairs meetings
of the council.
/,�- �V-
6 P146
McCall council members sworn in
McCall City Clerk Jim Henderson, right, swears in
the three new members of the McCall City Council
last Thursday at ceremonies at McCall City Hall.
From left, Kirk Eimers, Allan Muller and Ray
Venable take the oaths of office for four -year terms.
Eimers previously had been appointed to the council
Star -News Photo by Roger Phillips
after the November election to fill a vacancy, but was
sworn in again for the full term. Eimers was later
elected McCall mayor by his fellow council members
and Muller was elected council president. The three
join returning council members Ralph Colton and
Marilyn Arp.
f i C
S�cz/� ll, /e cu s
Postal Porthole
/o/�,2 z / l 4 e'(y
Star -News Photo by Corey Wicks
A workman is framed in a window at the new completed in the spring, the new post office will
McCall Post Office under construction on contain 14,000 square feet of space and replace
Deinhard Lane east of Rite Aid. When the current McCall Post Office in downtown.
%^%� /a /r o S�fc ��sY��ri /�i� 9
Former city official
to stand trial on
assault charge
CASCADE — Former Mc-
Call city manager Brian Olson
has been bound over to 4th
District Court on a felony do-
mestic violence charge.
He is accused of hitting and
kicking his girlfriend, Kimber-
ly Cantlen.
Magistrate Darla William-
son on Monday ruled there
was sufficient probable cause
to believe the two were living
together and Cantlen suffered
a traumatic injury as a result of
Olsen's alleged actions on Dec.
20. Olson will appear before
District Judge George Carey
on Feb. 26.
Cantlen testified Olson be-
came angry at a McCall bar
and later broke off the rela-
tionship in a violent manner,
punching her in the face and
then kicking her in the side
and back.
Ex-official
files torts
over firm
g
Two claims name
officials, groups,
seek $10 million
The Associated Press
Former McCall City Manager
Brian Olson has filed tort claims
against numerous government
officials and others, saying they
deprived him of income and
damaged his career.
The McCall City Council fired
Olson after he was arrested Dec.
20 on a felony domestic battery
charge based on a complaint
filed by his then - live -in girl-
friend, Kimberly Cantlen.
The charge since has been re-
duced to a misdemeanor.
Cantlen, 88 other individuals
and several organizations are
named in one claim against the
county. Those named include
county officers, the McCall City
Council, engineering compa-
nies, the Idaho Division of Envi-
ronmental Quality, Idaho Coun-
ties Risk Management Program
and the Idaho Bar Association.
Another claim was filed
against the Payette Lakes Water
and Sewer District, naming of 72
people and groups.
Olson alleges McCall and the
county conspired to bring false
criminal charges against him
and interfered with his ability to
defend himself by denying him
due process under the law, with-
holding evidence and unlawful-
ly jailing him.
He also contends the county
conspired to trespass on his
property and commit felony
theft from his McCall residence
for evidence. He accuses the
Sewer District officials of con-
spiring to divert public funds for
their own benefit.
Before a governmental entity
can be sued in court, a tort claim
first must be submitted against
it. If the entity rejects the claim, a
lawsuit can be filed.
In each of the claims, Olson
asks for $5 million, plus other
damages, to be determined at trial.
He also calls for a public apology.
"I have tried my hardest, and I
can't make any sense out of it,"
Tamara Probst, Valley County's
risk management officer said of
the tort claim.
The claims will be turned over
to the counties' risk manage-
ment program. Probst noted that
the most a person can collect on
a tort claim is $500,000.
"I suspect we'll mount a very
rigorous defense against this
ridiculous and frivolous claim,"
said Ted Whiteman, Sewer Dis-
trict manager.
'Juvie
��i a % y p
R e c a l l v o t e
i n M c C a l l
a r e s u l t o f
d i s c o n t e n t
C i t i z e n s s a y m a y o r
p u t s e w a g e f a c i l i t y
t o o c l o s e t o h o m e s
B y J e n n i f e r T a y l o r
T h e I d a h o S t a t e s m a n
M c C a l l M a y o r K i r k E i m e r s
a n d c o u n c i l m e n A l l a n M u l l e r
a n d R a y V e n a b l e w i l l f a c e a r e -
c a l l e l e c t i o n N o v . 2 .
J o a n C a t l e t t , a M c C a l l r e s i -
d e n t , c o o r d i n a t e d t h e r e c a l l p e t i -
t i o n , b e c a u s e s h e ' s u n h a p p y
w i t h t h e c o u n c i l ' s d e c i s i o n t o l o -
c a t e p a r t o f t h e c i t y s e w a g e s y s -
t e m n e a r a r e s i d e n t i a l a r e a .
S h e a n d 1 0 o t h e r p e o p l e g a t h -
e r e d m o r e t h a n t h e 3 5 3 s i g n a -
t u r e s n e c e s s a r y t o g e t e a c h c o u n -
c i l m e m b e r o n t h e b a l l o t .
" T h e p e o p l e o f M c C a l l h a v e
l o s t f a i t h i n t h e i r l e a d e r s h i p c a -
p a b i l i t i e s , " C a t l e t t s a i d .
I f t h e r e a r e e n o u g h v o t e s t o
e q u a l t h e n u m b e r e a c h c o u n c i l -
m a n r e c e i v e d i n 1 9 9 7 w h e n t h e y
w e r e e l e c t e d , t h e y w i l l b e r e -
m o v e d f r o m o f f i c e .
E i m e r s s a i d e c o n o m i c f a c t o r s
l e d t h e c o u n c i l t o l o c a t e t r e a t e d
s e w a g e p o n d s n e a r a r e s i d e n t i a l
a r e a .
" T h e y ' r e d o i n g w h a t t h e y
h a v e e v e r y r i g h t t o d o , w h i c h i s
t o g o t h r o u g h t h e p r o c e s s , a n d
w e ' r e d o i n g w h a t w e h a v e t o d o ,
w h i c h i s m a k i n g t o u g h e c o n o m -
i c c h o i c e s f o r t h e c i t i z e n s o f M c -
C a l l , " E i m e r s s a i d .
V e n a b l e a g r e e s .
" I t ' s t h e p r o c e s s p e o p l e g o
t h r o u g h w h e n t h e y ' r e d i s s a t i s -
f i e d , " h e s a i d .
" I j u s t t h i n k t h e y ' r e g o i n g a f t e r
t h e w r o n g p e o p l e . "
M u l l e r , t h e o t h e r c o u n c i l m a n ,
w a s n o t a v a i l a b l e f o r c o m m e n t .
A j u d g e h a s i s s u e d a s t a y o n
b u i l d i n g t h e p r o j e c t u n t i l A u g .
1 6 , E i m e r s s a i d .
T h e m a i n i s s u e s u r r o u n d i n g
t h e r e c a l l i s t h e t r e a t e d s e w a g e
p o n d s , C a t l e t t s a i d .
T h e p o n d s w i l l b e c o n s t r u c t e d
t o c o l l e c t t r e a t e d s e w a g e d u r i n g
t h e w i n t e r f o r f a r m e r s t o u s e f o r
s u m m e r i r r i g a t i o n .
" T h e y h a v e m i s m a n a g e d t h i s
p r o j e c t a n d i t s e x p e n d i t u r e s , "
C a t l e t t s a i d .
R e s i d e n t s a r e u p s e t b e c a u s e
t h e c o u n c i l c h a n g e d t h e o r i g i n a l
s i t e f r o m a g r a v e l p i t t o l a n d n e a r
t h e B l u e J a y s u b d i v i s i o n a n d a
p r o s p e c t i v e g o l f c o u r s e o n t h e
w e s t s i d e o f t o w n .
T h e p o n d s w i l l r a n g e i n s i z e
f r o m 1 5 t o 3 7 f e e t h i g h , C a t l e t t
s a i d , a n d h o m e o w n e r s n e a r t h e
s i t e a r e w o r r i e d a b o u t t h e m p o s -
s i b l y b r e a k i n g .
E i m e r s s a i d t h e c h a n g e w a s
m a d e f o r e c o n o m i c r e a s o n s ,
w h i c h a r e d o c u m e n t e d i n a n e n -
v i r o n m e n t a l a s s e s s m e n t i s s u e d
b y t h e t h e B u r e a u o f R e c l a m a -
t i o n , t h e f u n d i n g a g e n c y .
" T h e o t h e r s i t e w o u l d h a v e b e e n
m o r e e x p e n s i v e t o b u i l d t h a n t h e s e c -
o n d s i t e , " E i m e r s s a i d .
C a t l e t t d i s a g r e e s a n d s a i d t h e y h a v e
s p e n t u n n e c e s s a r y m o n e y i n c o n d e m -
n a t i o n o f t h e s e c o n d s i t e , e n g i n e e r i n g
a n d l e g a l c o s t s .
" I t h i n k i t w i l l t a k e y e a r s f o r t h e c i t y
t o r e c o v e r t h o s e c o s t s , " s h e s a i d .
E n g i n e e r s s a i d t h e f i r s t s i t e w a s n ' t
b i g e n o u g h a n d d i d n ' t h a v e t h e s t a b i l -
i t y t o s u p p o r t t h e p o n d s , V e n a b l e s a i d .
H e s a i d t h e s e c o n d s i t e h a s m o r e
r o o m , w h i c h m a y b e n e c e s s a r y i f t h e
p r o j e c t n e e d e d t o e x p a n d i n t h e f u t u r e .
T h e C i t y C o u n c i l i s f o r m i n g a C i t i -
z e n s R e v i e w C o m m i t t e e t o l o o k o v e r
t h e p r o j e c t a n d m a k e r e c o m m e n d a -
t i o n s t o t h e c o u n c i l , E i m e r s s a i d . T h e
c o m m i t t e e w i l l b e o f f i c i a l l y f o r m e d a t
W e d n e s d a y ' s s p e c i a l c o u n c i l m e e t i n g .
" I t ' s a n e w s e t o f e y e s a n d e a r s f o r u s
t o l o o k a t t h e p r o j e c t a n d g e t t h e b e s t
p r o j e c t w e c a n f o r M c C a l l w i t h a s
m u c h p u b l i c a c c e p t a n c e a s f e a s i b l e , "
E i m e r s s a i d .
T h e b u i l d i n g d e l a y i s g i v i n g t h e
c o u n c i l a c h a n c e t o g e t r e s p o n s e f r o m
t h e n e w c o m m i t t e e .
" W e ' r e g o i n g a h e a d t o d o e x a c t l y
w h a t w e w e r e e l e c t e d t o d o w h i c h w a s
t o r e s t o r e f i s c a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o t h e
c i t y o f M c C a l l , " E i m e r s s a i d .
Idaho board disciplines
Washington engineers
for work in city of McCall
BOISE — The Idaho Board
of Registration of Professional
Engineers and Professional
Land Surveyors has disciplined
RH2 Engineering Inc. and two
of its engineers in connection
with their work on the McCall
wgstewater treatment facility.
The action against Richard
H. Harbert and Richard L. Bal-
lard stems from a complaint
filed against RH2, Harbert, Bal-
lard and others by Boise -based
J -U -B Engineers Inc. last De-
cember.
The board concluded that
Harbert and Ballard violated
several of the board's Rules of
Professional Responsibility as
well as a statute requiring pro-
fessional engineers to sign and
stamp final reports. Harbert,
president of Redmond, Wash:
based RH2, was the engineer
responsible for the company's
work on the McCall project.
Ballard served as RH2's project
manager.
RH2 must pay a $2,000 fine
and designate someone other
than Harbert as its engineer in
responsible charge in Idaho.
Harbert was suspended from
practicing professional engi-
neering in the state for one year
and must complete an engi-
neering ethics course before he
may practice in Idaho again.
Ballard was reprimanded and
must complete the same engi-
neering ethics course within
the next six months.
The board also found that
RH2 and Harbert accepted em-
ployment on part of the McCall
project at a time when J -U -B
was employed for the same
work.
Board members also decided
that RH2, Harbert and Ballard
violated a rule to inform J -U -B
of material errors, omissions or
discrepancies they believed
they found in J -U -B's work on
the project.
Board Chairman Leslie
Walker of Pocatello said the en-
tire proceeding could have
been avoided if RH2's princi-
pals had communicated better
with their colleagues.
The board cleared RH2, Har-
bert and Ballard of the charge
of indiscriminately criticizing J-
U-B's work in public because
not all of the evidence on that
charge was properly admitted
into the hefxmg record.
now
Idaho SS braff::es
Darin Oswald / The Idaho Statesman
Jerry Ward, owner of the Cougar Mountain Lodge at Smiths Ferry along Idaho 55, looks across the valley to where a pro-
posed new stretch of the scenic highway may route traffic away from his business. The Idaho Department of Transportation
plans to change dangerous stretches of Idaho 55 in the coming decade, including a 7 -mile stretch of highway from Cougar
Mountain Lodge into Round Valley that also could bypass Rainbow Bridge.
Dangerous road may be rerouted mound McCall
By Ken Miller
The Idaho Statesman
cCALL — Its hypnotic
vrstas, white - knuckle
urves, and tumbling
rocks make Idaho 55 the quin-
tessential state highway.
Beautiful and sometimes
dangerous, Idaho 55 is a road
Boise Valley residents adore
and fear. Many a traveler has
had a brush with disaster — a
deer bounding from the trees, a
heart- stopping fish -tail on
black ice, flashing headlights it
the rear -view mirror as a driver
demands to zip around and
shave a few minutes from the
two -hour trek from Boise to
McCall.
Special repori
on page 10A
> Idaho 55 project propos-
als: pros and cons
> Historic but crumbling
Rainbow Bridge over the
Payette may get a face lift.
Online
www.ldahoStatesman.com
> Link to Idaho Transporta-
tion Department
But this road, which takes
sweltering Boise Valley resi-
dents to cool recreation spots in
the summer and to white pow-
der in the winter, is in for big
changes. And not a minute too
soon, said Jally Zeydel, who
regularly drives the road.
"It gets dangerous out there,
especially in the summer," said
Zeydel, a McCall resident.
"Anything would be better than
what we have now."
Zeydel's wife, Kim, said the
trip to and from Boise is bad
enough, but even in downtown
McCall, the road is a hazard.
She said local youngsters
watch pedestrians - scramble for
safety as they hang out where
Idaho 55 makes a sharp left turn
in downtown McCall to snake
along Payette Lake. In the win-
ter, they watch as cars and
trucks slide through the inter-
section.
The Idaho Department of
Transportation and the city of
McCall are planning construc-
tion projects that, in the coming
decade, will change the face
and feel of one of the state's
most scenic routes:
> "55," also known as the
Payette River Scenic Byway,
may be rerouted around Mc-
Call. A stretch of the highway
about 5 miles south of McCall
will be d verted to U.S. 95 near
the curr ant road's junction by
New Me !dows.
In addition, McCall is work-
ing with the federal Depart-
ment of Transportation to btlild
an "east -west loop" to give Mc-
Call drivers another route over
the Payette River and'to help
solve long - running public safe-
State proposes to move Idaho 55 off '.
By Ken Miller
The Idaho Statesman
SMITHS FERRY — It's the icon
of the Payette River Scenic Byway.
But if the state has its way, travelers
along Idaho 55 could see less of the
old Rainbow Bridge.
A set of proposed bypasses that
would take highway traffic around
Smiths Ferry, either to the east or the
west, would leave the stretch of road
from here to Round Valley almost
vacant, save for those seeking recre-
ation adventures and solitude.
For northbound motorists, the
rerouting would speed traffic up and
over the mountains, leaving the val-
ley before the Cougar Mountain
Lodge and the Rainbow Bridge.
But as sick as the 67- year -old
bridge is, it'll pull through, state offi-
cials say.
Nobody wants to see this bridge,
which over the years has been the
lone link between north and south
Idaho when U.S. 95 shuts down, be-
come river rocks.
Battered by trucks, corroded by
road salt, and simply bitten by the el-
ements, one of the nation's most
treasured bridges will survive, if in
retirement.
Assuming Idaho 55 is yanked off
the bridge — and few doubt it will be
— the state's largest single -span
concrete arch will undergo. a major
facelift.
Such an ambitious project has
been impossible in recent years,
because there's no other way to
cross the river and get back on Ida-
ho 55.
"At that point, it would be freed up
to undergo a full historic renova-
tion," Idaho Transportation Depart-
ment spokeswoman Mollie McCar-
ty said.
Until then, McCarty said the span,
as rickety as it looks to oncoming
drivers, "is certainly stable and safe
for public use. But it is badly deterio-
rated, and it really needs to have a
full, historic renovation."
The 410 -foot Rainbow Bridge is
listed on the National Register of
Historic Places, so any renovations
will have to comply with preserva-
tion standards to keep its original
character.
Drivers on Idaho 55 may notice
the bridge has been touched up and
resurfaced for years, although its
railings continue to crumble into the
Payette below.
State highway crews have been
careful not to compromise its his-
toric elements while making sure
the bridge remains steadfast.
"What we're doing right now is
keeping the bridge in shape," Mc-
Carty said.
"We're keeping it going until the
real work that it needs can take
place."
It is yet to be determined whether
the Rainbow Bridge will be restored
to traffic after the Smiths Ferry by-
pass is built and after the bridge has
been restored.
options include keeping it open to
traffic, so visitors can still use what
will then become the "old Idaho 55"
to go up river, or building another
span to allow vehicles to continue to
cross.
"The old Idaho 55 would still pro-
vide access to everything that people
do right now," McCarty said. "It
would just be turned over to the
county."
Ultimately, maintenance of the
span will shift from the state to cash -
strapped Valley County, although
the county could seek state or gov-
ernment aid to take care of it.
Contact Ken at 377 -6402 or
kmiller@boise.gannett. corn
h to
Rainbow Bridge for historic renovation
Built in 1933, Rainbow Bridge serves as a landmark along daho 55, giving Darin Oswald /The Idaho statesman
Payette River. The bridge may soon receive much - needed g g repairs. passage to motorists across the
'D' r, �p
highway up in this country is not
warranted. That's a freeway, and I
can't believe they'd put a 7 percent
grade up here with the snow we get.
r can get 5 feet. In the winter, you'd
have to chain up. They need to look
at the whole road, not lust this little
stretch."
George Cole, who lives across the
river from the lodge, first plowed
snow on Idaho 55 in 1949. He retired
from the DOT about eight years ago
and sees both sides in the debate over
whether to run the highway around
Smiths Ferry.
"I know it's darn rugged country if
you go up through the canyon," Cole
said. "One of the things I said at the
(state public) meetings was that I hat-
ed to see the road leave the river, be-
cause that's what a lot of people
come up here for — to see the scenic
byway."
One of Cole's concerns is how
drivers will navigate a stretch of road
such as Horseshoe Bend Hill in the
winter.
It's a snowbelt through here, and
we get an awful lot of cold weather,"
he said.
Thomas said
the state is
months away
from settling on
— s an alternate
route around
Smiths Ferry, or
whether to even
bypass the com
munity.
Loren Thomas He said engi-
neers will soon
begin walking
each of the eight or nine alternatives
with high -tech gear to eyeball the ter-
rain and look for such things as wet-
lands, sensitive species, terrain chal-
lenges or other problems.
The road through McCall
Idaho 55 through McCall poses a
whole different set of problems for
the state and the city.
There are two key Idaho 55 proj-
ects in McCall. The fi rst sponsored
by the city, would run a short east -
west loop from south of town up to
Shore Lodge, giving the town a criti-
cal new route over the Payette River.
The second, a much more ambitious
project by the state, would essentially
Representatives from the Idaho Department of Transportation explain details of a proposed Idaho 55 by-
pass around McCall at a public meeting in July in McCall.
erase the current Idaho 55 as it runs
through McCall, routing the highway
up to near Meadows toward the high-
way's intersection with U.S. 95.
The Hotel McCall sits at the busiest
intersection in town, where north-
bound Idaho 55 veers left onto Lake
Street on the south shore of Payette
Lake. A large window in the hotel's
office gives staffers a front -row seat
to the confusion and disorder taking
place outside.
"It's horrible," said hotel manager
Ginny Ackley. "It's just plain terrible.
It's Friday afternoon, and traffic is
coming up and down both ways, just
non -stop. Between cars, we have
dump trucks and logging trucks and
all the construction going up on both
ends of town. This corner is just so
dangerous."
Big trucks must break hard to
make the corner (which has no lights
or stop signs), emitting groans and
squeals from their brakes and send-
ing pedestrians scrambling. Some-
times, the trucks graze a car or the
roof of the Moxie Java coffee shop on
the corner.
In 1996, a logging truck spilled its
load in front of the hotel, killing a lo-
cal man in his pickup.
"We got a lot of press after that,
but what has it been, three or four
years now ?" Ackley said.
She said a car hit a pedestrian ear-
lier this year in front of the deli across
the street, owned by Don Job.
"Two trucks meet going in the op-
posite direction, and something's got
to give," Job said of the near - misses
that often take place outside his busi-
ness. "But it's not just logging trucks;
it's any kind of trucks."
Former Rep. Gayle Ann Wilde,
who served in the Idaho Legislature
from 1987 to 1996, stood on the cor-
ner and cringed at the near - misses as
pedestrians dodged the traffic.
Wilde said McCall needs a second
route over the Payette River to help
fire trucks, police and ambulances get
across town if the current route is
closed for some reason.
She said a bypass could remove
some trucks from downtown, while
innovative signing still would direct
visitors into the business area.
Richard Coonts, a member of the
McCall transit advisory committee,
said the east -west city bypass would
help improve routes for trucks,
school buses and other big rigs.
As for the state plans to improve
the entire stretch of Idaho 55, he and
his wife, Katherine, called for more
turnout and passing lanes.
That's exactly what the state is rec-
ommending, transportation engi-
neers said. New passing lanes and
turnouts are being planned from Gar-
dena to McCall to better allow car
and truck drivers to get around recre-
ational vehicles and other slower -
moving traffic.
