Dark Times in the Middle East

He's just an ordinary, shy young lad, but his fate could mean war or peace in the Middle East - World - Times Online.

More About Idaho Smart Growth

For more information about Idaho Smart Growth, click on the link in the title above. They do good work, they're pragmatic and practical, and people are awakening to the need to address new challenges with new approaches.

Be sure to dig around the site a while - there is a lot of information there.

Smart Growth Meetings in Coeur d'Alene

This week there will be 2 meetings at which Jon Barrett, Interim Ex. Dir. of Idaho Smart Growth is presenting on the issue of growth and how to manage it wisely.

The first presentation is scheduled for tomorrow, (Tuesday), June 6 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Idaho Spokesman-Review Community Rm, 608 Northwest Blvd. in Coeur d'Alene. This is an informal meeting for anyone interested in learning more about "Smart Growth" and/or having an interest in advancing its principles in our communities.

Mr. Barrett recently agreed to hold this meeting in order to generate further interest in this issue here in northern Idaho. You are welcome to attend whether or not you RSVP, but a reply would be helpful to gauge interest and estimate attendance.

If you have friends or colleagues who might be interested, feel free to let them know.

The second meeting is sponsored jointly by the City of Coeur d'Alene and the Lake City Development Corporation and is especially directed to elected officials, planning commissioners, city and county planners. This meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 7, also from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Lake City Senior Center at 1916 N. Lakewood Drive, Coeur d'Alene. Please encourage any public officials you know to attend this presentation. Pre-registration is not required.

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Here is the text from the flyer about the Wednesday session targeted to elected officials but open to the public as well:

Whether you are an elected official, P & Z commissioner, or planner, you can no doubt relate to the following. The day-to-day business of implementing planning and zoning requirements rarely affords the opportunity to pause and reflect on the requirements themselves to assess whether they are resulting in the kind of development we actually prefer. How might our ordinances be modified to encourage the development of vibrant commercial areas and neighborhoods with character and lasting value?

Please join Idaho Smart Growth Interim Executive Director Jon Barrett for a presentation and interactive discussion about:

• The qualities that make for great neighborhoods

• The relationship between the comprehensive plan and the development that’s actually occurring on the ground

• How to evaluate and update land use and transportation policies related to development within city limits (i.e. infill) and in areas of city impact and beyond (i.e. greenfields) so that development better reflects the desires communicated by our comprehensive plans

• What are the barriers to updating planning and zoning-related ordinances?

Idaho Cloned Mules Win Preliminary Heats in Nevada

From Breitbart news: "Two qualifying heats, two wire-to-wire victories, two nearly identical times. It was almost like the same mule won twice. Idaho Gem, the world's first equine clone, and his brother, Idaho Star, made successful debuts Saturday in what scientists billed as the first professional competition between clones of any kind."



UPDATE 6/5: Looks like the horses didn't win in the final race on Sunday, coming in 3rd and 7th. No matter, it's fascinating (and a little unnerving) to see genetically engineered animals competing in a very traditional sport.

City Focus Areas Ranked by Votes

This chart doesn't reproduce incredibly well in this Blogger format, but here are the areas of priority that the City Council voted for on April 13th in a public workshop. This is the first part of the budget process, and staff then took this list back to determine hard costs.

The order is in order of council priority, and the numbers after (H M L) indicate the number of council members (including the Mayor in this exercise) voting for each priority.
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Proposed Focus Area H M L

