State of the CityBoise 2012

What a difference a year makes.

Last year, as Boise’s economy showed only faint suggestions of emerging from our long national recession, I called upon community leaders to have faith — faith in ourselves, faith in our abilities, faith in our city.

Since that time, we have seen remarkable activity in Boise that has sparked new confidence and a renewed sense of what is possible for our city in the years ahead. While much progress still needs to be made before we can claim full recovery, I think it is safe to say the faith we all have shown in Boise is beginning to be rewarded.

One need only take a short walk through downtown Boise to see the positive signs. Construction is under way on a new building at 8th and Main streets that will finally fill the infamous “hole in the ground.” This striking new edifice will be the Idaho headquarters of Zions Bank and will also become a new home for Holland & Hart law firm, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, the Idaho Technology Council and others.

A few blocks south, work has begun on the Simplot Foundation’s JUMP project, a significant new investment in Boise’s downtown that will create many new jobs during construction and, when complete, will serve as an exciting new hub for our city’s creative economy.

Go east and you will see the beautiful new Concordia University School of Law, set to begin classes this fall. Beyond that is the project that has created enthusiastic anticipation among Boise’s growing population of gastronomes: Whole Foods. The

fRoM the MayoRFrom the Mayor

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35,000-square-foot facility at Broadway Avenue and Front Street will join with a new Walgreens to create economic activity on a corner that has sat idle for far too long.

It’s not just downtown that’s thriving. Unemployment across Boise has dropped to 7.4 percent as of March, down almost a full percentage point from the same period last year and far lower than during the worst days of the recession.

The City of Boise is doing everything possible to encourage this positive trend and to quicken its pace. In the coming weeks we will dedicate the new River Recreation Park, an exciting amenity that will join the upcoming adjacent Esther Simplot Park to create a vital 30th Street area around which other development can soon follow. The Greenhouse, the City of Boise’s business incubator, is operat-ing at full capacity with multiple start-ups growing into successful new businesses. One company, Affinity Amp, has emerged as the first successful Greenhouse graduate. We look forward to seeing many others in the years ahead.

But now is not the time to rest easy. While our faith has been rewarded, what is required now is action — by Boise’s business leaders and elected officials — to extend and expand upon this positive trend. I look forward to working together as our city continues its return to full prosperity.

I can’t wait to see what next year will bring.

Sincerely,

David H. BieterMayor

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RIVER RECREATION PARKIt’s finally here. The first phase of the long-awaited Boise River Park is finished

and is generating a lot of excitement west of downtown, as kayakers and other water sports enthusiasts wait for river levels to drop so they can try out the park’s state-of-the-art Wave Shaper technology.

Once the site of a concrete plant and slaughterhouse, the new park could generate millions of dollars per year in economic benefits to the City of Boise and neighboring Garden City. Funding for the $3.6 million first phase was provided by the City of Boise, J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Foundation and dozens of other dona-tions generated by the volunteer Friends of Parks. The community is invited to join a parade of paddlers from 5 to 7 p.m. June 28 to celebrate the opening of this exciting new city amenity.

HYATT HIDDEN LAKES RESERVEA former gravel pit, the Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve has been has been trans-

formed into a haven for birds, animals and people. With a network of pathways and an innovative stormwater treatment project, the 54-acre site consists of a 22-acre wetland surrounded by open space, creating a significant pocket of wildlife habitat in the midst of established residential neighborhoods on the West Bench. A $1.3

a City of ReCReation CReateS MoReA City Of Recreation

Creates More

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million EPA grant was used to create the project, which demonstrates appropriate methods for decentralized stormwater treatment. A large bat sculpture by Boise artist Mark Baltes will become the city’s latest public art project. The city will host a dedi-cation ceremony at 10 a.m. July 11.

MARIANNE WILLIAMS PARK Significant progress has been made on Marianne Williams Park, a major new park

that is quickly becoming a favorite destination for birding enthusiasts, hikers and people seeking quiet respite. The park features sweeping views of the neighboring Foothills, large ponds with fishing and riparian areas, open areas, and 1.3 miles of paved pathways, including a new stretch along the north bank of the Boise River. Located in the heart of the Barber Valley, the site was donated to the city in Novem-ber 2005 by Larry Williams in honor of his wife Marianne. Additional work, includ-ing increased access to the park, is continuing, with a grand opening set for 2013.