Many drivers avoid Idaho 55 not
just on weekends these days, but at
other times when traffic is heavy or
Darin Oswald /The Idaho Statesman
Gayle Ann Wilde, a former state representative living in the McCall
area, recalls all the accidents and chaos generated at the sharp cor-
ner along Idaho 55 in downtown McCall. A proposed bypass would
route truck traffic along a safer thoroughfare south of McCall and pro-
vide a second highway for emergency traffic.
when trucks and RVs are rumbling
along the scenic byway in big num-
bers.
"We don't go down to Boise any-
time after the afternoon on Friday,"
Richard Coonts said of the worsening
traffic problems. "We just don't do it."
If built, the McCall bypass would
send state mapmakers back to the
drawing boards. Many may not recall
the state Transportation Board decid-
ed in the 1980s to approve a new Ida-
ho 55 corridor to New Meadows,
which would mean Idaho would
abandon the existing stretch of road
through McCall, past Brundage
Mountain.
That means local governments
would have to assume the costs of
maintaining the road.
"If we have to spend money to
maintain this route (the existing 55),
we can't afford to build that (bypass)
route," Thomas said.
Until changes are made on Idaho
55 to improve traffic flow and safety,
there are steps that drivers can take to
improve their odds of an accident -
free trip.
"The biggest problem in that
canyon is following too close and
passing on double lines," said recent-
ly retired Idaho State Police officer
Mitch Ruska of McCall, who has pa-
trolled the highway since 1984 and
who said he "pulled a few people out
of the river" when he responded to ac-
cidents.
Ruska said the worst part of the
road is between mileposts 97 and 101
— Smiths Ferry to Long Valley.
"We've had numerous fatalities in
that stretch of the road due to people
overdriving the road," he said, adding
many accidents are caused by speed-
ing.
He also said accidents pick up in
the rain and fog and at night, when
it's tougher to see fallen rocks and
other obstacles on the road.
"Plus, driving that stretch of road,
and it's narrow, people are trying to
make up time, and they can't do that,"
he said.
"Summer, winter, fall, spring or
whatever, it doesn't make any differ-
ence. When I stopped somebody on
the road, I'd tell them, `McCall is sta-
tionary, it's not going anywhere. It's
a 100 -mile stretch of road, and you
should drive accordingly.'
"And don't try to make the Pearly
Gates any time sooner than you want
to. It's a pretty drive if they'd just take
their time."
Contact Ken at 377 -6402 or
kmiller@boise.gannett.com
Darin Oswald /The Idaho Statesman
The scenic stretch of Idaho 55 between Smiths Ferry and Long Valley may be rerouted in the next decade, bypassing a 7 -mile section
Four apply for
vacant McCall
council seat
Current council
to conduct
interviews next
Thursday
BY BEN SALMON
The Star -News
Four people have submit-
ted applications to fill the
vacant seat on the McCall City
Council created by former
council member David
Kaiser's resignation in Octo-
ber.
The deadline for applica-
tions passed Nov. 30, and the
council will now pick some-
one to fill the spot after
meeting with prospective
members during its regular
meeting next Thursday. That
meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the
lower level of McCall City
Hall.
During that meeting, cur-
rent council members
Marilyn Arp, Ralph Colton,
Kirk Eimers and Allan Muller
will ask the candidates ques-
tions and discuss the position
in front of the public.
On Dec. 16, the council will
meet again in open session to
discuss the merits of each
candidate, with the goal of
appointing the new council
member.
Here is a brief profile of
the four people who applied
to fill the vacancy. The infor-
mation was taken from
resumes and letters of quali-
fication submitted to the city
of McCall:
• Bonnie Bertram:
Bertram owns The Pancake
and Christmas House in
McCall and Vigilantes Res-
taurant in Donnelly.
She served as Valley
County commissioner from
1990 to 1995, is a former mem-
ber of the Valley County
Planning and Zoning Com-
mission, and a past president
of the McCall Area Chamber
of Commerce.
"I feel I am a `people per-
son' and a `problem solver'
and feel I would do a good job
for the people of McCall,"
Bertram wrote.
She said she and her hus-
band, George, recently
purchased and moved into a
home within the city limits
and will take their time com-
pleting a home in Donnelly.
• Christie Gorsline:
Gorsline is currently a ski in-
structor at Brundage
Mountain and a free -lance
correspondent for The Star -
News.
She has a bachelor's de-
gree in English and
marketing from the Univer-
sity of Oregon and a master's
degree in educationfrom Cali-
s� K4l
0)
fornia State.
Gorsline spent 15 years
working in public relations,
advertising and as a school-
teacher in Portland and Los
Angeles. She sailed the west-
ern coast of Mexico from 1996
to 1999.
"For the past 30 years I have
been an active volunteer in
every community in which I
have lived," she wrote. "I am
committed to dedicating my
skills and talents in order to
make each community a better
place to live."
• Jerry D. Greer: Since
he voluntarily retired from
the Forest Service in 1997,
Greer has worked as a self-
employed natural resources
consultant. For the previous
30 years, he worked all over
the country for the Forest Ser-
vice as a forester.
Greer earned a bachelor's
degree in forest management
from the University of Mis-
souri and is a former member
of the McCall - Donnelly
School District Board of
Trustees.
"My objective ... is to be
productive and helpful as we
guide the development of the
area, ensure the safety of citi-
zens and manage the efficient
delivery of municipal ser-
vices," Greer wrote.
• Hand E. Walker: Walker
was raised in McCall and re-
turned in 1979 to form Long
Valley Sand and Gravel Inc.,
which he sold to Seubert Ex-
cavators in 1991.
He holds bachelors degrees
in biology and medical tech-
nology from Warner Pacific
College in Portland and is a
former instructor at Mt. Hood
Community College in
Gresham, Ore.
In his letter, Walker said
he is a "people person" with
27 years of experience as a
manager, instructor andbusi-
ness owner.
"I believe employees must
be cared for before any other
topics can be considered, and
that no new programs should
be started unless current pro-
grams and positions are
properly funded," he wrote.
His goals include retiring city
debt and pushing for a local -
option tax.
The vacancy on the coun-
cil was created Oct. 16 when
Kaiser resigned after he was
sued by the city to determine
whether he could keep his
seat while owning ahome out-
side city limits. Kaiser had
said he wouldlive in an apart-
ment in town to maintain his
residency in McCall.
Kaiser was elected to the
council in November 2001.
The newly appointed council
member would have to face
election in November 2003 for
a new term starting in Janu-
ary 2004.
ivI S I ov
ITD proposes public transit for McCall
Grants funding Within District 3. Representatives
available; test set
for Winter Carnival
BY BEN SALMON
The Star -New,
Officials from the Idaho Trans-
portation Department and a
private transportation company in
Nampa presented a plan for a pub-
lic transit system in McCall at a
McCall Area Chamber of Com-
merce luncheon Monday.
Janet Weaver of the ITD's Divi-
sion of Public Transportation said
federal money for rural public tran-
sit programs in the department's
District 3 has traditionally been
spent around Nampa and Caldwell
over the last several years. But
those cities no longer qualify for
the money because of population
growth, she said.
With Nampa and Caldwell now
at more than 50,000 people, the ITD
is looking at other places to spend
LLIV
of Valley County have expressed
interest in public transit in the
past, as have Washington and
Elmore counties, Weaver said.
Summer traffic in and around
McCall led state officials to exam-
ine the possibility of public transit
in Long Valley, she said.
"We're looking at public tran-
sit, with the high concentration of
people up here in the summer
months, to help with the circula-
tion and congestion and high
volume of traffic on the highway,"
Weaver said.
Public transit in McCall is still
in the conceptual stage and could
take form as one mini -bus that
picks people up for grocery runs or
as a fixed -route bus system similar
to one now operating in Ketchum,
Weaver said.
A trial run at public transit in
McCall is set for the two weekends
of the 2003 McCall Winter Carnival
to be held Jan. 31 through Feb. 9,
said Terri Lindenberg, executive
director of Treasure Valley Tran-
---e.:+ _ i- •.•.. - nnaxaraarnv ffirmp-d In
1992 to service Canyon County.
Lindenberg said she envisions
a combination public transit sys-
tem for McCall that includes both
door -to -door service and a fixed -
line route. The program would run
from Memorial Day to Labor Day,
with daily hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.,
and would employ three full -time
drivers and two part -time drivers
on weekends.
That plan is preliminary and
subject to public demand, she said.
Additional features could include
door -to -door service throughout
the winter or regular commuter
service to Cascade, she said.
"We're here to find out what
public transit would look like to
you folks. What do you envision,"
Lindenberg said. "We want to come
up here and build what you would
like to see."
Lindenberg said the program
she described would cost about
$200,000 to run, and that federal
money requires a 20 percent match
from local agencies. However, TVT
currently has the funds to cove
the local match during the early
stages of the program.
"We can bring this to you at no
cost right now and as it expands,
we'd be looking (to local businesses
and agencies) for donations," she
said.
Donations to meet the local
match could include government
funds or could be found in in -kind
donations like lodging for drivers
at area motels or discounts on fuel
or maintenance, Lindenberg said.
A voter - approved local- option tax
could also be used to fund the
match, as is done in Ketchum and
Sun Valley.
Public transit in McCall could
be free or it could come at a cost to
users, Lindenberg said. The group
would also not compete with local
transportation providers such as
Harlow's Bus Service and Sales or
the McCall Senior Citizens Center's
mini -bus, she said.
TVT and ITD officials will spend
the coming months working with
local entities to develop plans for
service that could begin as early as
r April 2003, when grant funds are
available, Lindenberg said.
S✓/
Bauer to wear two hats in McCall
The Star -News
MCCALL — The city of McCall
has hired former Ada County
Treasurer Barbara Bauer as the
city's new clerk and financial di-
rector.
Bauer's salary will be about
$53,500, City Manager Robert
Strope said.
Bauer replaces former clerk
Cathleen Koch, who left last month
for a job in Washington.
According to her resume,
Bauer's most recent job was di-
rector of the state's Disability De-
termination Services, a position
she held until October 2002.
Before that, she served as Ada
County treasurer for 13 years, win-
ning three elections as the chief fi-
nancial officer of Idaho's largest
county.
Bauer's term in office ended in
1998 when she decided not to seek
re- election and made an unsuc-
cessful bid for state treasurer.
She holds a bachelor's degree in
marketing from Boise State Uni-
versity and a master's degree in
business administration from the
University of Idaho. She said she
has spent a lot of time in McCall
but doesn't have a home in the area.
Bauer will take over a job com-
prising duties of city clerk and fi-
nancial director, which were com-
bined when Koch took the job. The
city advertised the job as separate
and combined, and Strope offered
her the combined job due to her
extensive qualifications, he said.
PAGE A -6 - THE STAR -NEWS - THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2007
MCCALL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE
April 19 meeting set on comprehensive plan update
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
The city of McCall will hold a
series of meetings next week to
help planners rewrite the city's
comprehensive land -use plan,
community planning manager
Steve Hasson said.
The meeting next Thursday
from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Payette
Lakes Middle School in McCall
will be open to the public and
will allow citizens comment on
all parts of the plan, he said.
The comprehensive land -use
plan is made up of at least 14
components, such as private
property rights, land -use map,
transportation, public services,
recreation, naturalresources and
other components that provide
a basis for the city's regulatory
foundation, Hasson said.
The meetings next week will
focus on landuse, transportation,
the economy, natural resources,
and infrastructure.
"A lot of people think that the
comprehensive plan is just some
kind of vision that maybe we go
by," Hasson said. "But it is much
more than that. It is the vision
that you are going to rely upon.
I compare the comp plan to the
community's constitution; it is
the goals that the city relies upon
for growth."
The basis for any city restric-
tion has to be addressed initially
in the comprehensive land -use
plan, Hasson said.
Hasson also wants to make
sure that the planners working
on the McCall Airport master
plan are communicating with
the people working on the com-
prehensive land -use plan.
"There is a perception that
they are not," he said. "I think
they are."
Hasson has asked the airport
planners to provide city planners
goals and objectives that can be
placed into the transportation
component of the comprehen-
sive plan.
"So that both documents are
recognizing each other and com-
pliment each other," Hasson said.
"A real important goal of mine is
to ensure that they are speaking
to each other and are in sync with
each other."
Meetings to be held Monday
through Wednesday will consist
of focus groups discussing spe-
cific topics, Hasson said. Citizens
are being invited to the first three
days of meetings based on their
interest.
"We want to get very specific
input," he said.
"We've identified so many
more people and we've got a lot
more interest now," grants coor-
dinator Carol Coyle said. "We are
getting a lot of people inquiring
about the meetings; I've never
seen this amount of interest in
city meetings."
Comprehensive plan breaks down town into topics
McCall's comprehensiveland-
use plan consists of 14 major
components, they are:
• Private Property Rights:
The first component was added
by the Idaho Legislature to en-
sure that communities recognize
people have a right to use their
property in the state and that
right should not be trespassed
upun lightly.
• Population: Projections
and trends that gives planners
guidance about where to place
capital improvements
• Natural Resources: Identi-
fies community conditions as it
relates to natural resources such
as water, timber and minerals.
• Economic Development:
Identifies economic information
about the city and the area.
• Recreation: Identifies ex-
isting and needed recreation
facilities, resources and opportu-
nities. It also identifies regional
recreation.
• Land -use: Contains a land -
use map, which is a general map
that is used to identify general
densities and is the foundation
for the city's zoning map.
• Transportation: Identi-
fies the city's transportation
needs and current conditions.
A functioning classified road
map is also being produced that
will identify the road type for
all of the roads in McCall. This
component of the plan will also
incorporate the airport master
plan that is currently being
updated.
• Housing: Identifies the cur-
rent conditions of housing in
the community. It provides an
inventory and identifies housing
needs and areas for residential
housing.
• Community Design: Iden-
tifies the community character,
special sites, future conditions
and historic resources.
• Public Services, Utilities
and Facilities: Identifies the
city's public services such as
police, fire, sewer, water and
streets. This part of the plan will
not be addressed in detail, com-
munity development manager
Steve Hasson said.
The city is working on a geo-
graphic information system map
that will identify the city's public
service utilities. This part of the
plan identifies transportation
lines, sewer lines, water lines,
and storm water lines.
• Hazardous Areas: Identi-
fies steep slopes, seismic areas,
toxic dumpsites so future plan-
ners can use the information to
make decisions about plans to
develop areas.
• School Facilities: Identifies
enrollment trends, facilities,
enrollment by grade, student
capacity and what, if any, addi-
tional educational opportunities
should be a part of the future in
McCall.
• Special Areas: Identifies
any special areas of interest that
the community may want to pur-
sue or address in the future.
• Implementation: This sec-
tion of the plan lays out a plan
to accomplish the goals of the
entire plan.
"The goal on Thursday is a
wrap up," Hasson said. "It is an
opportunity for everybody to par-
ticipate and get an overall view
and to get general comments."
"Where do we go from Thurs-
day? We will boil that all down
and have subsequent meetings,"
Hasson said. "I don't know at
this time when the next meeting
will be."
So far, 200 people have been
invited to attend the focus group
meetings that will discuss com-
ponents of the comprehensive
land -use plan, such as the airport,
transportation, infrastructure
and natural resources.
Anyone who would like to be
involved in the process should
contact Coyle at 634 -3504.
The city has been meeting
with interested citizens about
the rewrite of the comprehensive
land -use plan since late August.
Hasson hopes to have the plan
completed by mid - summer.
"I want to try to get it done
as soon as we can, but we want
to go slow enough that we can
handle any issues that come up,"
Hasson said.
The planning process is in the
middle of asking participants to
choose what McCall should look
like in the future.
That is done by offering vari-
ous scenarios andhowtheywould
relate to land -use, economy, natu-
ral resources, transportation and
infrastructure.
Meetings so far have discussed
trends and community outlook.
Two more rounds of meetings are
Planned for May and June.
McCall encloses
$304,0(10 in LOT
grants, 22 projects
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
Grants totaling $304,000 from McCall's local
option tax to various civic and community groups
were approved last Thursday by the McCall City
Council.
The council approved, without changes, rec-
ommendations from the city's Local Option Tax
Commission, which screened applicants for the
money earned from a 3 percent sales tax on motel
rooms and other overnight lodging.
A total of 22 proposals received approval for the
funding, which will be pa id with taxes paid after Oct.
1. If the taxes exceed the projected $304,000 next year,
the LOT commission designated eight additional
projects worth $56,375 to receive the funds.
A total of 39 other projects requesting more than
$1 million were not recommended for funding by
the committee.
The largest amount granted, $65,000, went to the
city's parks department to build public restrooms
in Art Roberts Park, local! ed on the lakefront across
from Manchester Ice and Event Centre.
Two grants of $44,000 ,,vere award to the Masters
World Cup, scheduled in McCall next March, and to
a citizens group that wants to expand the recycling
facilities offered in McCall.
The smallest grant, $500 was given to the Payette
Lakes Writers Conference to supports its annual
gathering.
�5JOI
SI3 �'v1
LOT GRANT SUMMARY
Here is the list of projects funded by LOT
funds for the budget year starting Oct. 1:
• McCall Parks Department (Art Roberts
Park restrooms): $65,000.
• Masters World Cup: $44,000.
• McCall recycling center: $44,000.
• McCall Golf Course (loader): $29,500.
• MCPAWS Regional Animal Shelter (gen-
eral operations, spay /neuter program,
animal medical care): $23,000.
• McCall Snowmobile Club (trail groom -
ing): $19,000.
• McCall Golf Course (seasonal employ -
ees): $113,000.
• Treasure Valley Transit: $15,000.
• McCall Library (shelving, displays, land-
scaping): $10,100.
• Payette Lakes Ski Club (lift cable): $9.500.
• McCall Senior Citizens Center (interior
upgrades): $7,500.
• McCall Airport (land surveys for future
expansion): $6,250.
• McCall Outdoor Science School: $6,000.
• Treasure Valley YMCA (summer day
camp): $5,000.
McCall Parks Department (bike path seal-
ing): $1,500.
• McCall Artists Connection: $600.
• Payette Lakes Writers Conference: $500.
The follow projects will be funded in this
order if additional funds become avail-
able:
• Alpine Playhouse (insulation): $5,500.
• McCall Tennis Association (resurface
tennis courts): $11,000.
• MCPAWS (volunteer coordinator): $6,000.
McCall Area Chamber of Commerce
(advertising): $10,000.
• McCall Golf Course (equipment): $10,000.
McCall Parks Department (equipment):
$4,300.
• McCall Public Works Department (water
truck rental): $5,000.
• Manchester Ice and Event Centre (im-
provements):' $4,575.
NET PENS FILLED - Kyle Jones, a summer biological aide with the
Idaho Department of Fish & Game, guides rainbow trout in a plastic
tube into the Payette Lake net pens at Brown Park in McCall last
week. The McCall Fish Hatchery transplanted about 6,000 rainbow
trout about nine and a half inches in length to two large net pens
attached to the dock at Brown Park. The trout will eat food from the
lake and commercial food pellets from automatic feeders. The city
of McCall does not want coin feeders to be installed on the dock due
to vandalism. The trout will remain in the net pens until after Labor
Day, when they will be released on site into Payette Lake. The net pens
were originally located in the lake with coin operated feeders on a dock
north of Mile High Marina. Ice damage to the dock ended the net pens
program about five years ago. A lawsuit by the Mill Park Property
Owners Association prevented the net pens from being placed at
Brown Park until this year.
'4.kuod
6'71b,,
Bids double
budget for
Legacy Park
renovation
Urban renewal agency to try to
make do with available funds
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star News
The renovation of Legacy Park on the shore of
Payette Lake and improvements to surrounding areas
have been dealt a blow after bids came in at twice the
amount of money set aside for the work.
The McCall Urban Renewal Agency board rejected
bids for the project when all five bids came in at about
$6.1 million.
The agency has a $3.1 million construction budget
left from $5 million in bonds issued earlier this year.
The remainder of the bond was spent on design and
engineering, land acquisition and the requirement that
$500,000 be kept in a reserve fund.
The agency board appointed member Rick Fereday
and McCall City Council member Don Bailey, who
also sits on the urban renewal board, to negotiate
with contractors, community planning manager Steve
Hasson said.
The agency will try through negotiation on the open
market to at least see the building of a parking lot and
renovation of East Lake Street as well as some main
park features.
Petra Contractors and Knife River Contractors
bid those parts of the plan on a combined bid for $4.1
million.
"We've still got to trim $1 pillion from the budget"
to fund the minimum project, Hasson said.
The agency will meet Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. with
Hasson to see where the project stands.
The original plan was to construct the improvements
this year, but construction will not likely occur until
the end of the summer or this fall, Hasson said.
Area businesses can expect Legacy Park to remain
open at least through the Independence Day holiday
weekend, Hasson said.
The original plan calledfor improvements to be made
to Legacy Park in McCall and the surrounding area.
The beach was to be improved and segments of the
beach were to be dedicated to various uses, from public
swimming to motorized and nonmotorized watercraft
use to beach volleyball.
Plans call for the existing public restroom building
to be removed, and a new restroom to be constructed
under a pedestrian promenade that would connect
Legacy Park at the Third and Lake streets intersection
with Brown Park to the north.
A large parking lot would also be constructed that
would have 123, spaces. There would also be parking
that requires motorists to back into the spaces along
East Lake Street.
The plans also callfor East Lake Street to be one -way.
One -way traffic would flow south from Pine to the Third
Street intersection. One -way traffic on East Lake Street
would flow north from Pine to Hemlock streets.
1
/U
judge hears McCall, Realtors argue
affordable housing laws
City says provisions
necessary; Realtors
claim illegal tax
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star News
Attorneys for the Mountain
CentralBoardof Realtorsandthe
city of McCall argued Friday in
court in Boise whether McCall's
affordable housing laws were
illegal.