1 Additional Police Personnel (Police) 7 0 0
2 Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Updates (Planning Commission) 6 1 0
3 Develop & Implement Affordable Housing Strategies (Administration) 5 2 0
4 Increase the Level of Overlay Funding (Engineering) 5 2 0
5 Additional Fire Fighters (Fire) 5 2 0
6 Additional Parks Workers (Parks) 5 2 0
7 Customer Service Enhancements (Building) 5 2 0
8 Resources for Constructing ADA Compliance Initiatives (Streets) 5 2 0
9 Strengthen Code Enforcement (Legal) 4 3 0
10 Additional HEO Staffing in Streets (Streets) 4 3 0
11 Parks Irrigation Worker (Parks) 4 3 0
12 Replenish Insurance Plan (Legal) 4 2 1
13 Provide Fire Service Outside City/Transfer Revenue (Fire) 4 2 1
14 Implement a Traffic School (Police) 3 2 2
15 Effluent Reuse Pilot (Wastewater) 1 6 0
16 Implementation of Citywide GIS Program (Municipal Services) 0 6 1
17 Pursue Fernan Sewer Agreement Negotiations (Legal/Wastewater) 2 5 0
18 Support Expansion of Citylink Public Transportation (Administration) 2 5 0
19 Acceptance of HUD “Entitlement City” Designation (Administration) 1 5 1
20 Expand “North Ramsey Campus”/Land Acquisition (Administration) 1 5 1
21 Convert Inline Area of Skate Park into BMX/Skate Park (Recreation) 1 5 1
22 Continue to Implement E-Commerce (Finance) 3 4 0
23 Joint Construction of Gyms (Winton) with School District (Recreation) 3 4 0
24 Credit Card Payment & On-Line Registration/Reservation (Parks/Recreation) 3 4 0
25 Resources to Sustain Expanded Library (Library/Parks) 3 4 0
26 Park Facility Upgrades (Parks) 3 4 0
27 Project Management and Inspection for ADA Compliance (Engineering) 3 4 0
28 River District Planning Study (Administration) 2 4 1
29 Planning for Growth by ULI Advisory Committee (Administration) 2 4 1
30 Develop a Hearing Examiner Process (Legal/Finance) 1 4 2
31 Adjudication of Aquifer Water Rights by State (Water) 1 3 3
32 Become a Class I Rated City (Fire) 2 2 3
33 Weed Abatement Program/Double-Fronted Lot Maintenance (Streets) 1 2 4
34 Downtown/Midtown Roof Drain – Stormwater Separation (Wastewater) 1 2 4

Summer Help in Coeur d'Alene

A message from Parks Director Doug Eastwood:

The CDA Parks Department is in the process of hiring summer help. The starting wage is $8.67 per hour. We work 40 hours per week and this can include weekends and holidays. The individual needs to be 16 years old or older and have a current driver’s license. We are hiring guys and gals. They will be assisting the full time staff with the daily maintenance of our parks, trails, building grounds, boulevards, and natural areas. If you know someone that might be interested, send them to City Hall and ask for Jackie Carbone. Jackie will give them an application.

Some highlights of this week's City Council Agenda

* - Proclamations on Arbor Week and Fair Housing Month
* - Housekeeping issues on the consent calendar
* - Resolution of support for St. Vincent dePaul's Homeless Grant Application
* - Discussion and vote on a new policy for water service outside city limits
* - Discussion and vote on a new bulk water use program
* - Public Hearing on Annexation and Zoning for Hawk's Nest Property adjacent to the Landings at Waterford between Atlas and Heutter Roads

The council will recess until 12 noon on Wednesday in the Council Chambers for a workshop/planning lunch on downtown development.

For more details, click here.

Property Tax Relief in the Idaho Legislature

Legislators hold the ball, citizens left holding the bag.

City of Coeur d'Alene Strategic Planning Session

This Thursday, April 13, the first component of the annual budgeting process begins with a workshop to be held at the Lake City Senior Center. The real meat of the meeting begins around 5:45 pm and will likely last until 8:30 or later.

City staff has prepared documentation that begins the process of setting priorities for projects, and it's being reviewed publicly by council members and questions will be put to staff on the various items.

Council and staff will be looking at the many different initiatives that are underway, ongoing, or potentially worth doing, and giving input into where the focus should be.

This is a public meeting - or rather a continuation of the last Council meeting - so the public is invited to attend. I encourage attendance because as a member of the Council I for one need the public input.