The hearing was held in the
Ada County Courthouse in front
of Fourth District J adge Thomas
Neville.
The Realtor board sued the
city last fall claiming the city's
affordable housing laws that
require developers to contribute
a percentage of a development to
the community housing pool or
pay an "in lieu" fee and to pay a
community housingfee when the
developer purchases a building
permit were an ille gal tax.
The city arguad that the
county is suffering, from a seri-
ous housing deficiency. The city
also argued that the challenge
by the board of Realtors was
a facial challenge and in such
court challenges, the court must
give "deference to the legislative
body."
"What we are here about today
is the power and authority of
a municipality," Realtor board
attorney David Gratton, of the
Boise law firm Evans Keene, said.
" We are not here to say affordable
housing is not a good thing."
Grattan then argued that the
city did not have the authority
to make the laws. He cited the
Local Land Use Planning Act, a
state law, and said the city "only
has the right to regulate use, not
ownership."
"They tell you who can buy it
and at what price and what the
deed has to say," Gratton said. "I
can't fathom, your honor, at how
that can be a regulation of use.
That is a fundamental owner-
ship right that this ordinance
violates."
City attorney William Mor-
row, of the Nampa law firm White
Peterson, argued that the state's
planning act does direct munici-
palities to protect property rights.
"But you still have to deal with
the component of low income
housing," Morrow said.
"You still own it," Morrow
said. "It still remains within the
control of the development. It is a
restriction that is being done for
legitimate state purposesbecause
of the housing need."
Gratton cited a recent Sun Val-
ley case where a judge ruled that
city's "in lieu" fee for affordable
housing was illegal because they
were a tax and not a fee.
"(The city's ordinances) are
expressly a scheme to obtain
money and a scheme to get afford-
able housing," Gratton said.
He also argued the city's af-
fordable housing fee is an illegal
tax, because a fee cannot be used
to raise revenue.
"Fees reimburse the city,
they are not a revenue raising
scheme," Gratton said. "It is a
tax and indeed a novel one. And
if it is not a tax it is an impermis-
sible fee."
He also argued that the laws
were "takings" by the city and
therefore subject to the due pro-
cess clause inthe state andfederal
constitutions.
"It is a forced contribution of
20 percent of that divider's land
or a payment of cash in lieu,
and the city is telling us what
we may do with that property,"
he said. "These are categorical
takings."
Morrow argued that the
McCall city code offered devel-
opers incentives, such as height
waivers, which would diminish
any argument that the laws con-
stituted a taking.
"Is the permanent deed re-
striction a taking ?" he asked. "If
it is not sold in nine months the
restriction is removed."
"An individual does not have
an unfettered right to do what-
ever you want to do with your
property," Morrow said. "Local
legislative bodies have the right
to enact zoning laws."
He told Judge Neville that
the court must hold "a strong
Presumption of validity of such
an ordinance."
For the most part, Neville
listened 'to the arguments with-
out much interruption. He did
tell Morrow that he did not see
how dedicating 20 percent of
a development to affordable
housing was adding value to the
development.
Neville also let both sides
know that he had received two
copies of the Sun Valley ruling.
He said he would take his time
before making a ruling because
he wanted "to get this right."
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -Yews
One of two propos EA methods for
disposing of McCall's treated sewage
would allow somethin,; the city is cur-
rently banned from do ing.
State regulations ;orbid the city
from discharging its reated sewage
into the North Fork A the Payette
River. That is because the phospho-
rus in the treated water encourages
algae growth downst team in Lake
Cascade.
But the treatment no x being con sid-
ered by the city would. ake treatment
to the next level and remove more
phosphorus and nitrcgen from the
final product.
That alternative would cost $70.2
River
(Continuec from Page A -1)
Both biologi -,al and chemical
processes would be used to re-
move nitrogen and phosphorus
from wastewat(r.
The membrane bioreactor
system is limited in its capacity
if a large amount of stormwater
or spring runoff leaks into the
plant.
The existing aerated lagoon
system located off Deinhard Lane
in southwest McCall would be
used to equalize the flows prior
to going into the bioreactor, Rob-
erts said.
Features of this treatment
system are:
• Total nitrogen reduction
using anoxic selectors. Anoxic
selectors are a l)iological treat-
ment that uses organisms that
eat nitrogen.
• Membranes will be used to
filter solids, including those car-
rying phosphorus.
• Chemicals will be added to
aid in the phosphorus removal.
million, according to current esti-
mates.
"With a discharge to the North Fork
of the Payette River, a primary treat-
ment objective would be to remove as
much phosphorus as practicable to
reduce the impact on the North Fork of
the Payette River and Cascade Lake,"
the city's draft wastewater facilities
plan said.
`Although this alternative is devel-
oped to function by itself (complete
treatment and discharge of all flows
the River), it would be possible to com-
bine the alternative with other effluent
disposal alternatives to capture the use
of the existing facilities to the extent
practicable," the report said.
The city also can earn credits from
• Digestion of sludge using
aeration to reduce odor and dan-
gerous bacteria.
• As the raw sewage enters
the plant, it would be whirled
into a vortex to remove sand
the state if it takes action to keep
phosphorus from getting into the river
from other sources.
The best way to do that is to improve
the waythe city handles its stormwater
runoff or pay farmers in the valley to
reduce phosphorus from their runoff,
the report said.
New methods eyed
To allow discharge into the river,
the city will need to use high -tech
methods. One of these is called a
membrane bioreactor, which would
produce wastewater that is cleaner
than the water currently coming out
of the city's plant and used to irrigate
land south of town.
See RIVER, Page A -10
and rocks.
More information about the
city's wastewater treatment
planning process can be obtained
on the city's Web site at www.
mccall.id.us.
h
First affordable
McCall homes
behind schedule
Weather, lack of coordination
blamed for delay in nine homes
BY LUCIA V KNUDSON
and MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Nine homes intended to provide affordable
housing for McCall workers are five months
behind schedule.
Originally, the projected elate for the first
McCall Avenue home to be completed was in
February. As of Tuesday, four of the homes
were finished on the inside and three were
painted.
Neighborhood Housing Services of Boise is
helping the city build the hor. res. The land for
the homes was donated by G ceystone Village
developer Steve Benad.
McCall Mayor Bill Robertson called the
project a "quagmire" at last Tb.ursday's McCall
City Council meeting.
"We musthave Neighborhood Housing come
up and talk to us at the next council meeting,"
Robertson said.
Neighbors of the development have grum-
bled about the appearance of the unfinished
project, Community Planning Manager Steve
Hasson said.
"We are absolutely gettingl its of complaints
in my office," Hasson said.
The two - bedroom modular homes in the
McCall Avenue project sell for $173,500 to quali-
fied buyers.
The three - bedroom homer, would sell for
$175,000 and two bedroom homes with a den
for about $176,000.
Willing to meet
VARHA requires a househo .d must earn less
than $79,800 for a family of fou r to apply to buy
one of the homes.
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PAGE A -3 - THE STAR -NEWS - THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2007
McltCall budget
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
The city of McCall will likely
propose a fl at budget for next year
in order to deal with the now $6.2
million in debt from the J -Ditch
lawsuit, Deputy City Manager
Fred Quiel said.
As a result, the budget that
takes effect Oct. 1 will provide
about the same amount of ser-
vices as this year's budget, Quiel
said.
The city owes Employers In-
surance of ' 7Vausau and St. Clair
Contractors, Inc., about $6.2 mil-
lion from a lawsuit the city lost
due to its mi smanagement of the
construction of the city's winter
wastewater storage pond.
10WEENNEW
still needs cutting
The city authorized a $300,000
payment to the winners of the
lawsuit earlier this month from
surplus city funds.
The city does not know what
capital improvements will be
included in the 2008 budget, but
expects an operational budget of
about $15.7 million.
At present, the city budget is
not in balance. The only funds
currently balanced are the water
and sewer funds. The city still
needs to trim about $3.2 million
from the budget to get to a bal-
anced budget, he said.
Most of the current overage
is in the airport budget. The city
will likely trim $2.5 million in
airport requests for a sewer line
and land acquisition to balance
the budget, Quiel said.
Currently, the general fund
budget is $400,000 over budget,
the public works and streets
budget is $300,000 over budget,
the library budget is $20,000 over
budget, the recreation budget is
$12,000 over budget and the golf
.budget is about $6,000 over bud-
get, he said.
The city staff is identifying
what city needs for next year can
be funded with a flat budget.
City staffers will come back to
the McCall City Council on July
19 with a proposal for a balanced
budget. If the council agrees with
the spending plan, a public hear-
ing will be held on Aug. 9.
McCall P &Z gives nod to nightclub at McCall Mall
The McCall Area Planning &
Zonirik;Commission on Tuesday
approved Steve Tansill's plan
to convert the street level of
the McCall Mall into a bar and
nightclub,
The approval was given on
the condition the P &Z review
signage and color palettes of the
building later.
Tansill, who owns Heartland
Deli, plans to create "The Great
Escape," a nightclub on the lake.
The club will have dining and
dancing with live bands and disc
jockeys on the weekends.
Plansforthenightclub include
a Bingo Night, Open Mike Night,
Date Night, Karaoke Night, Safe
and Sober Teen Dance Night and
Comedy Night, he said. The club
would also have special showings
of pay per view events such as
fights and races.
McCall Mall owner Vicky
Wade presented a plan to have a
community sign that promoted
the eight tenants of the build-
ing, but planned to keep the
Panda Restaurant sign where
it currently is located along
with a sign that says "McCall
Mall."
Wade wants to keep the Panda
sign where it is because the res-
taurant is located in the lower
level and needed the visibility.
Commissioner Phil Feinberg
did not like the idea and suggested
she work out a deal with the
Panda to allow it a larger portion
of the community sign that will
be at street level.
Feinberg had problems with
the color scheme chosen by Wade
as well. Commissioner Shane
Jeffries wanted some natural
features added to the fagade, such
as stonework or timbers.
The commission agreed to al-
low the changes for Tansill's bar
and nightclub, but to continue
the discussion about the signs
and color scheme.
Liz Mer-
rick, 24, of
Mayfield,
Ky., uses
an orange
crosswalk
flag as she
crosses
Lake
Street in
downtown
McCall.
Star -News
Photo by
Michael Wells
NOW YOU SEE THEM...
McCall says 279 orange crosswalk flags
have been stolen
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
There have been 279 orange crosswalk flags stolen from
McCall crosswalks since the street crossing program was
put in place in December, street superintendent Rick
Schiermeier said.
Over the Memorial Day holiday, the city had 45 flags
stolen from the crosswalks, Schiermeier said.
The city began with 200 flags that cost $3.05 each. The
city has spent $3,838 on the project, which included build-
lilt, L- _i�_ - -_ . i
1�Lb vi.cii livlucl o tUi iiiC lidrS, 1Jd111L, UVl1.J, L1agS and signs
at each cross walk, Schiermeier said.
The city replaces the flags and keeps six flags at each
station, he said.
See FLAGS, Page A -12
Flags
(Continued from Page A -1)
So far, the McCall Police De-
partment has not caught anyone
stealing the flags or with a stolen
flag in their possession. Each
flag is marked as belonging to
the city.
Stealing a crosswalk flag is
a misdemeanor that carries a
maximum $1,000 fine and up
to one year in jail, Chief Jerry
Summers said.
"The police department will
request the maximum as far as
fines," Summers said.
The McCall Improvement
Committee has committed up
to $1,000 to the city to replace
future stolen flags, co -chair Judy
Maguire said.
"The theft has been so huge,"
Maguire said. "We originally
thought the initial setup really
didn't make the town look better,
but we liked the concept."
The committee has alsohadthe
11iL LUL flag h Vldcr v rLpit icGiA � iil u3
black pots. The pots cost $6 each
and are about 19 inches tall.
The pots are about three
feet lower than the original flag
stands, and allow children to be
able to reach the flags, as well as
lower the profile of the bright
orange flags, Maguire said. The
pots cost the committee $144.
The committee wanted to
explore a different color for the
flags, but due to state transpor-
tation safety laws only bright
orange or red flags are approved
for use at crosswalks, she said.
"We wanted something that
was not so `construction zone,'
" Maguire said. "We would like
to educate the public about the
expense of the program. This
is money that should be going
toward the city's beautification
process."
The committee is also search-
ing for cheaper flags and other
ways to continue the program.
She said that Berkeley, Calif.,
buys its flags for about a dollar
each.
Salt Lake City has an adopt -a-
crosswalk program that allows
businesses to adopt a nearby
T1,c businesses re-
place stolen flags and make
sure the flags are available for
pedestrians.
14,
-7
Business owners worried Legacy Park ro'ect
p �
will hurt t hem,
but support improvements
BY MICHAEL WELLS
the Star -News
"'It`s feast Worried about walk -ins
Merchants in the East Lake
Street corridor want shoppers to
Customers will have to get to
famine business the businesses using Railroad Av-
know that they will be open for busi-
ness as constn fiction work begins on
enue and Pine Street. Access to the
we are in, and they marina will be from Mill Street to
the Legacy Park improvementas.
Seven busii iesses in the area are
Fir Street.
are taking away "Hopefully the contractor and
Planning an ai lvertising campaign
toremindtheir-customersthatthey
the city understand that we are
t°1 here," Halligan said. "We are wor-
are still open i'or business.
Those
gat w support ried about the road closures during
bush lesses are Mountain
Monkey Business, Gravity Sports,
construction. We are not goingto get
the t and the walk -in business."
Babblefish, Mountain Java, Razzle
Dazzle, Rumpledinx and Mile High
Halligan was concerned about
I l t t13 heavy equipment that would be
Marina.
parked m the area overnight during
"It's a feast or famine business
improvementS.The construction.
we are in, and they are taking away
the feast right now," Jeff Halligan,
That could scare people away,"
improvements t' he said. "Right now, there are more
owner of Gravity Sports, said.
"But r support the project and
than 100 cars parked within a block
going great," of my business that won't be there
look forward to the improvements.
The improvements are going to be
Jeff Halligan, owner of when construction begins."
Sean Thueson, owner of Babble
great."
Gravity Sports fish restaurant inside the Mile High
July and August are the best
Marinabuilding, said he expects his
months for busiriessesin the area and generally usiness to take a.financial hit. sure duce enough revenue for the businessestocontinue
businesses," Thuesonsaid. Attthe point there
through the leaner shoulder seasons, the business is
a give and take with McCall right now. We either
owners said. pay these prices now in order to increase tourism.
Construction on the $2.5 million project, funded
It will help us in the long run."
by the McCall Urban Renewal Agency, could begin Thueson looked at the dilemma as an invest -
as early as Monday
ment in the future. Babblefish opened about 14
When construction begins, East Lake Street will months ago.
be closed as improvements to the
street
are made. See LEGACY, Page A -16
(Continued from Page A -1)
"I think the conclusion will
be terrific," John Watkins, co-
owner and manager of Mountain
Monkey Business said. "In the
meanwhile, businesses think
there will be negative impacts. So
we are advertising more."
Watkins said that the urban
renewal agency will post tem-
porary signs and the city will
work on dust abatement as the
construction goes through the
summer.
"I hoped it (construction)
would be after LaborDay, "he said.
"July and August are our biggest
months. I guess we will know by
the first of August."
Watkins said the businesses
might have to employ specials
to entice customers to shop at
the stores.
"We'll get through it," Watkins
said. `And hopefully the improve-
ments will more than make up for
any losses."
McCall's Mayor
thrilled at sight
of shuttle launch
BY TOM GROTE
The Star -News
McCall 6 " d
Mayor Bill
Robertson
saw the m
steam and the
orange flames
from the
space shuttle
Endeavour,
but what he
noticed more Bill Robertson
than anything
else was the quiet.
Watching from the VIP sec-
tion at Kennedy Space Center
in Florida on. Wednesday,
Robertson's vantage point was
three miles from the launch
pad. But the :noise arrived
soon enough.
"Once we started seeing the
shuttle take off, everything
starting rumbling," Robertson
said by cellphone shortly after
the launch. "Then it got so loud
from the noise of the rockets."
See MAYOR, Page A -16
Mayor
(Continued from Page A -1)
Robertson and is wife, Mara,
were among500people watching
the Endeavour, from a fifth -floor
viewing area at the KSC visitor's
center.
He made the trip after the
McCall City Council voted to
spend their own contingency
funds to send him. His wife paid
her own way.
No other elected officials
from Idaho, state or federal,
attended the launch, making
Robertson the highest- ranking
member from the state to be
on hand.
Ina separate phone interview
before the launch, Robertson
said he and others were given
a close -up look at the shuttle
Tuesday night from about 500
feet. "That was beautiful," he
said.
As a special guest, he was
invited to enjoy a buffet dinner
on the observation deck, but
declined. "I'm too excited to
eat," he said.
The mayor received univer-
sal recognition whenever he
introduced himself because of
Morgan.
"That is the one name that
everyone really knows, "he said.
"Every time we go into a store,
everybody lights up. Everyone
knows who she is. This is really
major for Idaho."
qlqlo
Families on affordable housing
list find homes on their own
BY LUCIA V KNUDSON
The Star -News
Declining housing prices have
permitted some people who signed
With the delays, site -built
up for affordable housing to buy
homes could have been erected
homes on the open market, said
just as quickly, Lovell said.
Michael David, executive director of
The experience with the
the Valley Adams Regional Housing
McCall Avenue homes should
Authority
be factored into a decision on
Four of the 92 applicants to VAR-
whether or not to use modular
HA for lower -cost housing provided
homes the next time around, he
by the agency have withdrawn from
the list because they have purchased
said.
During a VARHA board meet -
homes on their own, David said.
ing last month, board member
Steve Millemann asked the facts
The agency accepts applications
for residents in Valley and Adams
about the McCall Avenue project
counties. I
be carefully tracked for member
New lending products are part of
municipalities.
Millemann also suggested
the reason, and so are grants for low-
interest down payment assistance,
setting a deadline when own -
David said. But the softening real
ers could be released from deed
restrictions and gain equity that
estate market leas been an additional
boon to prospective homebuyers
would enable them to move into
who could not buy into the market
the open market.
I think the jury is still out on
when home prices were skyrocket-
how intim idating the deed re stric-
ing, he said.
The housing chief is happy to
tions can be or how chilling they
are going to be on the population
see applicants to VARHA set out on
we are trying to serve," he said.
their own.
Millar saw the homes as a
I'm fully in support of people
stepping stone toward market
gainingthe abi lityto procure market
entry, with homeowners buying
housing," David said.
out of deed restriction as the
VARHA functions as a real estate
housing authority builds up its
agent, lining up applicants for afford-
inventory.
able homes.
VARHA has available a three -
Its first project is nine single -story
bedroom, two- bathroom home at
modular homes on McCall Avenue
the Meadows at West Mountain
being built by the city of McCall and
near Donnelly. The price is
Neighborhood Housing Services.
$161,000, plus $165 per month in
VARHA applicants who ap-
homeowner association dues. So
proached banks to finance a McCall
far, there have been no takers,
Avenue home discovered they could
Millar said.
buy on the market instead, Deputy
Director Stephanie Millar said. Mil-
lar has lost at least three hopefuls to
a condo in McC all and homes in New
Meadows.
"We're certainly not in a state
of panic; we have a big list we can
open up," David said. "When we lose
someone like that, we've got to call
someone else up."
At the October groundbreaking,
it was announced the first of the
McCall Avenue Homes would be
ready for occupancy in February,
but weather and other problems have
caused delays.
New units ready this month
Millar said the two- bedroom
dwellings, which arrived first, would
likely be ready for occupancy by mid -
month, andthethreebedroomhomes
would be ready by June 1.
VARHA board Chairman Greg
Lovell has been . concerned about
the length of time already put into
getting the homes ready. —
51+Qf- NT_ � s
McCall approves tentative 07 -08 budget
2007 -08 spending plan
likely to go to public
hearing on Aug. 9
BY MICHAEL WELLS _
The Star -News
The McCall City Council last
week tentatively adopted an $18,5
million budget for the next fisc�.l
year that begins Oct. 1.
The budget of $18.5 million
is $231,000 less than this year's
budget of about $18.7 million, but
it includes a tax increase to help
to continue paying off the $6.5
million J -Ditch lawsuit.
A public hearing on the tentz -
tive budget is set for the Aug. 9
council meeting.
The city will take its 3 percent
tax increase allowed under state
law for an additional $93,500 in
revenue.
The city will also see $284,000
in extra property tax revenue in
next year's budget allowed for
new growth.
The city will also take an ad-
ditional $231,000 in "foregone"
money, which is the amount of
property taxes the city could have
taken in prior years but chose not
to. In all, the city will receive $2.27
million in property taxes for nex :
year's budget.
The extra revenues are being
taken to help the city payoff a
federal judge's order for the city
to pay $6.5 million to Employers
Insurance of Wausau and St.
Clair Contractors, Inc., of Boise
for the city's mismanagement
of the construction of the city's
wastewater storage pond.
The city has already paid
about $300,000 this year toward
the judgment and is seeking an
addition $600,000 from the 2007 -08
budget to knock the debt down to
about $5.6 million.
The council only made two
monetary changes to the budget
proposed by city staff at the
workshop last week.
Mayor Bill Robertson wanted
the city to double its funding
to the Upper Payette River Eco-
nomic Development Board from
$15,000 to $30,000. The economic
development arm of Boise and
Valley counties lost $41,500 in
state funding for next year and
Robertson wanted the economic
development work to continue in
the region.
Council member Bonnie Ber-
tram also wanted $2,500 that
was taken out of the budget for
the Idaho Historic Preservation
committee to be put back into the
tentative budget.
All Local Option Tax Commis-
sion recommendations remained
unchanged, deputy city manager
Fred Quiel said.
The major reduction in the
budget is due to a reduction in
building permits and plan check
fees to the city, that are projected
to be down $555,060, Quiel said.
The city only expects to receive
$445,500 next year, based on this
year's actual take.
The city's contingent revenues
and expenses increased by double
from $350,000 to $700,000, Quiel
said.
Paving projects in the city
have been reduced in next year's
budget by about $200,000 to just
$25,000. A planned reconstruc-
tion of Wooley Avenue has been
eliminated from the city's capital
improvements. In its place, a
limited repair will be funded,
Quiel said.
An additional $27,938 was cut
from the McCall Public Library
for capital improvements.
Eliminated from next year's
budget include:
• An unfilled extra community
planner position.
• A vehicle for the community
development department.
• Two new police vehicles.
• A pickup truck for the public
works and streets department.
• A 14th police officer will
not be hired until the next fiscal
year is half over and $13,500 in
police overtime pay has been
eliminated. Currently, the city
has 11 police officers.
IvicLall hires deputy city manager
in charge
of planning, public works
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
The city of McCall has hired
Walter Eisenstein of Bozeman,
Mont., to fill the city's vacant
deputy city manager over com-
munity development and streets
and public works.
The position has been open
since February, when former
deputy city manager Ro ger Millar
left to take a position in Missoula,
Mont.
Eisenstein
will oversee the g' .
city's planning
and zoning
department
as well as the
city's street
.maintenance
and water and
sewer systems.
Eisenstein,
65, recently Walter
returned from Eisenstein
Russia where
he taught English.
He had retired from public
service about two years ago. He
was working as the superinten-
dent of public works in West
Yellowstone, Mont.
"I decided that retirement
is something I will never try
again," Eisenstein said. "I got
bored easy."
He began his career with pub-
lic works out of high school laying
water and sewer pipe for 10 years
before going to college.
"I like to say I've been with this
job from the underground up,"
he said. "I have a lot of energy
and I think the fit here is perfect
for me."
He started working for McCall
Monday. This week, he is meet-
ing his department employees
in streets and public works and
community development. He is
also meeting with Betsy Roberts
of CH2M Hill, the city's contract
engineer, to learn about the city's
various projects.
Prior to his work at West
Yellowstone, Eisenstein worked
.30 years as a city manager in
Newaygo, Mich., Paoli, Ind., and
Lincolnshire, Ill.
Eisenstein decided after a trip
to Yellowstone National Park in
the late 1980s that the mountains
were where he wanted to live.
Eisenstein was born in Michi-
gan, raised in Ohio and obtained
a Bachelor of Science Degree
in environmental health from
Indiana University School of
Medicine in the 1970s.
He earned aMasterof Science
Degree in public administration
from Montana State University
in 1992.
Eisenstein is a widower of 30
years. He has four grown chil-
dren and eight grandchildren.
Eisenstein will be paid $73,529
per year.
s4� f�A"
McCall technician makes com p user
BY MICHAEL WELLS an
The Star -News
Pete Wessel, 41, has been hired by the City � f Star -News Photo by Michael Wells
McCall a- -
geographic information systems technician. He produces maps and
analyzes data for the city.
The city of McCall has hired
Pete Wessel as its new geographic
information systems techni-
cian.
Wessel, 41, will produce maps
and analyze data for the city.
The position was created this
year and incorporates graphi-
cal features with data in order
to assess problems in the com-
munity
Wessel can produce maps
more efficiently for the city. In-
formation is also accessible that
enables Wessel to analyze and
model the information for what-
ever purpose the city desires.
"The real power of GIS is to
try to do analysis," Wessel said.
"The goals are to try to start
linking up a lot of data so that
it can be brought in a lot easier
for the public graphically and
eventually be made available to
the public."
He can use his skills to help
police target crimp if asked.
Wessel uses a computer system
to assemble, store, manipulate
maps, an
d display geographically ref-
erenced information.
"I maintain a lot of data relat-
ed to mapping," Wessel said. "It's
spatial, meaning it's geographic
in nature."
He will be mapping a pavement
inventory for the city's pavement
maintenanceprogram. Waterand
sewer infrastructure has already
been mapped.
Wessel will also maintain the
city's parcel information
"We'll start scanning more
and more documents to create an
interactive map," he said. "We'll
be doing a lot of paper mapping
for the city crews. The real hope
is to provide some value that
will help."
Wessel can help the city by
providing maps of various city
zones and graphically displaying
how a certain code may apply
to it, such as the city's building
height waiver.
He will also be working on a
sign inventory for the city.
- 10 iU litlUw Wlldt
the city's assets are and collect
that information into one spot,"
alyzes data
he said.
Wessel and his wife, Jenni-
fer, and two children Justin, 2,
and Hailey, five months, moved
to McCall last month from
Montana's Flathead Valley near
Kalispell, Mont. He performed
GIS work for Flathead County.
He also worked as a traf-
fic engineer and public works
construction management for
the City of 'Santa Barbara. He
also reviewed developments for
the city.
Wessel comes to McCallforthe
outdoor lifestyle and mountain
beauty.
He also is encouraged by the
city's "progressive planning en-
vironment."
"It's refreshing to see things
are being planned here better
than in Flathead Valley," Wes-
sel said. "It's refreshing just
to see the level of involvement
here."
Wessel holds a bachelor of
arts degree in geography and
business economics from the
University of California at
Santa Barbara.
JUDGE STRI }DES DOWN
WCALL AFFORDABLE
HOUSING RULES
Ruling agrees wit)t Realtor group
that rules are an illegal tax
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
A state judge ruled Tues day the city of McCall's
affordable housing laws ai-e illegal.
Fourth District Judge Thomas Neville ruled
in favor of the Mountain i 'Dentral Board of Real-
tors' contention that McC� R's affordable housing
laws exceed the city's police powers and are an
unauthorized tax.
"These restrictions go much further than
merely regulating the use of property," Neville
said. "Instead, they essenti; dly regulate ownership
of the property by dictating to whom a unit may
be sold or rented."
City Manager Lindley Kirkpatrick said the
ruling was a setback.
"It's a setback for our afforts to solve our af-
fordable housing problem in the community,"
Kirkpatrick said.
See RULING, Page A-10
(Continued from Page A -1)
"The community will have to
come up with effective tools," he
said. ".I:t by no means, means we are
going to give up on these efforts. It
is important to future development
and th s character of McCall."
Tho Realtors sued the city in the
fall of 2006 over the city's affordable
housing laws.
Those laws require developers
to contribute a percentage of a
development as deed restricted
properties to the community
housing pool, convey land, or pay
a fee.
Th(! rules also require devel-
opers and home builders to pay
a community housing fee when
acquiring a building permit.
The suit said the laws were an
illegal tax, but the city argued it
was regulating a land use.
"Ais court concludes such
`regulation' is arbitrary and unrea-
sonable as a land use provision,"
Neville said. "This court is con-
vinced that the imposition of the
subsidy or fee... are, in reality, a
tax and not a regulation."
Neville pointed out the city did
nothavelegislative authorityunder
state law to require developers to
provide affordable housing or to
impose fees.
"Essentially, landowners and
developers are being charged a
premium, by way of either a sub-
sidy or a fee, to live in the city of
McCall," Neville said.
"Whatever benefit the land-
owner receives is no different
than a benefit received and shared
by the public at large," the rul-
ing said. "The lack of affordable
housing is a problem for which
the public should bear the cost to
remedy rather than imposing the
burden on a few landowners or
developers."
Mountain Central Board of
Realtors President Ray Moore was
pleased with the ruling.
"We think the judge made
the right decision," Moore said.
"There needs to be a different solu-
tion to affordable housing issues.
It has not worked."
Moore pointed out that there
are market rate homes in the area
for essentially the same price as
the nine deed - restricted homes
the city built on McCall Avenue.
Only two of those homes have
been sold.
Market rate homes, with no
deed restrictions, allow the buyer
to own the land and provide the
freedom to sell the property at the
market rate. The deed - restricted
homeshaveto remain affordable so
the selling price is capped, and the
buyer does not own the land.
Other ordinances targeted
The board and its attorneys
are looking at similar ordinances
in area communities and Valley
County, he said.
Neville also pointed out in
the ruling that the Valley Adams
Regional Housing Authority has
eminent domain and bonding
power to acquire property for af-
fordable housing.
"We've encouraged both the
county and the city to use those
powers laid out in the housing
authority statute," Moore said.
When the suit was filed, the city
placed all fees that were collected
in association with the two ordi-
nances in question in a separate
account. The city has about $79,000
in that account if it is ordered to
pay those fees back.
"We are ready, willing and able
to comply with the order when we
see it," Kirkpatrick said.
He also said the city is ready to
remove the deed restrictions on any
land that was set aside for commu
nity housing when the ordinance._
were ineffectfrom March2006 until
the filing of the lawsuit in the fall
of that year.
After the suit was filed, the city
would only issue building permits
to developments that signed vol-
untary agreements for providing
affordable housing. Those negoti-
ated agreements were not a part of
the Realtors' case.
We want Obama!
Large turnout of Valley County
Democrats backs Illinois senator
BY LUCIA V. KNUDSON
The Star- Neves
Valley County Democrats packed the Don-
nelly Elementary School gym Tuesday night
to elect: presidential delegates, and Illinois Sen.
Barack Obama was picked as the overwhelming
favorite.
A stE ady stream flowed into the gym until 7
p.m., wl ien the doors closed. The crowd swelled
to 233 attendees, and the din of their chatter
drowneilthe voice of MarilynArp, Valley County
Democi atic chair, when she stepped to the mi-
crophone. With five minutes to closing, someone
rung a t;owbell to get the crowd's attention.
"Good evening," Arp said, scanning the
crowd. `And they say there are no Democrats
in Valley County."
Aroundof cheers burstfrom the crowd. Their
number -was a far cry from the 56 who attended
the 200,: county Democratic caucus.
In 2004, county Democrats failed to find a
majority for a candidate but no such problem
existed Tuesday night.
During roll call, one voice after another called
out "Obama" or some form of the Democratic
presidential hopeful's name. Those calling for
other candidates were few in comparison.
About 25 rallied behind Hillary Clinton and
about three for John Edwards. About 20 were
uncommitted..
Obama supporters swept all four seats of
the Valley County delegation to the Idaho State
Democratic Convention.
The bulk of the caucus, over 85 percent,
stood in the Obama camp and filled the center
of the room. The Clinton and Edwards faithful
hugged the wall, pushed aside by the mass of
Obama supporters.
To win votes, Clinton supporter Colin Riv-
iere appealed to the crowd to look to Clinton's
experience.
Few Clinton Supporters
During the second round of caucusing,
Clinton supporters fanned out, calling for the
two votes needed to garner the 15 percent of the
caucus needed to win a seat for their favorite.
"C'mon. We need one more vote to get a del-
egate," said Lola Elliot as she passed through
the crowd.
But the Clinton caucus found only one extra
supporte c
Kathy Eld was registering people to vote
before caucusing began. She reported eight
new voters were 18 years old, the minimum
voting age.
Eld prepared refreshments but hadn't ex-
pected the multitude that showed up. Two neat
trays of gingerbread cookies were placed on a
table at tie back of the gym.
One tray held cookies shaped like stars, the
other cookies shaped like donkeys, the symbol
The vast
majority of the
crowd of 233
Valley County
Democrats
that gathered
Tuesday night
at the Donnelly
Elementary
School gym
supported
Democratic
presidential
candidate
Barack Obama.
star -News Photo by
Lucia V. Knudson
of the Democratic Party.
The donkey cookie cutter was a Christmas gift
from her Republican brother -in -law, she said.
"It's my patriotic duty to make donkey cook-
ies for every Democratic gathering," Eld said
proudly.
The cookies were quickly snapped up, but a
bowl of peanuts in the shell remained virtually
untouched. Eld said with a grin that she set out
the peanuts to trap any Republicans who might
be in the crowd.
♦ Adams County Democrats pick Obama
—Page A -10
S4.lI4
71 '7/°q*
Bri*em charged Wi*th -3/y -7/61
felony theft, forgery
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
McCall City Council Member Kevin Briem was
arrested last: week on charges of forgery, grand
theft and bm °glary stemming from his former job
as a food distributor.
Briem, 4E;, was booked at Valley County Jail
in Cascade on Thursday and released on a $2,500
bond Friday.
He will appear at a preliminary hearing in
Valley Coun .y Magistrate Court on April 8, where
a judge will decide if there is enough evidence to
justify a trial in Fourth District Court.
Briem was elected to the city council in No-
vember and was sworn in for a four -year term
in January.
Briem sa id in an interview that he intends to
stay on the council for now.
"If there was some obvious reason (to leave)
such as pub] is outcry," Briem said. "If it would be
over the las*' five years for merchandise that the
restaurant did not order and never received.
Instead, the food items were given as
donations to organizations such as the McCall -
Donnelly Booster Club.
Briem paid back all the money taken to Sysco
Food Services, which in turn reimbursed My
Father's Price.
Briem faces up to 14 years in prison for the
grand theft charge and 14 years for each of the
five forgery charges and 10 years in prison for
the burglary charge if convicted.
Statement Admitted Misuse
A court document said Briem was fired by
Sysco after signing a statement that said he
took advantage of a customer and misused
company assets.
See BRIEM, Page A-10
Court records say McCall city
councilman admitted to stealing
$19,000 from food distributor
in the best interest of the community (he wouldre-
sign from the council), but at this point, no."
Under state law, Briem would be forced to
resign if he is convicted of a felony, City Man-
ager Lindley Kirkpatrick said.
Briem was a distributor for Sysco Food Ser-
vices until he was fired in late January after his
superiors learned of the fraud.
Briem admitted to Valley County Sheriff's
Office investigators last Thursday he collected
about $19,000 from My Father's Place in McCall
"If there was some
obvious reason
(to leave) such as
public outcry. If it
would be in the
best interest of
the community
(he would resign '
from the council), Kevin Briem
but at this point, no."
Briem: councilman charged
with felon theft forgery
O
Y � g Y
(Continued from Page A -1)
r Briem also admitted that he
accepted payments from third
parties and failed to pay Sysco,
and that he was dishonest by
concealing the practices from
his employer.
The owners of My Father's
Place found 190 questionable in-
voices over the past five years.
Thefivecountsof forgerystem
from five faxed copies of a re-
wards points redemption that My
Father's Place Restaurant owners
Tabitha and Cossette Martineau
say they never signed.
The forms date back to Oct.
11, 2005, and total about $2,500.
Four of the five forms were faxed
from Briem's residence, court
documents said.
Briem told investigators that
he did not have any knowledge of
who signed the forms, though he
originally told investigators that
Tabitha Martineau had asked
him to sign one of the forms for
her in December.
The rewards program is used
by businesses to build up points
that they can use as money toward
Sysco products and services.
The burglary charge is related
to a Jan. 4 incident where Briem
was asked by the Martineaus to
explain several boxes of candy
bars and other items on their
counter.
"Oh, you know the boosters,"
Briem said, according to court
documents. Briem then left the
restaurant with the items that
included candy bars, soft pretzels,
pizzas, pizza crust, and sauce and
cheese. The items showed up on
an invoice to My Father's Place.
Briem told sheriff's investi-
gators that he had a hard time
remembering anything past a
week old due to a hobo spider
bite.
Briem told The Star -News
that the spider bite, which oc-
curred about five years ago, led
to a bacterial staph infection that
sent him to a stay in a hospital.
The infection was treated with 10
different antibiotics.
"It's not a reason for anything;
it was a significant event, is all I'm
pointing to," Briem said.
U J� Z
��7 /b 1�.
/v/:3/S"z S-
SV014 &IVA
McCall P&Z takes first step toward
imposing development fees
Fees up to $5,016 per
home could be levied
on new homes, condos
BY MICHAEL WELLS _
The Star -News
A plan to impose fees on new
development in McCall and a 1 ist
of projects on which to spend
those fees was approved Tuesday
by the McCall Area Planning and
Zoning Commission.
The commission recommend-
ed to the McCall City Council
that the fees should be imposed
tofund an estimated $18.3 million
in projects needed by various
city department over the next
10 years.
The city council will nowhold
its own hearing, but a date has
not been set.
If adopted, the council would
then decide how much to add to
building permits for new homes
and businesses to fund city
Development fees are passed
on to the homebuyer, which
means the cost of homes would
increase, he said.
Of the $18.3 million total
improvements proposed, about
$12.4 million would be eligible to
be paid for by development fees.
The $6 million balance would
need to be paid from other fund-
ing sources of the city.
The McCall Police Depart-
ment would receive $524 from
each home or condo and 25
cents per square -foot from other
buildings.
McCall police expects to
spend $2.6 million in the next 10
years to replace or renovate the
police department, according
to a'capital improvement plan
also recommended for approval
Tuesday night.,
The Streets Department
plans about $6.1 million in im-
provements that include buying
projects.
Development fees for the
departments' plans could not
exceed $8,016 per residential unit,
according to the plan.
Non - residential fees that are
based on square - footage would
be capped initially at $11.08 per
square -foot for retail, $6.73 per
square -foot for motels, $3.56 per
square -foot for offices, $2.02 per
square -foot for institutions such
as medical clinics, and $2.65 per
square -foot for warehouse and
severalpieces of equipment, new
paved roads and an expansion of
the department shop.
The city's stormwater drain-
age plan would make about $2
million in improvements that
include infrastructure, such as
pipe, manholes, filters and drain-
age basins.
The Parks and Recreation
Department's plan shows $7.6
million in improvements that
include the development of Riv-
erfront Park alongthe North Fork
of the Payette River on Mission
Street.
The parks department could
collect as much as $5,228 per home
or condo from the fees.
Streets and stormwaterdrain-
age would potentially receive
$2,265 per home or condo.
The council can set the fees
lower than the plan, but cannot
exceed the development fee level
set out in the plan.
industrial areas.
The only person to testify at
Tuesday's public hearing was
Rory Veal, vicepresidentof retail
sales and marketing at Whitetail
Club and Resort.
" I witnessed first -hand the
imposition of a lot of impact
fees and they are a double -
edged sword," Veal said of his
experience as a developer in the
Seattle area. "There are various
impacts on the affordability of
homes."
McCall says legal authority for development fees assured
Realtors do not oppose
fees, but worry about
how high they will go
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
The city of McCall is certain
they are on steadier legal grounds
to impose development fees than
they were on affordable housing
laws.
State laws clearly allows
development fees to be assessed
for water, sewer, roads, bridges,
storm water, parks, police, fire
and emergency medical ser-
vices, City Manager Lindley
Kirkpatrick said.
"The legislature finds that an
equitable program for planning
and financing public facilities
needed to serve new growth and
development is necessary in or-
der to promote and accommodate
orderly growth and develop-
ment," the statute says.
"It truly is every dollar you raise in a fee is one
dollar away from affordable housing. "
- Ray Moore
The statute goes on to say
that those who benefit from new
growth are required to pay no
more than a proportionate share
of public facilities.
The McCall Planningand Zon-
ing Commission Tuesday night
recommended the McCall City
Council impose development
fees of up to $8,016 per home or
condo to pay for expansion of
city services.
The proposal for new fees
comes just weeks after the city's
affordable housing laws were
struck down by a lawsuit from
the Mountain Central Board of
Realtors.
A judge found there was no
authority in state law to impose
thehousinglaws, whichrequired
allocation of low -cost housing
within projects and surcharges
on building permits.
Realtors board President Ray
Moore said he is not against the
creation of development fees,
although he cautioned the fees
would raise the price of homes.
"It truly is every dollar you
raise in a fee is one dollar away
from affordable housing," Moore
said. "As it (development fees)
pertains to affordable housing,
I think we need to be extremely
careful."
Moore said theRealtors are not
against the creation of develop-
ment fees, but "the devil is in the
details."
"If used properly they are a
good tool," Moore said. "When do
the fees and the taxes stop ?"
Development fees are paid
when a builder buys a building
permit from the city.
The cost of fees, just as the
cost of building the home are
all transferred into the cost of
the home.
Moore also cautioned that
the city should step back from
exactions from developers if de-
velopment fees are created.
"I would actually like to see a
parks impact fee, but in exchange
for that they need to lighten up on
the open space requirement in
subdivisions," Moore said.
"The open space requirements
are fairly high," he said. "It
doesn't end at what the zoning
code says."
"They (developers) go before
the P &Z and do everything that
is in the code, but then they (P &Z)
say 'we would like to see some
playground equipment, we would
like to see a park, and it just never
stops," " Moore said.
G' BY LUCIA V KNUDSON
The Star -News
C A new grass -roots social
� program aimed at providing
assistance To the transient poor
passing through the local area
was unveiled last week at the
Heartland I{unger Forum at The
Hunt Lodge.
Larry Terherst, pastor of
Mountain L fe Church of McCall,
presented a sketch of a program
called Assi; tance For Those In
Need.
The prog ram would establish
an account :o receive monetary
donations and a site at which
to disburse vouchers. Terherst
said.
VLF
� /i, /o'F
Vouil,6--her program tor needy proposed
Funding from churches,
McCall Memorial Hospital, busi-
nesses, individuals and groups,
and governmental entities would
be funneled into a special ac-
count overseen by a community
board.
The McCall Fire and EMS
station was named as a possible
site, and Terherst said that fire
officials are willing to cooper-
ate with space and manpower.
Details still have to be worked
out, he said.
Transient poor would go the
fire station to pick up a voucher
for whatever form of assistance
was needed, including lodging,
gas, food or even a bus ticket
if they are without transporta-
tion.
The provider would return
the voucher and immediately be
reimbursed.
A person would be limited to
the number of times services
could be used.
Terherst said the program
would eliminate duplication
among area churches, where
People passingthrough often stop
if their car breaks down or they
run out of money.