Another Shot of Crash

New Addition to the Kennedy Family

Welcome "Crash" Kennedy

Born December 3, 2005
Yellow Lab

Looks sad in this picture, but really he's only tired, having been worked over like, well, like a dog, by the kids.

Growth Paradox in Coeur d'Alene Last Week

The following are comments I made at the March 21, 2006 City Council meeting regarding the events of last week in Coeur d'Alene.
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Madame Mayor I wanted to talk just a little bit about a few things that happened last week in Coeur d’Alene. I don’t have a motion to introduce, but rather just a few brief comments and a request for some more feedback both here and in the larger community. Councilman McEvers has made mention of the need to try to spur more discussion on some issues facing the city without always having to have a vote on a specific measure, and I agree with him.

Last Tuesday, a week ago today, the Planning and Zoning Commission had a very long hearing covering several items. The same day, School District 271 was holding a school plant facilities levy election.

P&Z was handling two items on their calendar that caught my eye:
1) A request for variance to increase the height on a building on Sherman Avenue that would provide as I understand it 6 new residential units; and
2) A proposed zoning change from agricultural to city residential for annexation which facilitated a preliminary plat request for 867 new units on the prairie.

As the minutes of the P&Z meeting will attest, a number of people spoke against the 6-residential unit proposal downtown and the P&Z commissioners voted the variance down.

Later, though, not one person spoke in opposition to the annexation of the potential 867 residential new units on the prairie.

All the while, the returns were coming in indicating that the voters pretty soundly rejected a new school levy to deal with overcrowding and maintenance of old building issues in the district.

Certainly many folks have varying opinions on why the levy went down, but everyone I talk to seems to at least agree that increasing property taxes and a feeling that “new growth” should be paying for the impact on schools contributed to the levy’s defeat.

But as I read the papers the next day and read the outcome of the P&Z hearing, I couldn’t help but feel that there is a pretty serious disconnect in our community when residents clearly vote down a school levy on the very same day that an 867-unit plat annexation is being unanimously approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission with no discussion or input from residents at all.

No one has all the answers to the complex issue of managing growth effectively – I certainly don’t.

I recognize that currently the school districts cannot charge impact fees at all on new growth, so the burden falls heavily on property taxpayers. I recognize that P&Z has strict rules on what issues they can factor in when making a decision to approve or reject an annexation request. And I recognize that some folks don’t want any new heights downtown while others are very nervous about any new ordinances dealing with height and downtown development in Coeur d’Alene.

I knocked on about 1700 doors during last fall’s campaign, and when I asked regular residents an open ended question about what concerned them most about the community, to a person they talked about growth, taxes, and the changing nature of Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County.

Last week it felt to me like all three of those issues came to a head on the same day. And for lack of a better word it seemed almost schizophrenic to see two competing messages being delivered on the same day in the same city.

Citizens do look to us here, as well as to the School District, the County Commissioners and State Legislators for leadership. So I felt it was important to speak up when I saw this clear paradox in real time, and try to get some input from residents and other elected officials as to how we feel our way forward, trying to manage growth effectively while not choking off any economic expansion or opportunities.

In short, I want to hear what voters and residents are saying and I want to rely on the expertise of folks like the Planning Commissioners as well. But what concerns me is that we appear to be getting, or maybe delivering, two conflicting messages.

So on that note folks may not be prepared to have a longer discussion about it tonight, but I would like to open a discussion about the general issue of growth and how to manage it both with my fellow councilmembers, and with citizens directly. I’m all ears, and I invite people watching to contact me or any of our city councilmembers with input, thoughts, or concerns. I can be reached on my city email address at mkennedy@cdaid.org or by calling me at 664-7976.

Thank you, Madame Mayor for the time to speak.

Idaho Legislature Week Nine Report - Sen. Clint Stennett

Legislative News from the Senate Minority Leader...