DELANEY APPOINTED
TO McCALL COUNCIL
Vacancy for Briem's seat
to be filled April 24
BY TOM GROTE
The Star News
Claudia Delaney was appointed to the McCall
City Council last week on a split vote of the three
remaining council members.
Delaney, a former Micron Technology employee,
will replace Mike Kraemer, who resigned last month
because he said he could not afford the cost of housing
in McCall. Kraemer moved to New Meadows.
The council is expected to fill its other vacancy,
the seat formerly held by Kevin Briem, at its regular
meeting on April 24.
Briem resigned last week after felony theft and forg-
ery charges were filed against him for actions taken
while at his previous job as a food distributor.
See DELANEY, Page A -10
♦ New council member may have conflict
—Page A -10
Delaney
(Continued from Page A-] 0)
Three of the six applicants
for Kraemer's seat attended last
Thursday's meeting. They were
Pat Riceci, Ballard Smith and Mi-
chael Ray Robinson. Delaney, Jim
Hinson and last- minute applicant
Marcia Witte did not attend. Witte
is an internal medicine staff
physician for McCall Memorial
Hospital's Long Valley Clinic.
The three attending candi-
dates spoke briefly before Mayor
Bert Kulesza and council mem-
bers Laura Scott and Don Bailey,
but the current council members
did not ask questions.
Kulesza then used his powers
as mayor to appoint Delaney to
the seat and waited for Scott or
Bailey to make a motion to con-
firm the appointment.
When neither did so, Kulesza
made the motion himself. He and
Bailey voted in favor of Delaney's
appointment, after whichKulesza
declared the motion passed with-
out asking for any "no" votes.
Scott said after the meeting
that she would have voted against
Delaney's appointment, but not
because she did not think Delaney
was not a good candidate.
"I don't want to decide on
resumes," Scott told Kulesza
a
and Bailey. Instead, she suggest
sending written questions to
the applicants on topics such as
litigation, growth, taxation and
quality of life.
Bailey agreed that more infor-
mation was needed. "I don't know
any of these folks," he said, but
wondered if the three could agree
on written questions.
Kulesza said he believed
Delaney would fit in well with
the personalities on the council,
calling her "involved, engaged,
thoughtful and collaborative."
The mayor said that he did
not think it should be a require-
ment of the successful applicant
to be like- minded with the other
council members.
"I want a diverse council; a
diversity of ideas," Kulesza said.
"`We could pull one out of the hat,
and it would be great."
Delaney will face election to a
full four -year term in November
2009. Whoever is appointed to
Briem's seat would also stand for
election in November 2009, but
only for a two -year term, which
would complete Briem's term
of office.
Kulesza said the five unsuc-
cessful applicants would be
assumed to be in the running
for Briem's seat, and that new
applications would be accepted at
McCall City Hall by April 24.
5441 / lw�
4/iV4
ylvrl6g
McCall fires
deputy city
manager
Quiel says firing the results
of misunderstanding;
Kirkpatrick stays mum
BY MICHAEL WELLS
and TOM GROTE
The Star -News
McCall Deputy City Manager Fred Quiel
was fired Friday by City Manager Lindley
Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick would not reveal why Quiel
was fired, saying it was a personnel matter
and not subject to disclosure.
Quiel claimed in a letter
sent to McCall City Council
members on Monday that
F
he was fired because of a
misunderstanding over
why personal files, includ-
ingphotos of nude women
got onto his city -owned
computer.
Inhisletter, obtained by
The Star -News, Quiel also
said he was unjustly tar -
getedby another employee Fred Quiel
for creating a hostile work
environment.
Quiel, who was hired by the city in Febru-
ary 2007, is also an attorney who supervised
the city's finance, clerk, human resources and
information technology departments.
Quiel was in charge of developingthe city's
annual budget. The city's budget process be-
gins in the spring and continues through the
summer when the council adopts anew budget
in August. He was paid $77,000 per year.
See QUIEL, Page A -10
Quiel
(Continued from Page A -1)
Quiel was to be appointed by
the council as the city clerk, a job
he performed for the city after
Joanne York leftthe clerk position
last year. His appointment to the
clerk's position was pulled from
the city council agenda before the
meeting on April 10.
In his letter to council mem-
bers, Quielsaidthathetransferred
some of his client files from his
former law practice in California
to his city -owned laptop computer
when his personal computer
failed about five months ago. He
continued to use his city com-
puter after -hours forpersonal use
for about three months until his
personal computer was repaired,
he said.
The photos of nude women
were from past cases in which
employees were accused of send-
ing or downloading images and
off -color jokes, the letter said.
Earlier this month, the city -
owned computerbecame infected
with a virus, and Quiel took it to
the city's information systems
department to have it repaired.
It was during that repair that
the personal files and photos
were discovered and reported to
Kirkpatrick, the letter said.
"If I had intended to do some-
thing to violate city rules, do you
think I would call in our in -house
network administration to deal
with it ?" Quiel's letter said.
Quiel Says He Did Not
Intend to Violate Policy
Quiel said he made a mistake
putting his personal files on his
city computer, but he did not use
the city's computer network for
personal business and did not in-
tentionally violate city policy.
He said Kirkpatrick also cited
a claim by a city employee that
Quiel had created a hostile work
environment.
The letter did not say if Kirk-
patrick named the employee, but
he countered by naming a specific
employee and saying that employ-
ee had been insubordinate and
failed to follow his instructions.
Kirkpatrick did not ask for an
explanation of any of the allega-
tions from Quiel when he fired
him on Friday, the letter to the
council said.
Quiel said he did not plan to
sue the city, but did request to
meet with the council in closed
session.
"I have worked very hard for
this city and have cometo love the
council, and the travails this city
has gone through," he wrote. "I am
hopeful the council will consider
the fact the city manager refused
to hear, and ... restore some mea-
sure of sanity and justice to what
occurred last Friday."
Kirkpatrick was sent a summa-
ry of the letter by The Star -News
but again declined to comment,
saying it was a personnel matter.
Kirkpatrick will reassign
Quiel's duties to othermembers of
the city staff in the interim.
"I need to evaluate the job
description and responsibilities
before I fill it," Kirkpatrick said.
The process could take a few
weeks, he said.
PAGE A -10 - THE STAR -NEWS - THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008
New council member may
have conflict of interest
Delaney is married
to McCall Police
Lt. Pete Rittenger
BY TOM GROTE
The Stu -News
The newest member of the
McCall City Council said she will
rely on the advice of the city's
attorney whether to take part in
matters about the McCall Police
Department, where her husband
works.
Claudia
Delaney was
appointed to
the council last
week to fill the
seat vacated by
Mike Kreamer,
who moved to
New Meadows.
Delaney is
married to Mc-
Call Police Lt.
Pete Rittenger.
Under the Claudia Claudi
state Ethics in Delaney
!Government
Act, any decision by Delaney
directly benefitting Rittenger
would be considered a conflict
of interest.
The ethics law requires Del-
aney to disclose the conflict when
such an issue arises, but does not
disqualify her from debating and
voting on any matter related to
Rittonger
"On any issue where I have
a possible conflict of interest, I
will consult with city staff and
attorney to ensure I recuse my-
self when appropriate," Delaney
said.
Delaney was born in Denver
and raised in Phoenix. She has
a bachelor's degree in electri-
cal engineering from Northern
Arizona University in Flagstaff
in 1988.
She j oined Micron Technology
in Boise soon after graduating
from NAU and worked until 1994
as an applications engineer,
parametric engineer and product
engineer.
She moved to Hewlett Packard
in Boise for a year as a hardware
support engineer before joining
Micron Electronics in 1995 as di-
rector of service and support.
Atherposition, which sheheld
until •1999, she was responsible
for all operations of technical
support and customer service.
She managed a $45 million bud-
get and more than 500 people at
two sites.
Delaneythenmovedto Crucial
Technology, a division of Micron
Technology, where she was inter.
national operations manager of
business process improvement.
In that job, which she held
until 2003, she was responsible
for international expansion,
business process improvements
customer service and returned
materials.
She moved to McCall in 2003
and went to work at Manchester
Ice and Event Centre. She later
managed the rink for nine months
until leaving in 2005.
Since then, she has been a con-
tractor for Crucial Technology.
Delaney said she and Rit-
tenger, who had his own business
in Boise, decided they were ready
for a change.
"We decided we wanted to
move to a small town and couldn't
have made a better choice than
McCall," she said.
Delaney was appointed to the
McCall Area Planning and Zon-
ing Commission in May 2007, and
must step down in order to serve
on the city council.
"One of my motivations for
joining the P &Z and, now, city
council, is to ensure McCall will
continue to be a great place to live,
work, and recreate, she said.
"While participating in the
comprehensive planningprocess,
I was impressed with the amount
of community input and long-
term thinking demonstrated by
the community and our leaders,"
Delaney said.
"I want be a part of the team
that carries out and implements
the ideas and goals of the compre-
hensive plan," she said.
As a council member, Delaney
will earn $200 per month and
receive the same benefit package
as city employees.
Those benefits include fully
paid health, dental and vision
insurance for herself, a psycho-
logical counseling program, and
enrollment in the state retire-
ment system.
Council members also receive
a Life Flight membership and a
limited pass to the McCall Golf
Course.
WITTE NAMED TO
McCALL COUNCIL
Physician wants to find balance
between growth and area's beauty
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Marcia Witte was appointed to the McCall
City Council last week to bring the council back
to full strength.
Witte, 39, is a staff physician
in internal medicine at McCall
Memorial Hospital's Long Val-
ley Clinic on Deinhard Lane in
McCall.
She replaces Kevin Briem
who resigned inApril afterpub-
lic outcry over felony charges
of theft and forgery from his
work as a food distributor in
McCall.
Mayor Bert Kulesza nomi-
nated Witte for the post (luring Marcia Witte
the council's regular meeting.
The vote to confirm was 3 -0 with council
member Laura Scott abstaining.
Witte will face election to a full term in No-
vember 2009 if she seeks to stay on the board.
"My interest in serving on the city council
arises solely from my desire to contribute to the
community," Witte said. "I hope I can help make
the vision statement of t he comprehensive plan
a reality in McCall."
"I care aboutthefuture of McCall," Witte said.
"I'm excited about being a part of that future."
Witte said being analytical and thorough and
working well with otherl teople are the assets she
brings to the council.
Merger of Growth and Beauty
Her goals are to help create a healthy com-
munity, which includes sustainable economic
and population growth, merged with a concern
for McCall's natural beauty and environment,
she said.
See WITTE, Page A-10
Witte
(Continued from Page A -1)
Witte was up front with the
council that her job as aphysician
might require her to miss or leave
meetings when she is on call at
the hospital. However, she also
believed her background could
be an asset for the council.
"Medicine requires physi-
cians to make many decisions
that are sometimes difficult and
can have serious consequences,"
she said. "I look forward to the
civic decision - making process
and opportunity to work with
you for all our citizens."
Witte was chosen over candi-
dates Ballard Smith, MichaelRay
Robinson and Pat Riceci.
Scott asked Kulesza if he
would consider Smith, a former
member of the McDonald's food
chain board of directors and a
member of the McCall- Donnelly
Education Foundation. Kulesza
declined the request.
Scott abstained from the con -
firmationvote, stating she didnot
want to vote against Witte.
Witte is a native of Silver
Springs, Md., who has lived in
McCall for about three years.
She received her medical
training at the University of
Washington in Seattle. She
earnedaDoctorof Medicinefrom
Seattle University and graduated
Princeton University in New
Jersey with a Bachelor of Arts
in history.
She is married to Lyle Nelson,
director of development at the
hospital and a four -time U.S. Win-
ter Olympian in biathlon.
Witte's appointment brings
the council back to its full -five
member strength.
s�
Claudia Delaney was appoint-
ed to the council on a split vote
on April 10 to replace Michael
Kraemer.
Kraemer resigned to move to
New Meadows because he could
not find affordable housing in
McCall.
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T h e S t a r - N e w s
F o r m e r M c C a l l C i t y C o u n c i l M e m b e r K e v i n
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a g a i n s t h i m .
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( C o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e A - 1 )
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d i s t r i b u t o r f o r S y s c o F o o d S e r -
v i c e s a f t e r h i s s u p e r i o r s l e a r n e d
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t o r s t h i s w i n t e r t h a t h e s
a b o u t $ 1 9 , 0 0 0 f r o m M y F a t h e r
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f i v e y e a r s f o r m e r c h a n d i s e t h a t
t h e r e s t a u r a n t d i d n o t o r d e r a n d
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t o S y s c o F o o d S e r v i c e s , w h i c h
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P l a c e , f o u n d 1 9 0 q u e s t i o n a b l e
i n v o i c e s o v e r t h e p r e v i o u s f i v e
y e a r s .
Pat Riceci named to McCall P &Z
J. Patrick Riceci was appoint-
ed to the McCall Area Planning
& Zoning Commission by the
McCall City Council last week.
Riceci, 63, replaces Claudia
Delaney on the P &Z. Delaney
was appointed the city council
in April to fill Michael Kraemer's
seat. Riceci's term will end in
May 2010.
"I have lots of experience in
the areas of municipal govern-
ment," Riceci said. "I do some
land -use in Boise now"
Riceci, an attorney, has more
than 30 years of experience in
municipal and county govern-
ment.
He currently works as the as-
sistant city attorney for the city
of Boise.
Riceci worked as the Boise
County Prosecutor in the 1980s.
He was also the former city
attorney for the cities of Eagle
and Idaho City.
Riceci has also served on the
Nampa Planning & Zoning Com-
mission in the early 1990s.
He has been a McCall property
owner since 1986 and is a resident
of McCall.
Riceci recently attempted
to be appointed to the city
council to fill either Kraemer
or former city council member
Kevin Briem's seat. Mayor Bert
Kulesza chose Delaney and Mar-
cia Witte to fill the two vacancies
last month.
Riceci seeks to find a balance
by "fostering and sustaining
responsible growth while at the
same time providing a family
friendly and affordable environ-
ment for McCall's citizens."
Kirkpatrick gets praise,
raise as McCall manager
The McCall City Council last
week gave McCall City Manager
Lindley Kirkpatrick a positive
employment review and approved
a 5 percent raise retroactive to
February.
The raise brings Kirkpatrick's
annual salary to about $94,000.
Kirkpatrick has served as
city manager since July 2004. In
August, he will surpass Robert
Strope as the longest serving
city manager since 1993, when
city voters approved the current
system of government.
Under the council - manager
system, the mayor only holds
ceremonial powers. The mayor is
not elected directly by the people,
but is selected from among the
five - member city council by the
council members themselves.
The city manager has broad
decision - making authority, in-
cluding the ability to hire and
fire employees without council
consent, including department
heads.
S /yi�o t
PAGE A -3- THE STAR -NEWS - THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2008
McCall eyes- environmental panel
The McCall City Council
wants to work with Sustainable
Outlook for Long Valley to create
an environmental advisory com-
mittee to advise city council.
The council will work with Liz
Warnerfrom the group to come up
with names for the committee.
During a recent council
meeting, Mayor Bert Kulesza
said he wanted a member of
the committee to be a student
from McCall - Donnelly High
School.
The Sustainable Outlook
for Long Valley Environmental
Advisory Committee Task Force
members are Deb Fereday, Claire
Remsberg, Cynthia Adams, Nick
Brown, Joey and Jackie Terra, Liz
Warner and Lynn Westerfield.
They are a group of local
citizens "who are concerned
about the threat of globalclimate
change, rising energy prices and
local environmental concerns,"
according to the group's pro-
posal.
The committee would assist
the city in achieving the objec-
tives in the city's comprehensive
land -use plan that promote a
future of "environmental and
economic sustainability."
The committee would work
with the city's departments to
create a uniform policy for envi-
ronmental stewardship.
PAGE A -3- THE STAR -NEW
McCall council must lu $2.9- million gap in 2008-1
p g
for $2.64 million in expenses. It • Capital Projects: The capi-
was the only department in this tal projects fund expects about
preliminary process to show $819,000 in revenues next year.
fewer expenses than revenues. The preliminary budget outlines
• Water Fund: The water $881,000 in expenses from that
fund expects revenues in 2009 to fund for a deficit of $62,000.
be about $2.19 million. Expenses • Airport Fund: The city's
in the water fund are now at $2.7 airport fund expects about
million for next year. $632,000 in revenues next year.
The council will have to Airport Manager John Ander-
trim $540,000 from the water son has requested $889,000 in
fund budget or identify more next year's budget for a deficit
revenue. of $256,000.
T ,t MTI-TT t -VT NXTELLS
D 1 1t1i1i11AL' L
The Star -News
The McCall City Council will
have to trim about $2.9 million
from an early 2009 budget draft
that was presented to the council
this week.
Each year the city council is
given an out -of- balance budget
that includes what city depart-
ment managers identify as needs
for the budget year starting
Oct. 1.
In this process, the city staff
estimates revenuesfromproperty
taxes, city fees and other income.
The cityexpects to receive about
$15.4 million in revenues. City
staffers have identified about
$18.3 million in budget requests
for the coming year.
The amount of expenses for
next year equaled this year's bud-
get. The $15.4 million in revenues
identified in this year's prelimi-
nary budget are about $300,000
less than what the city expected
its budget to be at this time last
year. After the preliminary draft
last year, the city budget grew by
$2.6 million.
This year's budget shows a
$580,000 deficit through May.
The preliminary budget in-
cludes last year's tax increase
to pay off about $660,000 of the
J -Ditch debt and an additional
3- percent tax increase.
The draft does not include
revenue from new growth, since
the amount will not be known
until after the Valley County
Board of Equalization rules on
property tax appeals in the next
few weeks, CityManager Lindley
Kirkpatrick said.
The city budget is broken
into various funds for the 2008 -09
budget year:
• General Fund: The gen-
eral fund, which funds police,
parks, community development,
finance, city clerk, network ad-
ministration, city manager and
the city council, is expected to
generate $4.9 million next year.
Those departments have asked
the council to consider $5.96 mil-
lion in expenses.
• Public Works and Streets:
The public works and streets
fund shows the largest deficit for
2009. The budget has identified
about $1.32 million in revenue,
_ but Deputy City Manager Walter
Eisenstein and Streets Superin-
tendent Rick Schiermeier have
requested $2.5 million in 2009.
The council will have to cut
$1.18 million or find new revenue
to fund many of the projects
identified in the preliminary
budget.
• Sewer Fund: The sewer
fund expects revenues in 2009 to
be about $2.86 million. The sewer
budget for next year only asked
S - THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2008
)9 budget
• Golf Course: Golf Superin-
tendent Eric McCormick expects
about $1.02 million in revenues
next year. He has requested $4,300
more than revenues in next year's
budget.
• Library: The library fund
expects about $399,000 as asked
rev-
enues next year,
for $430,000.
• Recreation: The recreation
fund expects $223,000 in revenues
next year, but has requested
$232,000 in expenses.
McCall council ponders snow meltpr,
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Here are notes and asides
discussed during this week's
preliminary budget review by
the McCall City Council for the
budget year starting Oct. 1:
Snow - Melting Machine
Council members made a
few suggestions to city depart-
ment' managers to tweak their
proposed budgets for 2009 before
the council sets a budget total in
the next month.
Council Member Don Bailey
suggested the city's public works
and streets department should
consider purchasing a snow -
melting machine rather than
continuing to pile snow in the
city's parking lots in the winter.
Bailey made the suggestion
after hearing the snow - melting
machine was not a part of next
year's budget.
Deputy City Manager Walter
Eisenstein said his department
ran the numbers and prioritized
its requests. The snow - melting
machine, which burns 35 gallons
of fuel in an hour, was deemed
more expensive than the city's
plan to truck snow out of the
city.
Bailey wants to keep the park-
ing lots open in the winter so that
visitors will have more access to
downtown parking. He suggested
the city buy the machine, which
costs about $200,000. He said the
city could charge private busi-
nesses who wanted to use the
machine to melt snow off their
parking lots.
Council Salaries
CouncilMemberMarcia Witte
disagreed with Scott and Bailey
that the city council members
needed a raise.
McCall council members are
each paid $2,400 per year in sal-
ary and receive the same benefit
package as city employees. Mayor
Bert Kulesza makes $4,200 per
month.
Scott pointed out that last
year.03 she had to pay the city $20
in November in order to keep her
benefits, since hermonthly salary
did not pay for her portion of the
benefits.
The city of 'Ketchum pays its
council members $20,000 per year
and its mayor $36,000 per year.
Ketchum does not have a city
manager form of government as
McCall does.
Twin Falls and Lewiston,
which are city manager run
governments, paid their coun-
cil members $13,920 and $6,240
respectively. They also paid
their mayors $16,920 and $9,240
respectively.
Bailey po inted out that neither
city likely had the workload of
McCall. City Manager Lindley
Kirkpatrick said that neither city,
although substantially larger
than McCall, had as many city
departments as McCall.
Contract Law Firm
Council Member Laura Scott
wants the city to investigate
its legal fees in relation to the
city's losing track record in
pay raise
court. However, she was not yet
ready to end the city's contract
with the Nampa law firm White
Peterson.
"I'm not super pleased with
the city's legal track record over
the past three years," Scott said.
"I'm not ready to pull the trigger
yet, but it's nagging."
She prefers the city stay out
of legal battles. The city has
lost several lawsuits in recent
years. The city lost in court
in April to Scott's husband,
Dan Scott, who owns McCall
Aviation. Scott wants to build
a 50 -foot tall airplane hangar
on land he leases from the city
at the airport.
Fourth D istrict Judge Thomas
Neville struck down the city's
effort to make a contract with
itself to restrict development at
the airport. City Attorney Bill
Nichols, who works for White
Peterson, hatched the idea of the
city contracting with the airport,
which the city owns.
S'/,t
Carey, Mile High
want to build marina
along same shoreline
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Stu -News
Two competing' marina
proposals-on Payette Lake
between Legacy and Brown
parks have placed the city of
McCall in a bind.