Senator Clint Stennett
District 25
Legislative Week #9
03/10/06

This winter, Idaho saw the price of gasoline reach nearly $3.00 per gallon, and you were not alone if you needed to sit down before you opened your utility bills recently. We have been cautioned to look into alternative energy and fuels for quite some time. The time is upon us now. Every household and pocket book is feeling the pinch of our heavy reliance upon foreign oil and diminishing fossil fuels. The Idaho Legislature is waking up to the needs and the opportunities that exist in alternative energy and fuels as well.

This week a House Committee agreed to form a study committee to spend the summer researching the opportunities and possible pitfalls in implementing a mandate for adding ethanol to gasoline. My motion in a Senate Committee sent a 2% Bio-Diesel mandate to the floor for amendment. I predict this bill will end up in the summer study committee. I also predict that we will send the coal fired electric generating plant proposals to this study committee as well. This committee will be charged with developing a statewide energy plan. This plan will identify our future energy needs as well as where we should look for that energy. This effort will set the stage for the future of energy development in Idaho and Idahoans will be able to help shape that development. I support these efforts to develop alternative fuel and energy industries in Idaho.

In Idaho, we have ample resources (not fossil fuel based) that should also be implemented as a part of that plan. For example, there are enough wind resources in Idaho to provide for the entirety of our electrical energy needs. Wind and solar energy do fluctuate and hence cannot be counted on to serve a base load, or a constant source of energy. However, with natural gas fired plants to provide for peak needs in the coldest and hottest months and hydro to provide the base load, it is incumbent upon us to look to wind and solar energy as a way out of our dependence on fossil fuels.

I am intrigued with the idea of bio-diesel and ethanol to serve our motor fuel needs and lessen our dependence on foreign oil. These alternative fuels can be produced with the crops we grow, as well as with some of the waste products from food processing. While both fuels have some challenges, we must as a nation focus our efforts on developing these alternatives. I have been exploring the opportunity to develop a co-op of producers where farmers could use canola as a rotation crop and grow their own bio-diesel fuel, which could provide fuel for their own operations. As an ancillary benefit, this rotation might provide for the diversion of acres to help firm up pricing in crops such as potatoes.

Clearly, if we are to reach some sort of energy independence, we must encourage development of solar, wind, geothermal, small hydro, ethanol and bio-diesel. These resources should all be integrated into Idaho's plan. The debate about locating the Sempra coal-burning plant has helped Idaho focus on the need to develop alternative energy within our borders. We must develop our ample resources. The planning is long overdue and I encourage all Idahoans to weigh-in with their opinion. This energy plan will set the stage for the next generation of Idahoans. It will determine the movement toward renewable clean energy or coal fired electrical generation plants. I believe that Idaho has a bright future in developing clean alternative energy solutions.

As always, I welcome any suggestions, or comments you have to offer. It is my honor to serve District 25. I can be reached by calling (208) 332-1000 or toll-free 1-800-626-0471, via email at idleginfo@lso.idaho.gov, or by mail to P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720.

Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum
Senate Minority Leader
District #25

Cheering for Max

Quite the revelry in the Kennedy home this week as Max has taken to his potty training with a vengeance. You probably can't remember the last time anyone cheered when you went number one or two in the right place (i.e. not your pants) but Max has been getting constant cheers all week from his brother and sisters. Dinner the other night had the crowd chanting "Way to go, Max, way to go!!" in the rhythm you'd hear at a World Series game.

It's interesting, because we decided this weekend that it was just flat time for him to get going on this project, and sure enough he has responded amazingly well. As always Mrs. Kennedy gets most of the credit, since she spent the patient time with him in the bathroom getting acquainted with the procedures.

So there you have it - whatever else is going on in the grown-up stressful life zone, Max is digging getting cheered while he's on the toilet.

Nice work if you can get it.

Kudos to John and Ann Beutler

John and Ann give $200,000 back to Cd'A

Story by Linda Ball, Cd'A Press
Photo by Jerome Pollos, Cd'A Press
Story and Link Courtesy of Cd'A Press

COEUR d'ALENE -- The Coeur d'Alene Public Library and the Salvation Army Kroc Center are both $100,000 closer to their goals thanks to a generous gift this week from John and Ann Beutler.

Ann has lived in Coeur d'Alene her entire life, and John moved here in 1975 from Clarkston, Wash., after graduating from Washington State University. Their objective with the big gifts: Give back to the community that has given so much to them.

"I remember going to the library when I was a kid all the time when it was at what's now the Harris-Dean Insurance building at Seventh and Lakeside," Ann Beutler said. "I'm sure this library will be very different, but we'd like to be able to have good opportunities for the kids of this community."

Read more here.

Widespread Panic in Ireland as Flood Spreads

Allen Foundation Library Grant Challenge

COEUR d’ALENE – A $100,000 grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation for the new Coeur d’Alene Public Library is a challenge to the community to provide matching funds.
The grant to the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Foundation comes with the condition that the community must match the gift by April 1, 2007. Construction of the new facility is scheduled to begin in May this year.

“We are thrilled to be given this recognition and support from such an internationally prominent and highly respected philanthropic organization,” said Ruth Pratt, Executive Director of the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Foundation. “It’s very gratifying to everyone who worked so diligently preparing the grant proposal, which we submitted last August. The process is highly competitive and rigorous, and the vast majority of requests are not even invited to submit full proposals. Elaine Smith, our shared grant-writer, was most influential in guiding us through the process and deserves the biggest share of credit for our success.

“This affirmation of the quality of our project is definitely a shot of adrenalin. It will help us complete our fund-raising efforts to build this most critical public resource for our rapidly growing community. We hope that individuals and businesses throughout our area will rise to the challenge that the Paul Allen Family Foundation has issued so that we can wrap up our capital campaign as soon as possible.”

The campaign cabinet meets every week to strategize and report on the progress of their ongoing efforts to raise the remainder of the private funds necessary to finish construction. Members of this team include Jim Elder, Denny Davis, Sandy Patano, Steve Wetzel, Mary Sanderson, Jon and Cyndi Hippler, LuAnn Ganz, Sally Dodge, Judi Messina, Bette Ammon, Bob Nonini and Pratt.

“This will be the most historically significant public building constructed in our lifetime, so it is a unique opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the values and opportunities that a great public library represents for current and future generations,” Pratt said. The cabinet and Library Foundation are trying to raise the remaining $1.4 million required to complete construction of the new 38,000-square-foot library.

Pratt said that since the final phase of the campaign began in January close to $600, 000 has been raised.

“Time is of the essence,” she said. “The City is committed to beginning the project in May to avoid additional escalation in construction costs. We are giving everyone the opportunity to pay their pledges over a five-year period to make their investment as affordable as possible.”

“Many of us have been working on the foundation board for more than 10 years to gain recognition and support for a new public library, she said. “We feel, as Andrew Carnegie said, that a ‘library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people.’ We want to complete this most public of projects so that citizens of all ages in our area have free access to the wealth of treasures our new library will hold. It’s nice to know that the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation agrees.”

Through the “Leave a Legacy in the Library” campaign, individuals and businesses are being asked to make pledges for various naming opportunities in the new library. For information about donor opportunities, contact the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Foundation at 208/665-0040, 424 E. Sherman Ave. The floor plans and other drawings of the new library can be seen at www.cdalibrary.org by clicking on the “Building Project” link.

Bono Rocks the National Prayer Breakfast

...an excerpt...

"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house… God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives… God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war… God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. “If you remove the yolk from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom with become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places”

It’s not a coincidence that in the Scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It’s not an accident. That’s a lot of air time, 2,100 mentions. [You know, the only time Christ is judgmental is on the subject of the poor.] ‘As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.’ (Matthew 25:40). As I say, good news to the poor."