The McCall City Council
met Friday with city staffers
andrepresentatives from Mile
High Marina and David and
John Carey of Hotel McCall
about two proposed marinas
planned for the same area of
water on Payette Lake north
of the current Mile High
Marina.
The city is both the regula-
tor and landowner that will
have to decide between the
competing marinas in the
upcoming weeks.
The city council will begin
making its decision as to how
to proceed at the next regular
city council meeting Aug. 14.
At next week's meeting,
the city will begin to decide if
either developer has the right
to apply to the city. In that
meeting, the city council will
act as landowner, as the city
owns a strip of land that both
developments would need to
lease in order to proceed.
The city council willhave to
decide if either the Mile High
Marina lease renewal last De-
cember or the 1995 agreement
with Carey gives the developer
the right to apply to the city to
build their development.
The city could decide to
use its land to develop its own
marina or a publicly owned
marina at the location, City
Manager Lindley Kirkpatrick
said. The land could also be
developed by the city as a new
beach, Kirkpatrick said.
Mile High Marina is propos-
ing a 400 -boat slip expansion
of its marina operation. That
proposal is scheduled to be
heard Sept. 2 before the McCall
Area Planning & Zoning Com-
mission meeting.
. David Carey of Hotel
McCall also proposed a 195 -
boat slip marina in between
Mile High Marina and Brown
Park at last month's P &Z
meeting.
Both developers claim they
have the right from the city to
build the new marinas.
"The Mile High Marina
2007 lease extension essen-
tially grants permission to
Mile High Marina to make
a conditional use permit
application for a marina ex-
pansion," a memo distributed
at the meeting said.
The Careys also claim that
they have the right to build a
marina that leases land owned
by the city in the same location
through a 1995 agreement with
the city.
"The 1995 Memorandum
of Understanding with MGSI
(McCall Gas Station, Inc.),
if still valid and binding, re-
quires that the city negotiate
in goodfaith alease for marina
development purposes," the
memo said. "There is some
question as to the current va-
lidity of the Memorandum of
Understanding with MGSI."
The agreementbetweenthe
city and Hotel McCall had sev-
eral items that were satisfied,
but three items have yet to be
satisfied, which may make the
agreement invalid.
The city purchased the
bike trail /snow storage parcel
behind McCall City Hall from
MGSI in 2000 for less than the
$200,000 agreed to in the 1995
agreement.
The Hotel McCall site has
also not been developed with
22,000 square feet of retail
space as specified in the 1995
agreement.
S4 n"
McCall P &Z, public raise questions over Grand Payette Lodge
BY MICHAEL WELLS comments on the project. concerns and was concerned
I ne 6W -news Steve Millom ann Nilnt°c about underground parkine
Bob Hunt will have to wait attorney, said Hunt could at the lake due to the water
until Aug. 19 to hear what not force agencies to com- table
the McCall Area Planning & ment on the project, but that "Pollution is an opportu-
Zoning Commission thinks of various agencies and the city's nity to collaborate with Mr.
engineer, CH2M Hill, all had Hunt," Commission Member
Shane Jeffries said. "It's a
city issue."
whether the project requires
Hunt
t� set aside two acres
for a city park for the project,
which would be located on 1.2
acres of land.
Hunt owns a vacant lot to
his Grand Payette Hotel plans
for property in downtown
McCall.
The McCall Area Planning
& Zoning Commission will
continue deliberating the
project at a special meeting
on Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. at McCall
City Hall.
The extension was re-
quired due to the complexity
of the proposal.
The commission also voted
to extend the public hearing
on the project until the Aug.
19 meeting.
Huntplans to build a 23 -con-
dominium hotel that would
have 42 hotel rooms on the
shores of Payette Lake. His
plans include retail space and
a restaurant and bar on two
adjacent lots near the intersec-
tion-of East Lake Street and
First Street.
More work needs to be done
between Hunt and city staff to
satisfy the parking require-
ments the development needs
to meet city code.
There is also some question
the west of The Yacht Club
Building, and he has an op-
tion to buy The Yacht Club
building.
The project would encom-
pass both lots and feature an
underground parking garage
that is accessible by a vehicle
lift.
The hotel would be 35 feet
tall, which is a change from
his initial plans two years ago
to build a 50 -foot tall hotel at
the site. `
During Tuesday's public
hearing Payette Lake Water-
shed Advisory Group Chair
Bill Weida raised several criti-
cisms about water quality in
the lake that might be damaged
by the hotel project.
Weida wanted a full engi-
neering report on stormwater
runoff at the site and a report
onrunoff during construction
of the site.
He was also worried about
stormwater drainage into
underground pipes that would
send contaminated water into
Payette Lake.
"Those underground devic-
es are hot pollution control,"
Weida said. "They are ero-
sion control. Mostly I am
concerned about pathogens,
pollutants, petro chemicals
entering the lake near the
water intake for the city and
the fish hatchery."
Weida suggested the only
proper way to filter stormwa-
ter from the site was through
the creation of swales and run-
ning the water over natural
vegetation, which would not be
possible due to the coverage of
the site with the hotel.
The hotel would include
a grass roof that would filter
stormwater. Weida appreci-
ated the grass roof, but did not
think it would be enough.
Diane Evans Mack remind-
ed the commission that the
lake was the "crown jewel" in
the city's comprehensive land -
use plan. She had hoped that
Hunt would build the "crown
jewel" park at the site. She also
said that the parking planned
for the site was less than half
that was required.
Commission Member Kim
Apperson wanted fewer ame-
nities in the 50 -foot setback
from the lake.
Apperson did not see room
for Hunt's offer to allow the
propertytobcthc �•csterncnd
of a planned boardwalk.
She was also worried about
parking; the parks require-
ment, the Carl Brown House,
a historic building west of the
property, and she wanted to
see the Idaho Transportation
Department and other agency
plans.
Commission Member Pat-
rick Riceci echoed Apperson's
McCall agrees to
help lower McCall
Avenue home prices
Payback of $175,000
loan would come when
homes are resold
BY MICHEL WELLS
The Star -News
The McCall City Council
took the first step last week to
allow prices on unsold worker
housing on McCall Avenue to be
dropped from $175,000 to about
$140,000.
The move will allow Neigh-
borhood Housing Services, the
owner of the homes, a better
chance at selling the seven
remaining homes before its
construction loan is placed in
foreclosure.
The council directed city
attorney Bill Nichols to amend
the lease agreement between
the city and NHS to require
that a repayment of the city's
$175,000 in start -up money not
be repaid by NHS.
Instead, owners of thehomes
will be required to pay part of
their proceeds to the city when
they resell their homes, under
the proposal.
The homeowners would be
required to pay $5,000 or 10
percent of equity built into the
sale price, whichever is less, to
the city as a way for the city to
recoup its initial investment.
The new lease will be before
with discounts to fees offered
by NHS and the Valley Adams
Regional Housing Authority.
NHS and VARHA also have
decided to raise the appreciation
cap in the homes for the current
and future homeowners from
4 percent per year to 8 percent
per year.
Of the nine homes that went
on the market in the spring of
2007, only two have sold at the
original price.
VARHA Executive Director
Michael David believes there is
enough interest in the homes
from homebuyers who can
qualify for financing the homes
in the $139,000 to $165,000 price
range that the discounts will sell
the homes.
NHS CEO Lynn Cundick
asked for the discount because
the construction loan NHS used
to build the homes had already
received one extension until
December, but would likely not
receive another extension should
the homes remain unsold.
If the homes were foreclosed
in December they would likely
lose their deed restrictions that
make the homes affordable,
Cundick said.
The only way the homes could
keep their deed restrictions in
the event of a foreclosure would
be if VARHA or another similar
housing authority were to pur-
S�
McCall ordered to
pay $29,000 to McCall
Aviation in legals fees,
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
McCall Aviation won another
court battle with the city of
McCall last week when a state
judge ruledthe city owedthe com-
pany about $29,000 in attorneys'
fees and other costs.
Fourth D istrict Judge Thomas
Neville previously ruled the city
could not enter into a contract
with itself when it tried to regu-
late land -use at the city-owned
airport.
The agreement was an effort
to thwart McCall Aviation's plans
to build a large airplane hangar
on land leased from the city at
the airport.
Neville cited the city's lack of
response to the company's efforts
to inform the city before filing a
lawsuit that the city's plan was
in error.
"The plaintiff (McCall Avia-
tion) made substantial efforts
priorto filingthis action attempt -
ingto convince the defendant (city
of McCall) that their adoption of
the development agreement was
erroneous," Neville said in the
ruling.
"However, the defendant did
little or nothing to respond," he
said. "This court believes such
factor favors an award of attar_ -
neys' fees."
The city paid the fees to McCall
Aviation last week.
City Manager Lindley
Kirkpatrick had no comment -
beyond acknowledging the city
paid the legal fees.
McCall Aviation President
Dan Scott was happy with the
decision, but his appeal of the
city council's decisionto denyhis son"
hangar's design review appiica -va,
tion is still pending in court. 1.
Scott had sued the city over
its development agreement than
the councilpassed last summe -s• In
and appealedthe council's deniiance
of his hangar application to the
district court :
th
"We still feel strong about a r the
case," Scott said. cCall's
In the case still pending,;
final briefs have not been f rought
with the court. A time friows in
for a decision in the case ird when
known. d saw
Scott plans to build a 5 n saw
tall hangar to accommO
larger planes already land;
the McCall Municipal Alf
His plans include a new3
building attached to tq
hangar on land he lease
the city.
x/31'6 �
P &Z to hear Grand Payette Lodge Tuesday
Proposal would build
23 condos, retail,
restaurant downtown
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Stu-News
Hotel developer Bob Hunt
is proposing to build a 23 -unit
condominium hotel on property
in downtown McCall.
A public hearing on Hunt's
Grand Payette Hotel will held
during the McCall Area Planning
& Zoning meeting Tuesday at
Legion Hall. The meeting begins
at 6 p.m.
City zoning codes require
the proposal to project water
quality in Payette Lake, have
an attractive design and en-
sure public access to and along
the lake, McCall Planning
Manager Michelle Groenevelt
said.
The project also must have an
attractive streetscape, be safe for
pedestrians and have adequate
parking, Groenevelt said.
The hotel would be located on
the lot now occupied by the Yacht
Club building and an adjacent
vacant lot to the west.
The two lots total about 1.2
acres. Hunt owns the vacant land
and holds an option to buy the
Yacht Club building.
The new building would have
about 8,500 square feet of retail
space that would include a bar,
restaurant and other retail busi-
Sketch courtey Epikos Land Manning a Arcnicec[ure
Sketch shows how proposed Grand Payette Lodge would look from view from Payette Lake. At top is a
massing sketch of Manchester Ice and Event Centre.
nesses.
Guests of the hotel would
have access to a pool and fitness
center.
Parking, stormwaterdrainage
and the maintenance and opera-
tion of a vehicle elevator were
the concerns raised by residents
at a neighborhood meeting held
in May.
Parking on the site would be
in a lower level parking garage
using a vehicle elevator.
Hunt announced plans for a
50 -foot Grand Payette Hotel on
the property in 2006, which led
to a failed recall of three city
council members in the winter
of 2007.
The plans also galvanized
opposition to the city's building
height waiver along the lake
front that was later reduced to
the former 35 -foot height limit by
the council due to the opposition
to the project.
The new project is within the
city's 35- foot height limit along
the lake front.
Hunt owns the Hunt Lodge,
Super 8 Motel and the Western
Mountain Lodge in McCall. He
also owns hotels in California
and Alaska.
Hunt also has plans to build
a convention center at the Hunt
Lodge on Third Street and a hotel
on property south of the Hunt
Lodge.
103 I
Briem given
Qv uCtya 11�Q11
for food scam
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Former McCall City Council
MemberKevin Briem was sentenced
to 90 days in jail and five years pro-
bation Monday after pleading guilty
to stealing about $21,000 from My
Father's Place in McCall.
Briem could
serve less time in
the Valley County
Jail if he writes
an acceptable
of apology �r
to Tabitha and
Cossette Martin- r e'
eau who own My
Father's Place,
Fourth District s
Judge Thomas
Neville said. Kevin Briem
The letter
would have to be approved by Valley
County Prosecutor Matt Williams,
who noted that Briem had not
apologizedfor his criminal behavior,
which began in 1997.
Briem also received a five -year
prison sentence that was suspended.
He would serve at least one year in
prison if he violates his probation,
Williams said.
See BRIEM, Page A -6
Briem
(Continued from Page A -1)
Briem had repaid about
$19,000 of the money he stole
before he was sentenced. He
still owes about $1,800.
"I was disappointed," Wil-
liams said. "I think if you steal
$20,000 you should get more
jail time."
Williams asked Neville to
give Briem at least 180 days
in jail with no work release
for the first 90 days.
During the sentencing
hearing Briem turned to
apologize to the Martineaus,
who were seated in the court-
room.
Both Martineaus broke
into tears at the hearing an
told Neville they believe
Briem to be a trusted friend.
Tabitha Martineau said
that during an illness she
confided in Briem that she
was having financial difficul-
ties and might have to take a
medical bankruptcy.
She made the statement
while she was handing over
a check for an invoice that
turned out to be fraudulent.
Misuse of
Funds Admitted
Briem was fired in late
January from Sysco Food Ser-
vices after signing a statement
that said he took advantage of
a customer, misused company
assets, accepted payments
from third parties, and failed
to pay Sysco or the invoiced
customer in a timely fashion,
and that he was dishonest by
concealing the practices from
his employer.
He was charging My Fa-
ther's Place for various food
items that the business never
received, prosecutors said.
He then, in turn, donated
the items to several organiza-
tions in McCall. The names
of those organizations and
the amounts and types of
items donated has not been
compiled.
` He was a great con and he
conned everybody," Williams
said. "My Father's Place paid
for it and he was getting credit
for giving it away. It's easy to be
d generous when you are giving
d away other people's stuff.,,
He was charged with grand
theft, forgery and burglary
only three months after taking
a seat on the McCall City Coun.
cil in January. He resigned
from the council shortly after
his arrest due to a public out-
cry for his resignation..
Briem admitted to investi.
gators with the Valley County
Sheriff's Office that he had
stolen from My Father's Place
but that his memory was im-
paired by a hobo spider bite
he had received several years
earlier.
Investigators could find no
evidence that any other busi-
nesses fell victim to Briem's
scam, Williams said.
Briem continues to live in
McCall and works as a food
server in a restaurant.
He financed the payback
of the amount stolen by us-
ing his final paychecks from
Sysco and by dipping into his
retirement account, Williams
said.
McCall LOT
collections to
fall $71,000
short of budget
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
A projected $71,000 shortfall in
McCall's local option tax may see
three organizations getting less
than expected from the tax.
There are still two months
worth of LOT payments to come
in, but the city is making plans in
case there is not enough money
to cover $55,000 budgeted for the
three groups.
The city had hoped to collect
$304,500 from the tax, which is
charged as an extra 3 percent
sales tax on motel rooms and com-
mercial home and condo rentals.
However, area hotels are
experiencing a bad year as
room rentals are down due to
a myriad of reasons from high
gas prices, bad economic news,
Tamarack financial woes, and a
glut of condominium, cabin and
home rentals.
Withtwomonthsof payments
to go, the city has collected just
over $201,000. The city collected
$281,000 from the tax during the
2006 -07 budget year.
MCPAWS, TVT get first Bibs
Last week, the McCall City
Council dec ided to that MCPAWS
Regional Animal Shelter would
get the first $6,000 from the tax,
followed by a $5,000 payment
to Treasure Valley Transit,
which operates the city's free
bus service.
Any money left after that
would go to Recylcing Part-
ners, which is trying to build
an expanded McCall recycling
center.
The group had been awarded
$44,000 in LOT funds from this
year's collections.
McCall hotel owner Bob Hunt
said he had sold 7,000 less rooms
during the first seven months of
this year compared to 2007.
The numbers in 2007 were
down 4,300 rooms from 2006,
said Hunt, who owns most of the
motel rooms in the city with The
Hunt Lodge, Western Mountain
Lodge and Super 8 Motel.
"I see no end to this trend in
the near future and I guarantee
that if they're not staying in my
rooms, they're not patronizing
the other merchants in our
area," Hunt said.
See LOT, Page A -8
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McCall council to try to sort out
claims for Payette Lake marina
Mile High, Carey
both offer rights to
develop boat slips
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Two competing, marina
developers will attempt to con-
vince the McCall City Council
tonight to allow one of the
developers to use city -owned
property to develop a marina
on Payette Lake.
The public meeting will
begin at 7:30 p.m. today at th e
Barbara Morgan Element
School cafeteria during th e
council's regular meeting.
Mile High Marina and th
Hotel McCall each want t o
develop a marina on the same
piece of water between Mil e
High Marina and Brown Par k
in McCall.
Both developments clai m
they have the right to develop a
marina on the spot that would
first require the city to allow
them to use city -owned land
through a lease.
Mile High Marina plans an
expansion of its current ma-
rina to the north to include an
additional 400 boat slips.
John Carey, owner of Hotel
McCall and Jug Mountain
Ranch, wants to construct a
marina with 100 to 200 boat
slips in the same spot on the
lake.
The city owns a thin strip
of land along the lakefront
Elementary
over which permission would
be needed by the selected
developer.
e The council first discussed
the competing proposals in
August. Public comment
will be accepted at tonight's
meeting.
Mile HighMarina is hoping
to proceed based on a 10 -year
lease extension granted to the
business last Decem':)er by the
city council.
Carey has a memo from
1995 that he believes grants
him the right to build a marina
at the location.
The selected development
would still have to go through
the McCall Area Planning &
Zoning Commission and city
council for approvals..
Residents who cannot make
the meeting but wish to com-
ment are asked to address
their comments to City Man-
ager Lindley Kirkpatrick at
ikirkpatrick@mccall.id.us by
5 p.m. today.
Competing developers argue
for right to build lake marina
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Stu -News
Two competing marina
developments planned for
Payette Lake between Mile
High Marina and Brown Park
in McCall may get a decision
from the McCall City Council
on Dec. 4, City Manager Lind-
ley Kirkpatrick said.
"The decision before the
council. is can either (party)
make an application or both or
neither," Kirkpatrick said.
Mile High Marina and
Hotel McCall each want to
develop a marina on the same
piece of water between Mile
High Marina and Brown Park
in McCall.
Both developments claimed
they have the right to develop a
marina on the spot that would
first require the city to allow
them to use city -owned land
through a lease.
Jim Gerblick, owner of
Mile High Marina, and Judd
DeBoer, owner of Brown's
Industries, plan a 410 -boat slip
expansion to Mile High Ma-
rina located north of Legacy
Park in McCall.
Gerblick hinges his right
to build the expansion on a
lease renewal the city council
granted last December.
JohnCareyof HotelMcCall
plans a 195 -boat slipmarinafor
the same area. Carey hinges
his right on a 1995 agreement
with the city to build a future
marina at the location south
of Brown Park.
Carey is the owner of Hotel
McCall and developer of the
Jug Mountain Ranch hous-
ing development. Brown's
Industries owns Brundage
Mountain Resort and DeBeor
is a developer of the River
Ranch housing development.
Both developers presented
their arguments for the right
to build the boat slips at last
week's council meeting.
Gerblick and DeBoer
sought exclusive rights to
expand Mile High Marina,
while Carey'9 attorney, T.J.
Angstman, suggested that
both developments should be
allowed to build.
"I wouldn't accept any
argument that this agree-
ment was stale," Angstman
said of the 1995 pact. "You
have a three -way fiasco. Why
couldn't we scale down both
projects ?"
Angstman said the memo-
randum of understanding
from 1995 gives Careythe right
to make an application to the
city for a marina.
The Carey plan calls for 195
boat slips with 20 spots avail-
able for public use.
"Without tourism, I think
our community will perish,"
Gerblick said.
Mile High Marina has a
waiting list of 200 people wait-
ing for boat slips at the marina,
Gerblick said.
In addition, the price tag to
improve the breakwa ter at the
marina would be $1.1 million,
Gerblick said. The h igh price
for breakwater improvement
was a factor in the decision to
expand the marina by more
than 400 boat slips.
Public comment on the two
proposals was mixed.
Jackie Aymon of McCall
wondered about water quality,
Eurasian milfoil and the loss
of public space if either of the
developments were allowed to
proceed.
Claire Remsberg of McCall
wanted more attention for
non - motorized slips at both
developments.
"This is like saying we have
a traffic problem in McCall so
let's put a four -lane highway
through it," said Ed Elliot of
McCall. "The future is going
to be non - motorized."
"Expansion, whoever it is
from, would be an improve-
ment to our community,"
said McCall Area Merchants
Association President Dar-
rell Cobb.
"This is a community and
not a commodity," said Colby
Neilson, who suggested the
council consider a city de-
velopment that could include
lap- swimming lanes.
McCall set to lift
sales restraints on
McCall Ave. homes
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Most restrictions on nine Mc-
Call Avenue homes intended for
working -class families were ex-
pected to be lifted at a meeting of
the McCall city council Wednesday
night. The discussion was still
continuing at press time.
The meeting schedule called for
the council to formally approve a
request by Neighborhood Housing
Services of Boise to remove the
restrictions that were intended
to keep the homes affordable for
future buyers.
The council last Thursday ten-
tatively approved removing the
restrictions in a last ditch effort to
sell the homes before a $720,000 bal-
loon payment comes in December
for NHS, the homes' owner.
New NHS CEO Connie Hogland
told the council she needed swift
action to block foreclosure pro-
ceedings.
"We literally cannot make our
payments to Idaho First Bank,"
Hogland said.
Five of the nine homes built in
2007 on city property by NHS are
for sale. The latest buyer signed an
agreement last Thursday, Valley
Adams Regional Housing Author-
ity Executive Director Michael
David said.