Full text here: Hunger for Justice

Idaho Legislature Week One Report - by Rep. Wendy Jaquet

Governor Kempthorne presented his last state of the state and budget to the legislature and the public on Monday night, January 9. In this first column I'm going to list some of his initiatives and my concerns for your consideration.

Public employee pay raises: He stepped up to the plate and said we should give raises immediately in this fiscal year. He wants to add 3% to the base. A 1% raise was authorized last session based on revenues which far exceeded expectations. Our state employees are far under the market rate of their private economy counterparts, on an average of 16%. I support this and hope for more.

Public schools: He recommended raising the starting pay for teachers to $30,000, but offered only a 2.2 to 2.5% raise to everyone else. I think the public school employees should get the same raises as the public employees.

Property taxes: He suggested a higher qualifying net income for the circuit breaker program, a property tax relief program for low income seniors and the disabled, $30,000, but kept the benefit payment at $1200. This is too low for our communities who have escalating values. I think $28,000 with a $1320 maximum benefit is better. He also offered a deferred property tax program. He failed to lead on state required property tax initiatives such as raising the homeowner's exemption and the repeal of the developer discount agriculture/development statute that has cost counties valuable revenue and shifted the cost of services to other tax payers. I will be working in the House Revenue and Taxation Committee for property tax solutions.

School Buildings: He suggested that we lower the super majority vote approval for school buildings to 60% with the votes on the primary or general election days. This will need a 2/3 vote by the House and Senate to go on the ballot for a constitutional change and is in response to the Supreme Court telling the legislature to help fund a safe learning environment for Idaho's children. He said we should increase funds to the interest subsidy program that Wendell and 23 other districts have used to build a new schools but with 114 districts with who knows how many unsafe schools, this could take forever. I will work to get the Interim Property Tax Committee's recommendation to require impact fees for new schools passed. "Make Growth Pay for Itself", said the people who testified in the hearings before the committee this summer.

Community Colleges: He addressed the issue of a more integrated community college throughout the state by suggesting that classes taught by adjunct professors (part time) could be presented in community libraries, county buildings, k-12 schools at a cheaper cost which is a creative and good idea. However, he didn't offer how we can create equity in this community college system which is partially funded by property tax payers in Jerome, Twin Falls and Kootenai counties, but not in other counties such as Ada and Canyon who really need a community college.

Governor's Mansion: He suggested that the state purchase additional acreage below the "donated" Simplot home which is to be the Governor's mansion. At $2 million dollars, it seems like the Simplots should sell that land to a developer and the mansion be in a neighborhood. The $2 million dollars needs to go to schools in areas where there are low property values and the interest subsidy won't help enough.

Experiencing Idaho: He suggested that we fund a new park in Eastern Idaho and improve a few parks around the state including Billingsley. I want to help the Hagerman site, but I'm worried about spending money on improvements when most parks need an infusion of cash just to take care of needed maintenance. I'm concerned about last year's Connecting Idaho, the highway construction initiative that is effecting scheduled highway improvements like the highway between Shoshone and Timmerman. I'm not sure we can afford a new initiative.

Energy Assistance: The Governor wants to send everyone $50 to offset their power bills this winter. I would rather see the money go to families who qualify through the Community Action Agency energy assistance programs around the state. They already have a system in place. It would cost the state $400,000 to send out those $50 checks. Does everyone need this?

Lots of ideas to think about. If you have suggestions/different ideas, please contact me at 800/ 626-0471 or wjaquet@house.idaho.gov I appreciate hearing from you. Have a good week.

Library Fundraising Needed!

By MARC STEWART, Coeur d'Alene Press Staff writer

Organizers determined to continue fund-raisers before construction starts

COEUR d'ALENE -- Overdue fees won't cover the $1.4 million needed to build a new downtown library.

The city of Coeur d'Alene is committed to building a $7.2 million facility -- even if all the money isn't in place when construction is scheduled to start in May.


"We're determined to get this rolling because the longer we wait, the more the cost goes up," Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander said Wednesday.