See HOMES, Page A -2
"The
mere
fact that
those are
restricted
homes
makes it
impossible
to sell
(them)."
Michael
David
Homes
(Continued from Page A -1)
Two the nine homes
sold over a year ago, and
families are renting two
units from NHS with
an option to purchase.
Earlier this year NHS negoti-
ated with the city to reduce
the price of the homes, which
Averaged $170,000, to atout
$142,000 to encourage sales.
The council's action last
night included:
• Removingincomerestric-
tions that limitedbuyers. For
example, households of four
people had to earn less than
$61,800 to qualify.
• Removing restrictions
on how much owners could
make on reselling the prop-
erty. Currently, the resale was
limited to an 8 percent base
increase plus an allowance
for improvements made by
the current owner.
The board of VARHA,
which markets the homes
for NHS, previously'agreed
to remove the restrictions,
David said.
"The mere fact that those
are restricted homes makes
it impossible to sell those
homes," he said.
NHS was able to sell two
more homes since July when
the resale cap was raised
from 4 percent to 8 percent.
Removing the income
restrictions on the buyer'
frees the homes to be sold to
a larger market of people.
Mayor Bert Kulesza was
adamant that the deeds con-
tinue to require the owners
to live in the home.
If that restriction were
removed; the homes would
become second homes for va-
cationers or investments for
speculators, Kulesza said.
111L.,16 q-
Photo for The Star -News Dy uary titter
PARK HERE - Five new signs directing motorists to public parking lots have been installed by
the city of McCall. The signs are an effort by the Downtown Parking Committee and city staff
to solve parking problems downtown and leave a favorable impression on visitors, Community
Development Director Michelle Groenevelt said. The signs direct motorists to public parking
lots on First Street next to Paul's Market, behind McCall City Hall, next to Toll Station Pizza
and Pasta and the new parking lot off Fir Street. Cost of the signs was $1,704. The McCall
Improvement Committee funded three of the signs, the McCall Urban Redevelopment Agency
funded one sign and the city funded one sign.
Parking questions lea •
d P &Z to again defer Gr
BY MICHAEL WELLS resolved in the next three and Payette Lodge
Tnesear_NeWS weeks, but she agreed park- g
Questions over parking on ing problems would have to "The general public has the same access as McCall, Th city has mechanical Craig Eberle said.
Tuesday led to another delay be solved before Hunt could hotel guests wo"Id - being lost," Romano's owner
in a decision overtheprop°se�l receive final a vortex s d "They are
Grand Payette Lodge in down The city's parking formula Corm. eater ainage taking away 40 jobs to add
prkingf systems at Art Roberts Park, 50."
town McCall. calls for 111 parking spaces - Steve Millemann near Mile High Marina, near Public access was another
The McCall Area Planning on site, but projected demand be allowed to stay throu h the Panda Restaurant and at stick
& Zoning Commission held a for on -site parking was 66 g About 15,500squarefeetof Brown Park, Fronk said. y point for the commis
the expiration of their leases the project would drain storm- Three people spoke infavor sioThe public a would be al-
specialmeetingTuesdaynight spaces, said McCall attorney in 2012 before construction water with pollutants from of the project at Tuesday's lowed to enter the si
over Bob Hunt's proposal to Steve Millemann, represent - would begin.
Plans to build a 23- condo- ing Hunt. the street to a mechanical meeting. to from
drainage was vortex that filters sediment, Retail sales are down $8 restaurant and lbar to through
Stormwater drai deck
minium, 42 -room hotel that Hunt hopes to improve a question the commission Secesh Engineer Jim Fronk million in Valley County,, that would allow
would have 42 hotel rooms on a city -owned parking lot on
the shore of Payette Lake. His First Street east of Paul's members had at their initial said. Valley County Economic at the existing boat dock access
look at the project on Aug. The
Plans include retail space and Market as a part of his park green connected to an existing me- Blaye said. "This win help s
5. The hotel would use Project would be Development Director John the northeast corner of the
a restaurant and bar to two ing solution. roofs to filter rain and snow chanicalvortexatArtRoberts gin other businesses
adjacentlotsneartheintersec- The hotel would have on bring P Project.
melt through grass and soil Park that handles stormwater this community,, to Thegeneralpublichasthe
tion of East Lake Street and site rooftops.
First Street. Parking in a parking drainageforpartof downtown "Look at the jobs that are same access as hotel said. guests
ImperBy a vote of 3 -1, the com- men t. Vehicles would get develop-
mission delayed making a the parking garage through a
decision on the project until at vehicle lift.
least its Sept. 9 meeting. Hunt owns a vacant lot to
Commissioner Phil Fein- the west of the Yacht Club
berg suggested the decision building, and he holds an
be delayed to see if any more option to buy The Yacht Club
son progress could be made be- building.
tween city staffers and Hunt The hotel would be 35 feet
on a solution for parking on tall, which is a change from
and off the hotel site. his initial plans two years ago
Commissioners Kim Ap- to build a 50 -foot tall hotel at
and Patrick Riceci the site.
voted to delay the matter, but Theoption to buy The Yacht
commissioner Sarah Jessup Club ends in March, and Hunt
voted against delaying the cannot exercise his purchase
project. option if he does not obtain
What would we gain by city approval before then.
looking at this again?" Jessup Businesses leasing The
asked. Yacht Club building, including
Jessup did not believe the Romano's Italian Ristorante
Parking question could be and the Yacht Club Bar, would
McCall approves Grand Payette Hotel
Developer ri-ty must still work out details on parking, phasing
t.. , --
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
The Grand Payette Hotel on the shore
of Payette Lake in downtown McCall was
approved last week by the McCall City
Council.
The council approvedthe hotelby avote of
4 -1. Council Member Claudia Delaney voted
against the development.
The hotel is proposed by Bob Hunt, who
also owns the Holiday Inn Express -The Hunt
Lodge, Super 8 Motel and Western Mountain
Lodge.
The Grand Payette Lodge is proposed as
a 23 -unit condominium hotel that will func-
tion as a 41 -room hotel. It would feature an
underground parking garage with a vehicle
elevator.
Plans call for retail space and a restaurant
and bar on two adjacent lots north of the
intersection of East Lake and First streets.
Last week's decision clears the way for
Hunt to exercise his purchase option on the
Yacht Club building, which is on one of the
lots designated for the hotel.
Questions about the proposal's con-
struction phasing, park plan, parking and
stormwater drainage were answered to
the satisfaction of the majority of council
members.
Council Member Marcia Witte wanted
Hunt and the city to work out a park plan
before the preliminary approval, but decided
to vote for the proposal at the meeting.
Under city code, Hunt must provide the
city with one acre of park space either on the
hotel site or elsewhere in the city.
McCall Mayor Bert Kulesza also wanted
to see a park plan in place, but was in favor
1
of the project.
"I'm coming across negative on your
project, and I'm not," Kulesza said. "I like
your design."
See LODGE, Page A -10
FA
Sketch courtesy Epikos Planning & Architecture
Sketch shows how the Grand Payette Hotel would look as viewed from across East
Lake Street. The lakefront hotel was approved last week by the McCall City Council.
Lodge: Council approves lakefront hotel
make sure stormwater from
the hotel site is clean before
it enters Payette Lake.
The current plans would
send stormwater runoff
through existing centrifuge
filters under Art Roberts
Park.
(Continued from Page A -1)
Kulesza also questioned
the amount of public access
to the lake from the project.
Access will be allowed to
the project from the street,
through the hotel and down
to the lake at the current
boat dock.
The plan would allow ac-
cess to a future boardwalk
alongthe lakefront that would
connect Grand Payette Hotel
east to Legacy Park. The
boardwalk is not a part of
Hunt's plans.
The development's phas-
ing plan was also a sticking
point during the hour -long
debate before the council.
Hunt plans to begin site
work on the vacant lot he
owns next to The Yacht Club
in 2012.
Work on the hotel would
begin in 2015 because leases
held by Romano's Restaurant
and the Yacht Club bar do not
expire until then.
He couldbeginworkearlier
if he can reach an agreement
tobuyouttheleases, said Hunt
attorney Steve Millemann.
Hunt also needs to come
to an agreement with the city
over parking.
The city says his project
should have 111 parking
spaces, but Hunt says he only
needs 66 spaces, of which 48
would be in the underground
garage and the rest near the
hotel.
The city allows downtown
developers to pay $20,000 per
parking space if they do not
want to meet the parking
requirements.
The city's engineer is
working with Hunt on how to
Restrictions lifted on McCall Avenue homes
Buyers no longer
limited by income
or resale value
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
The owner of the five
remaining homes for sale
on McCall Avenue received
approval last week to remove
restrictions on income by buy-
ers and caps on resale price.
Neighborhood Housing
Services of Boise convinced
the McCall City Council to
remove therestrictions so that
the homes can be sold before
Idaho First Bank begins fore-
closure proceedings as early
as next month.
The council removed all
but one restriction placed on
the manufactured homes in
an effort to help NHS sell the
homes. The city owns the land
on which the nine homes were
built in 2009.
The city would not remove
the restriction that the homes
must be occupied by the
owner.
Among the restrictions
that were removed required
a family of four had to earn
less than $61,800 in order to
qualify to purchase one of.
the homes.
Caps on resale price also
were lifted. The resale price
had been limited to 8 percent
above purchase price plus an
allocation for improvement.
NHS was able to sell two
homes since July when the
resale cap was raised from 4
percent to 8 percent.
The councildecidedto keep
the owner occupied restric-
tion in place on the homes in
order to keep the homes from
being purchased as vacation
homes.
Duringthe debate, Council
Member Claudia Delaney
wanted to know how the city
could sever ties with the Val-
ley Adams Regional Housing
Authority.
" VARHA is not managing
this very well," Delaney said.
"That's (selling the homes) a
pretty important job that you
didn't do very well."
VARHA Director Michael
Davidblamed the lack of sales
on the current real estate mar-
ket slowdown.
"If you .want to pin the eco-
nomic situation on VARHA, I
think that is ridiculous," Da-
vid said. "I think we are here
today because we haven't been
able to sell the homes because
people can't get loans. It is not
a lack of effort." '
"I think it is a situation of
working hard versus working
smart," Delaney said.
David noted several other
communities with affordable
housing units were also un-
sold, including Blaine County
'and Orcas Island, Wash.
No other council member
spoke against VARHA.
VARHA monitors compli-
ance of the deed restrictions
on the homes, markets the
homes and would enforce
rental requirements on own-
ers.
If the homes are not sold
and are taken by the bank, the
city would still own the land
and could charge any future
buyers of the home a larger
lease amount.
The city currently charges
$1 for a 99 -year lease on the
land in order to hold down the
cost of the homes.
(tl/ ?/o q,
McCall ponders ways to fund
streetscapes along Third Street
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
The McCall City Council
wants to have sidewalks,
curbs, gutters and street lamps
extending from downtown to
the McCall Airport, but coun-
cil members are unsure howto
fund the improvements.
During its regular meeting
last Thursday, council mem-
bers considered a new urban
renewal district, a local op-
tion sales tax, voter approved
bonds and small taxing dis-
tricts to fund the work.
The council was given a
new look at a 2006 study on
the formation of a new urban
renewal district along Third
Street in McCall south of
the present downtown urban
renewal district.
The new proposed district
would include Third Street
from Park Street south to
Deinhard Lane plus property
along Deinhard Lane from
west of the McCall Fire and
EMS station east to Samson
Trail.
It also would include prop-
erties on the east side of Idaho
55 south of Deinhard Lane to
Krahn Lane.
The 2006 study showed
many property owners who
were planning development
from which property taxes
could be collected to pay for the
streetscapes. Since the study,
however, several properties
no longer plan developments
in the area.
If the city wanted to create
a new urban renewal district,
it would needto do so next year
in order to capture the higher
Property taxes that will be cre-
ated when the first phase of
Alpine Village is completed.
In an urban renewal dis-
trict, all property taxes raised
above and beyond the taxes
raised when the district was
put into place goes to the
district. Schools are not af-
fected.
Taxes paid to other govern-
ments, including city, county,
fire and hospital, would be
frozen at the previous level.
Council member Claudia
Delaney objected to the new
urban renewal district g:)ing
forward because it would
take tax dollars away from
the city and from other taring
districts.
Mayor Bert Kulesza wanted
the 2006 study updated, and
council member Don Bailey
also suggested asking the vot-
ers to approve a bond issue.
Kirkpatrick also noted that
a local improvement district
could be set up to pay for the
costs of the improvements. But
it would be difficult to set the
boundaries of an LID in order
to limit it to those who would
benefit from it, he said.
McCall Urban Renewal
Chair Rick Fereday also sug-
gested the city look into the
creation of a general local
option sales tax.
S�hr6�'J
IYI o g
5�
McCall appoints committee
to advise on environment.
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
A seven - member board was
appointed last week to advise
the McCall City Council about
ways the city can be more.en-
vironmentally friendly.
Rather than choose among
various applicants, the coun-
cil appointed everyone who
applied to be on the city's
first environmental advisory
committee.
The committee had origi-
nally been conceived to have
five members, but all seven
people who applied were-ap-
pointed.
The idea to appoint every-
one was put forth by Council
Member Laura Scott, and
the other council members
agreed. '
The committee would
promote environmentally
beneficiaiprograms across all
city departments, accordingto
its mission statement.
Here are profiles of each
member:
CLAIRE REMSBERG
"I hope to contribute my
keen interest in sustainable
and environmental choices
within the framework of the
city government and opera-
tions, as well as how the city
leadership can shape future
development within this re-
gion," said Claire Remsberg,
an architect.
"I am interested in how
good governancecaninfluence
better development, which
could make it more possible
for families and businesses to
live and operate sustainably,"
Remsberg said.
CINDY MILLER
"I plan to continue to pro-
mote healthy living through
education, environmentally
friendly and sustainable living
practices," said McCall resi-
dent Cindy-Miller, who works
as a physical therapist.
JENNI BLAKE
Blake is .owner of Gravity
Sports in McCall and worked
as a trail program director
for the Washington Trails
Association.
LINDSEY TRUXEL
Truxel is a teacher at
Barbara Morgan Elementary
School in McCall. She lives
near Lake Fork, but residency
in McCall is not a require-
ment for the environmental
advisory committee.
"Everyone can be taught
to understand the importance
of caring for our unique en-
vironment that we all share,"
Truxel said. "I believe it is
important to understand the
environment we inhab it and to
protect it through knowledge
and diligence."
KATHLEEN O'NEIL
Kathleen O'Neil is a Boise
State University Green Team
member who owns a cabin in
McCall.
She formerly owned a
communications business
and worked as the communi-
cations director for the Boise
Chamber of Commerce.
JOHN RYGH
John Rygh is a geologist
with the Payette National For-
est in McCall.
"I imagine there is plenty
of room for improvement in
municipal operations," Rygh
said.
NATHAN WAGNER
The committee also has a
seat open for one student from
McCall- Donnelly High School.
The council chose M -D senior
Nathan Wagner to sit on the
committee until he graduates
this spring.
iGGALL, lv o0 - -
mcCall council
rejects both
Payette Lake
marina plans
3 -2 vote denies rights to cross city
land, opens door for new proposals
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Both plans for marinas on the same shoreline of
Payette Lake were rejected in a split vote last week
by the McCall City Council.
A 410 -boat slip addition to Mile High Marina and
a 200 -boat slip marina planned by the Hotel McCall
were both rejected by the city council.
Both projects would first need permission from
the city to develop across a thin strip of land on the
lakefront north of Mile High Marina.
Both developments believed theyhad agreements
with the city to make an application to the city to
build additional boat slips.
Jim Gerblick of Mile High Marina, and Judd
DeBoer, who owns Brundage Ski Resort and River
Ranch subdivision, had planned to join on a 410 -boat
slip expansion for Mile High Marina.
A lease extension with the city council a year
ago mentioned a more modest expansion for the
future.
John and David Carey of Hotel McCall and Jug
Mountain Ranch believed they had an agrbement
with the city from 1995 to build a new marina that
wouldtie into the city -owned landbetween Mile High
Marina and Brown Park.
Last Thursday, the council voted 3-2 to reject both
proposed marinas. The council said they would con-
sider "more reasonable" proposals in the future.
Council members Marcia Witte, Claudia Delaney
and Mayor Bert Kulesza voted against allowing the
proposals.
Council members Don Bailey and Laura Scott
voted against the motion to deny the proposals.
Future Proposals Possible
The city was acting as the landowner in last
week's vote and was not ruling on the merits of the
two proposals.
"I hesitate to give up future options on the prop-
erty," Kulesza said. "Who stands to gain the most?
If it isn't the citizens of McCall then why would we
do it ?"
See MARINA, Page A -6
Marina
(Continued.from PA 1)
Delaney suggestedthe city
come up with a "vision for
what we want there."
Witte wanted to weigh
more options for the city -
owned strip of land before
deciding what to do aboutthe
proposed marinas.
"The agreements com-
mitted the city to consider
expanded marinas," Witte
said. "I feel like we have hon-
ored those agreements."
"It looked like the city
had intended to discuss a
marina with (Hotel McCall)
and expansion of Mile High
Marina," Scott said.
Bailey asked what the
council thought would be
reasonable expansion of the
marinas on the lake.
"It is irresponsible and
unfair to ask the public to
give up one of the last public -
ownedareas inthe downtown
area," Kulesza said.
After the meeting, City
Manager Lindley Kirkpat-
rick suggested that both
developments should work
��lii I�g
,with city staff to comeup with
a better proposal.
Staffers had recommended
to the council that both
developments be allowed to
proceed, but that the boat
slips should be limited to 100
slips each and the slips could
not be sold.
The Careys did not plan to
sue the city as a result of last
week's decision, David Carey
said. Carey said he will meet
with Kirkpatrick to begin
working on a new proposal.
"Hopefully we'll work toward
something that works for
everyone," he said.
Gerblick and DeBoer
will likely wait to decide
how to proceed, said Brian
O'Morrow, a spokesman for
the partnership.
"It will be a while before
we decide what our next
steps are," O'Morrow said.
"We are pretty disappointed
that our application was not
reviewed."
sue, r�
McCall gives Economy `upside down'
Hunt Lodge
"The economy is upside
down right now," Hunt said.
"I saw it coming eight months
three—year
ago as we had the slowest year
that we have ever had."
Occupancyratesweredown
extension on
35 percent in 2008 compared to
2005 and 2006. The decline be-
convention
gan in 2007, Hunt said.
There are 225 rooms in
Hunt's three hotel properties
center
in McCall. He also owns the
61 -room Super 8 Motel and the
79 -room Western Mountain
BY MICHAEL WELLS
Lodge.
The SMT -news
Tourism should increase
A three -year extension was
this year or at least not be any
given by the McCall City Coun-
worse than last year, he said.
cil last week for a proposed
"I expect to see a gradual in-
convention center to be built
crease in tourism with people
atthe Holiday Inn Express-The
who are cooped up from the
Hunt Lodge.
economy in Boise starting to
Owner Bob Hunt received
make trips here," Hunt said.
the extension on a4 -1 vote with
"We are holding our breath to
Council Member Claudia Del-
see if the visitors return."
aney voting against granting
The McCall Winter Carm-
an extension.
val and the Special Olympics
The meeting and event
World Winter Games were "a
center would be a three -story
nice shot in the arm," but are
building that would have one
not enough for the motels to
large meeting room on the
recover from the decline in
ground floor with 14 -foot high
overnight guests, he said.
ceilings that could accommo-
Meanwhile, Hunt said he
date up to 400 people.
is still moving forward on
On the two upper floors,
the Grand Payette Lodge on
Hunt would add 30 additional
Payette Lake, for which he
rooms to the 85 -room motel.
received approval from the
The building would have
city last year.
40,000 square feet, about two-
"We are moving forward
thirds the size of the existing
to do that," Hunt said. "It's
HuntLodge,ona13,000- square-
kind of scary times, but I will
foot footprint.
move forward to build these.
When the plans were first
things."
approved in 2007, Hunt had
The Grand Payette Lodge
plannedtobegin construction
would have 42 hotels rooms,
in 2008 and open the conven-
retail space, and a restaurant
tion center by this year
andbar.Itwouldbebuiltwhere
The economy turned sour,
The Yacht Club building now
and the project was too big to
stands plus an adjacent lot.
complete in the time frame
Hunt also previously
allotted to conditional use
received approval for The
permits in the city, Hunt said
Timber Lodge, a 47 -room mo-
at last week's meeting,
tel planned next to The Hunt
Hunt's attorney, Steve Mil-
Lodge. However, city permits
lemann, told the city council
for that motel have expired.
that large projects heed at least
Hunt also owns River's
three years before site plans
Crossing, a 60 -lot subdivision
could be transformed into
on the west side of the North
construction plans.
Fork of the Payette River.
4K %Iva.]
PO BOX 2026
MCCALL, ID 83638 -2026 City
manager o pp
one-tu, get uK on petition
McCall council to decide
tonight to put .measure on
Aug. 4 ballot
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News -
A petition to change the city of
McCall's form of government was
certified by the Valley County Clerk's
office Tuesday.
A petition drive by Rob Lyons to al-
low McCall voters to choose between
the current city manager form of
government or a strong mayor form
of government had the required 139
validated signatures, deputy county
clerk JoAnn Fly said.
Petition
The next step is up to the McCall
City Council to pass a resolution to
place the question on the Aug. 4 bal-
lot, which could happen as early as
tonight at the regular city council
meeting starting at 6 p.m.
A simple majority would be needed
to change the city's form of govern-
ment, Fly said.
"The citymanagerformof govern-
ment has proven to be ineffective,"
said Lyons, a Realtor and former
president of the McCall Area Cham-
ber of Commerce.
"It has meant an increase in water
bills, sewer bills, lawsuit bills and
an Idaho Power franchise increase
at a time when people are hurting,"
he said.
The petition drive was held to give
citizens of McCall a voice which peti-
tion organizers say has been lacking
(Continued from Page
A -1)
Any change would occur
when the new council takes
office in January.
The city council will have
a lot to discuss at tonight's
meeting and in the future
regarding what actions they
may have to take if the
citizens vote to change the
city's government structure,
Kulesza said.
"It's the people's right
to choose their form of
government," Kulesza said,
although he prefers the cur-
rent setup. "I think people
should think carefully about
thekindof governmentthey
want."
The petition drive started
on May 14 and by last Friday
Lyons had enough signatures
to satisfy the 20 percent
threshold of voters in the last
city election that was held in
November 2007.
Petitionforms were at the
Aspen Market, Lardo Grill
& Saloon and Jim's Grocery,
Lyons said.
"We had people standing
in line to sign the petition,"
Lyons said. "Some signed
,it (petition form) on my
back."
Lyons turned in 156 signa-
since the city changed to a city man-
ager form of government in 1993.
"The citizens have no voice," Ly-
ons said. "If he (city manager) keeps
three friends on the city council he
cannot be fired."
"We want it on the August ballot
when everybody is here," Lyons said.
"If we lose that's what the citizens
want."
If voters chooseto change theform
of government in August, a mayor
would be chosen on the November
ballot that will already have four
council seats up for election.
Theseatsof CouncilMembersDon
Bailey, Laura Scott; Marcia Witte and
Claudia Delaney will all be on the No-
vember ballot. Council Member Bert
Kulesza, who is also mayor, is not up
for re- election in November.
See PETITION, Page A -7
tures to the county. After 139
signatures were verified by
the county clerk's office, the
petition was certified.
The city initially argued
that the petition needed
about 300 signatures to cor-
respond with 20 percent of
the voters in the 2008 general
election.
The county and the Idaho
Secretary of State's Office
disagreed with city attorney
Bill Nichols' interpretation
of the law. The city later
agreed to accept the lower
threshold.
City manager, strong mayor systems compared
CITY MANAGER SYSTEM
McCall voters approved the
city manager form of govern -
iil%lit J- Ai' iet 104 . T,I- Xvicton
and Twin Falls are the only
other Idaho cities that have a
city manager system.
Under the city manager
format, the five members of
the city council hire the man-
ager, who has broad powers to
implement policy and to hire
and fire employees including
department heads.
The manager cannot set
policy, a right still reserved for
the council. The manager can
be fired at any time by a major-
ity vote of the council.
The council also hires the
city attorney and has the final
say on setting a budget.
The mayor is not elected
A; »,,,. +7�. h:. +hn »nn »lo }1t4 is
uu c-
u
chosen for two -year terms from
among his orher fellow council
members.
The mayor is the spokesman
for the city but has no powers
other than signing checks and
chairing city council meet-
ings.
Under the strong mayor
form of government, the mayor
is elected directly by the people
to a four -year term.
See SYSTEM, Page A -7
System
(Continued from Page
A -1)
The strong mayor has
broad powers, including
implementing policies set by
the council and hiring and
firing of employees includ-
ing department heads.
The strong mayor also
chairs city council meetings
but does not have a vote un-
less a tie vote of the council
needs to be broken. The
mayor can also veto votes of
the council.
The mayor cannot be re-
moved from office before the
end of his term except by a
recall election.
McCalfto 4�'
vote on city
manager
format Aug. 4
City has used form of
government since 1993
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
McCall voters will vote
on Aug. 4 whether to keep
petitioners
the current city manager
style of government or
want to See
return to a strong mayor
style of government.
the change
Mayor Bert Kulesza is-
sued aproclamation setting
because they
the special election at last
week's McCall City Council
believe the
meeting after a petition was
validated asking voters
city manager
for a change in the local
position has
p
government.
McCall has operated un-
der the city manager style
of government since 1993.
lawsuits,
A petition drive by Mc-
Call Realtor Rob Lyons
higher water
to allow McCall voters to
choose betweenthe current
and sewer
city manager form of gov-
ernment or a strong mayor
rates, and
form of government was
validated last week.
no voice for
City council members
wanted to know what the
the people in
city could do to educate the
their govern -
public about the upcoming
vote.
"You
ment.
can't advocate one
way or another, " City Attor-
ney Bill Nichols said,
cautioning the council members
about the city's role
in the upcoming election.
See MANAGER, Page A -8
Y /yoo
The public hearing for the
proposed budget begins at 7
p.m. Monday at Payette Lakes
Middle School in M cCall.
ManagEl.r
(Continued from Page A -1)
The city council m ill develop
a list of what is appropriate to do
in order to educate the citizens
about the Aug.4 special election,
I Kulesza said.
"We would risk losing city
employees," said Jackie Aymon
of McCall during the meeting's
public comment segment. Ay-
mon serves on the McCall
: Transportation Advisory Com-
mittee.
The current form of gov-
ernment provides stability for
employees that a strong mayor
'form of government would not,
McCall apartment
plan gets funding
BY LUCIA V KNUDSON
The Star -News
A proposed 36 -unit apartment complex project
off Deinhard Lane has been awarded $3.9 million
in tax credits from the Idaho Housing and Finance
Association, local housing officials said.
However, the amount will not fully cover the
estimated $6.5 million cost, according to Michael
David, executive director of the Valley Adams
Regional Housing Authority.
The apartments are proposed for the southern
portion of a 10 -acre tract Valley County owns be-
tween Deinhard Lane and Jacob Street.
The Housing Company, a nonprofit company in
Boise, would build, own, then manage the project
for at least 20 years, David said.
The Housing Company is confident of securing
federal stimulus dollars to complement the tax
credits, and there would be sufficient resources
from the tax credits and federal stimulus dollars
to move the project forward, he said.
Funding
(Continued from Page A -1)
The 36, units are a much
reduced version of the project
originally proposed for the 7 -1/2
acres of county land.
Up to 120 apartments built
over at least three phases were
in the original proposal. Last fall,
The Housing Company applied
for tax credits with a project
sized at60apartments. WhenThe
Housing Company didnotwin in
the first round, the project was
reduced to 36 apartments.
The goal behind the apart-
ments is to provide affordable
housing for families with total
household income of $30,780
or less.
A study completed in June
for The Housing Co, found there
was a demand for 51 apartment
for low and moderate income
families.
That demand increased to
125 apartments when both Val
ley and Adams counties are
taken into consideration, the.
study said.
The current project calls for
four studio apartments, eight
one - bedroom apartments, 18
two - bedroom units and six three -
bedroom units. One apartment
would be used by the complex
manager.
The InternalRevenue Service
issues tax credits for companies
to invest in low- income housing
in exchange for 10 years of credit
on their income taxes. Tax cred-
its are allocated by the state of
Idaho through IHFA.
The Housing Company's bid
did not bring a high enough r ank-
ing against competing projects
to win an award before funding
ran out last fall, said Douglas
Peterson, director of The Hous-
ing Company.
The organization applied for
e r..
Sketch courtesy Valley Adams Regional Housing Authority
Sketch shows how proposed apartments for lower - income
families north of Jacob Street in McCall would look when
completed.
a second round of tax credits
in February with an updated
market survey and clinched an
award, Peterson said.
Next, The Housing Company
will seek an investor to buy the
credits, in effect giving finan-
cial backing to the project in
exchange for credit on income
taxes.
The Housing Company
currently is working on an
application to secure funding
from the federal stimulus pack-
age passed in February, said
Kathryn Almberg, housing
development officer.
The company should know
in August if it received a grant,
Almberg said.
After that, The Housing
Company will know how much
itmay need to applyfor in loans,
she said.
An investor to purchase the
tax credits is also being sought,
Almberg said.
The Housing Company also
will seek transfer of title to
the land from N alley County.
The permitting process with
the city of McCall would begin
after the transfer takes place,
David said.
David would act as the lo.
cal consultant to The Housing
Company during the permitting
process, then would shift to
local project manager during
construction.
Later, VARHA would help
The Housing Company col-
lect rental applications from
prospective occupants, David
said. Applicants would receive
background and credit checks,
he said.
Valley County commission-
ers passed a resolution last
summer to deed 7 -1/2 acres to
The Housing Company. David
plans to meet with county com-
missioners soon to discuss the
land transfer.
alb Decision on McCall's
form of government
ELECTION RESULTS
McCall votes to
retain the city
manager form
of g overnment
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
McCall voters on Tuesday decided to retainthe city's
council- manager form of government by a margin of
58 percent to 42 percent.
The special election
brought out 505 McCall "1 think
voters, 293 voted to re-
tain the current form of our citizens
government against 212 said personal
who wanted to change to
a council -mayor form of attacks, negative
government.
Voter turnout was 28 ads and not
percent of the 1,785regis-
tered voter in the city. 9 willing t0
"I'm gratified, I think debate the issue
the citizens of McCall
chose to retain a system in public are not
that is good for the City table to
and is working well," acceptable
Mayor Bert Kulesza said. the town."
"I think our citizens said
personal attacks, nega- — McCall Mayor
tive ads and not being Bert Kulesza
willing to debate the issue
in public are not accept-
able to the town."
Petition organizer
Robert Lyons said supporters of the petition would
work to produce candidates to change the way the city
performs in the Nov 3 city general election.
See ELECTION, Page A-8
Election
(Continued from Page A -1)
The seats held by four of the
five council members -Don Bai-
ley, Laura Scott, Marcia Witte
and Claudia Delaney -are up for
election in November. Kulesza
still has two more years left on
his term on the council.
"I think we had a pretty
decent turnout for a special
election," Lyons said. "We need
some strong people in there (on
the council) to make the city
function."
Lyons did not name any
possible candidates, but said he
has been talking with possible
candidates.
The city changed from a
mayor - council form of govern-
ment to the council- manager
form in 1993. Tuesday's vote
was the first challenge to the
16- year -old system.
One of Three in Idaho
McCall, Lewiston and Twin
Falls are the only three Idaho
cities that uses the most popular
form of city government in the
United States.
Lyons led a successful pe-
tition drive in May and got
the question on the ballot for
Tuesday's special election.
AJu1y20pub1icforum onthe
forms of government was not
attended by proponents f or the
change, who declined to appear
saying a political debate w as not
productive for McCall.
The group was not l sappy
with the direction of th a city
and the high cost of lawsuits
that the city has lost ovor the
years that are paid for b city
residents.
"Wewanttothankever; rbody
that came out and hopefi illy it
makes a statement to the city
that 42 percent of the people
want a change," Lyons said.
`And hopefully, the city co'
realizes there are Teople
were not happy with the
the city is being run."
Had the proponents of a
or- council form of govern:
won Tuesday, the govern .
would have changed in
ary.
Current City ManagerLind
leyKirkpatrick, who retainshi
position with the election, ha
been the city manager sinc
2004. He has held the post longer
than any other city manager
in McCall.
In the council -mayor form
of government, a voter elected
mayor is responsible for the
day -to -day administration of
the city. Policy decisions are
made by the city council, with
the mayor voting only in the
case of a tie.
In the council - manager
form, the city council hires a
professional city manager tc
implement the council's poli•
cies and be responsible for the
day -to -day administration of
the city. A mayor, with largely
ceremonial responsibilities, i�
selected by the city council from
among its members.
McCall • New Meadows City Councils
McCall
�JV.,Lll\Jii
AAA %.., rr.
keep their seats
All four current McCall City Council members re-
tained their seats following Tuesday's city election.
Council members Marcia Witte, Claudia Delaney
and Laura Scott all were elected to new four -year
terms, while council member Don Bailey was elected
to a two -year term.
Witte garnered the most votes among the seven can-
didates for three four -year seats. She received 350 votes
followed by 231 for Scott and 319 for Delaney.
Trailing the winners
were challengers Ballard
Smith with 189 votes, Rob
Lyons with 179 votes, Mike
Eckhart with 143 votes
and .Don Parker with 105
votes.
The lone two -year seat
was won by Don Bailey
with 283 votes. That was
the most among the three
candidates seeking the
seat.
Challengers Ray Alford
received 107 votes while
Roger Snodgrass received
105 votes.
Voter turnout was 572
of 1,751 registered voters in
McCall or 33 percent.
The fifth member of the
city council, Mayor Bert
Kulesza, was not up for
election this year.
One of' the first acts of
the councilmembers when
they are sworn in to new
terms in January is
to select a new mayor from
next two years.
RESULTS
MCCALL CITY COUNCIL
Four -Year Terms
Top Three (Bold) Elected
Marcia Witte - 350
Claudia Delaney - 319
Laura Scott - 231
Ballard Smith - 189
Rob Lyons - 179
Mike Eckhart - 143
Don Parker - 105
Two -Year Term
Top One (Bold) Elected
Don Bailey - 283
Ray Alford -107
Roger Snodgrass -105
NEW MEADOWS CITY COUNCIL
Four -Year Terms
Top Two (Bold) Elected
DeOle Priddy - 56
Gina Mencer - 51
James Tily - 9
i,
among - themselves for the
See ELECTION, Page A -6
/Itl
McCall council qH,51
passes voluntary
noise limits for
airplanes, jets
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
City officials hope area pi-
lots adhere to a new voluntary
noise reduction ordinance
at the McCall Municipal
Airport.
The McCall City Council
last Thursday passed an ordi=
nance that encourages pilots to
follow rules to improve safety,
reduce noise and congestion
and enhance the aviation
community's relations with
the community.
Takeoffs should always be
from north to south, weather
permitting, and landings
should be from the south, ac-
cording to the new rule. The
suggestion is intended to limit
the amount of planes flying
over town.
The ordinance asks pilots
of jets with auxiliary power
units to start those units no
more than 30 minutes before
takeoff.
If the power -up times -go
longer than 30 minutes, pilots
are then subject to a noise fee
to be set by the city council at
a later date.
There is no established
monitoring program to quanti-
fy the effects of the changes.
Several monitoring pos-
sibilities were researched
by Airport Manager John
Anderson, but none have been
chosen.
Compliance to the ordi-
nance could be monitored
acoustically by recording,
but Anderson rejected that
idea.
Requiring pilots sign a
guest log at the airport was
also ruled out as an effective
way to check if pilots are fol-
lowing the noise ordinance.
Pneumatic devices, such
as traffic counters that count
the number of vehicles that
pass over them was also ruled
out by Anderson who believed
some pilots would intention-
ally stop on the strips to break
them or run over them repeat-
edly to give false counts.
The airport will investi-
gate the possibility of using
video cameras to record all
takeoffs and landings to get,
an idea of how many pilots
follow the takeoff and landing
procedures in place to limit
noise. The estimate for a video
monitoring system was about
$20,000, Anderson said.
Hiring interns to count all
the aircraft for two week inter-
vals four times a year was also
ruled out by Anderson.
Monitoring of the airport's
radio frequency was suggested
by Mayor Bert Kulesza, but
that would not tell the city
which way an plane landed or
took off from the airport. _
Other changes include a
requirement that all ground
vehicles carry a radio that can
transmit and receive on the
common traffic advisory fre-
quency used at the airport.
Pilots of planes and other
vehicles should announce
their intentions prior to en-
tering the runway and shall
monitor the frequency con-
tinuously while on the or near
the runway.
Maintenance run -ups of
engines should be limited to
between 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and
should be done with the air-
craft facing north to send the
noise south, away from town,
the ordinance said.
S�.rw4
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Low - income apts. head to P &Z
Valley Meadows would see
36 units built in first phase
BY LUCIA V. KNUDSON
The Star -News
A proposed 36 -unit apartment com-
plex for lower - income families in McCall
will be attractive and safe, a spokesman
for the project's developer said.
The project, called Valley Meadows,
is proposed for about seven acres of
county -owned land off Jacob Street
and across from the Jacob's Manor
community.
The Housing Company of Boiseisthe
developer of the project which consists
of three apartment buildings, covered
parking, a community center and other
amenities.
The McCall Area Planping and Zon-
ing Commis s ion will review the proposal
for Valley Meadows during its next meet-
ing on Tuesday.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the
lower level of McCall City Hall, and the
public will be invited to comment.
The project's design, use of quality
Sketch courtesy The Housing Company
Sketch shows a conceptual layout of
Valley Meadows, a 36 -unit, lower- income
apartment complex proposed for north
of Jacob Street in McCall.
building materials and a tough lease
will likely surprise people who take a
dim view of public housing, said Doug-
las Peterson, director of The Housing
Company.
See APTS, Page A -2
Peterson's intent istobuild
• community that will foster
• sense of ownership among
residents as well as have a
stronglease that will attract
responsible tenan ts.
Sense of Community
During an informal re-
viewof theprojectlastweek,
Valley County Commis-
sioner Gordon Cruickshank
liked the configuration of
the three apartment build-
ings, which have a staggered
look.
"It creates some charac-
ter of its own by the way you
set the buildings," Cruick-
shank said.
For privacy, all units will
have a separating wall on
first floor porches and sec-
ond floor decks, said Steve
Benner, an architect with
the Boise firm CSHQA.
Rules will be stated in the
lease agreement which will
not allow storage of trail=
ers, snowmobiles, boats, or
barbecues on decks, Peter-
son said.
Thosewhowant cookouts
will have access to barbecue
grills and picnic tables at
the centrally located com-
munity center.
Potlucks as well as shared
Thanksgiving and Christ-
mas dinners happen at other
facilities of The Housing
Company, which special-
izes in building affordable
housing.
Shared activities will
help build a sense of com-
munity —and responsibility
for the property, Peterson
said.
"What that does is they
just take better care of it,"
he said.
CruickshankandMichael
David, executive director of
the Valley Adams Regional
Housing Authority, agreed
with the need for stringent
rules.
There will be no on -site
storage spaces, but tenants
will have available covered
parking and an area with
racks to lock up their bi-
cycles and bike trailers.
Uncoveredvisitorparking is
also included in plans.
The buildings Ivould be
built to last, and be heated
and cooled with energy -ef-
ficient, ground- coupled heat
pump systems.
Although. expensive to
put in, the systems will cut
down heating costs for ten-
ants by 50 percent; Peterson
said. Apartments will be
well insulated against the
weather and noise as well.
Quality Materials
Proposed
Thebuilder is "goingover
the top" on materials, in-
cluding quality insulation,
and appliances, to save ten-
ants money on their power
bills, Peterson said.
Parking areas willbe illu-
minatedwith solar powered
lighting made in Boise pilot
program.
"It's one of my goals to
set the example for the state
of Idaho on what you can do
with an affordable housing
project as far as how good it
looks, how well it operates,"
Peterson said.
Valley County's part-
nership with The Housing
Company in contributing
land is considered a first for
this kind of project.
"It's one of those things
we looked at and said `we
have to step up to the plate;
this is how we canhelp with-
out having to fork out a lot of
cash,'" Cruickshank said.
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A public eaucation pro-
gram also will be started
about paid parking.
One of the more imme-
diate steps will be to direct
the public to park in the pri-
vately owned parking garage
next to Manchester Ice and
Event Centre. Signs should
be up by spring, accordingto
the implementation plan.
Also by next spring, on-
street parking will not be
allowed within 30 feet of an
intersection and new strip-
ing for parking spaces will
be put down.
Boat and snowmobile
trailers will not be allowed to
park on city streets within a
year, under the implementa-
tion plan.
The city council also will
look at a charge for boat
trailer parking in the new
parking lot between Fir and
Pine streets downtown.
The study suggested a
$4 to $5.per day charge, al-
though the city will explore
annual, weekly and daily
parking passes.
Colorado St. Solution
The citywill also consider
making Colorado Street one-
way within the next eight
months to accommodate
on- street parking.
Congestion on the street
has grown with the opening
of Salmon River Brewery
adding to existing traffic of
Common Ground Cafe.
If this isnotfeasible, then
the city will widen the street
within the next two years to
provide space for parallel
parking.
New blue public parking
signs similar to the ones the
city already uses will be put
in place at the major access
points to public parking
areas within the next six
months.
City staffers will work
with downtown business
owners to build more side-
walks.
Some parking reconfigu-
ration along Park Street in
the vicinity of McCall City
Hall and the McCall Public
Library will be done in the
next six months.
Bicycle racks purchased
with city local- option tax
funds will be added to the
downtown area to encour-
age more bicyclists in the
downtown.
The city will try to locate
the racks near intersections
where they do not congest
sidewalks and in all city
parks.
Within the next year,
businesses will also be en-
couraged to add bicycle
parking to already estab-
lished businesses.
The voluntary measure
may be followed up with a
mandatory requirement for
bicycle racks.
McCall proposal for dogs
in parks takes shape
BY MICHAEL WELLS
The Star -News
Dogs and other pets may be allowed
in three McCall city parks under a
proposal working its way through the
McCall City Council.
The council decided last week
they wanted a few more changes to a
Proposal to give the McCall Parks and
Recreation Department more flexibil-
ity for allowing pets in Brown, Legacy
and Fairway parks.
Parks Director Dennis Coyle will
come back to the council at its Dec. 17
meeting with a proposed ordinance
to give him discretion on pets in city
parks.
A proposal reviewed by the council
last week would have required a coun-
cil resolution on each rule change.
Brown, Legacy and Fairway parks
were recommended by the McCall
Parks and Recreation Advisory Com-
mittee for a test of the new program.
Likely rules would require pet
owners to have their pets on a leash
no longer than six feet and would
ban no pets on the beach for health
reasons. Owners of pets also would
be required to clean up their G
waste in parks.
The parks department
would buy waste, receptacles
and waste bag dispensers for
the three parks under the trial
program, Coyle said.
Fairway Park would also
be a possible location where
the city would allow off -leash
training for hunting dogs.
Currently, theparks depart-
ment cannot issue apermitfor
any organization wanting to
use the park for an off -leash
training or demonstration
event, Coyle said.