SECOND MOBILE RECREATION VANA popular city program was expanded in last year with the addition of a second

Mobile Recreation Van. Operated by Boise Parks & Recreation, the vans offer free supervised games, art activities and healthy snacks at schools, parks and low-income apartment complexes. This summer the vans will visit 20 different sites throughout the city.

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GOODBYE, HOLE-IN-THE-GROUNDMore than twenty years after a tragic fire destroyed the historic Eastman Building,

the corner at 8th and Main streets once again will find productive use, as Gardner & Co. and Zions Bank team up to fulfill the potential of this long-neglected piece of Boise history. In addition to Zions, the building will also house Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Holland & Hart law firm, the Idaho Technology Council, First American Title and CTA Architects Engineers, the firm that designed the building.

JUMPWork is under way on phase one of Jack’s Urban Meeting Place (JUMP), a new

home for creativity and inspiration built by the Simplot Foundation in tribute to Idaho business titan J.R. Simplot. JUMP will house five working studios and an expansive urban park that will provide wonderful new venues for civic events.

CONCORDIA SCHOOL OF LAW The inaugural class of the Concordia School of Law is set to matriculate this

August, creating a vital new education resource for the Boise Valley and bringing new jobs and activity along Front Street in downtown Boise. Former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Cathy Silak serves as dean of the law school, which is housed in a beautifully restored building at Front and Fifth streets.

a City of BUSineSS GetS BUSyA City Of Business Gets Busy

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BIOMARK Renovation work has been completed on a city-owned warehouse that is now

the headquarters for Biomark, a biotech company that manufactures electronic monitoring devices for fish and wildlife. This innovative partnership is a significant economic development success story, keeping Biomark’s quality jobs within Boise, upgrading a dormant city facility with no taxpayer dollars and bringing new life and activity to the south end of Bodo.

ALASKA AIRLINESAlaska Airlines recently announced it is expanding crew domiciles to three North-

west cities for the operation of its sister company Horizon Air. Boise will become the base for 96 Horizon pilots and flight attendants. Alaska Airlines is the second largest carrier at BOI, accounting for approximately 25 percent of local passenger activity.

CRIME RATESThere is no greater economic development tool than low crime rates. Fortunately,

Boise’s crime numbers, which have usually been quite low, are getting even lower. In 2011 in Boise, major crime declined by almost 4 percent compared to the previ-ous year. Since 2005, serious crime has plummeted by almost 27 percent in Boise.

FIRE STATION 15The city’s new fire station opens this month in the Harris Ranch area of East

Boise. The station is a joint project with the Whitney Fire District to replace the 35-year-old Fire Station 22. The beautiful new facility will serve as a new neighbor-hood hub for an area that is seeing remarkable growth.

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The Public Works Department continues to implement innovative environmental programs and services while maintaining some of the most affordable sewer and trash rates in the country.

CURB ITThe City of Boise’s “Curb It” trash and recycling program is expanding its offer-

ings. This year a more affordable subscription glass program ($5.50 for monthly service) was added, and new and improved commercial recycling begins in June. Businesses can receive free service for at least one cart, with greatly reduced pricing after that. The Recycle the Fall leaf collection and residential cleanup weeks in the winter and spring also are growing in popularity.

ENERGY CONSERVATIONThe Be Idle Free Boise campaign was launched this year to reduce car idling

in our community. Some 2,000 streetlights were converted to energy saving LED technology, and new upgrades are being made at the treatment plant to turn treatment bi-products into a reusable fertilizer.

DIXIE DRAINAfter several years of negotiations, the City of Boise has a new wastewater dis-

charge permit from EPA. Under the new permit, the city will eliminate

a SUStainaBLe City GRoWS GReeneRA Sustainable City

Grows Greener

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AIRPORT PARKING GARAGEA voter-approved amendment to

the Idaho Constitution in 2010 has improved the Boise Airport’s ability to expand to fill growing customer need. The amendment, called HJR5, rein-stated Idaho airports’ ability to sell bonds to fund projects such as the expansion of the Boise Airport parking garage. The parking garage expansion is in the design phase with a tentative completion set for 2013. The project will add 871 covered parking spaces for airport patrons.

BOISE FIBER RING The city’s four major facilities and

nine additional locations are saving money and reducing vehicle traffic thanks to the IT Department’s Fiber Ring project, an important technologi-cal upgrade that will allow city data communications to be made securely via fiber. The project will provide a 20- to 30-year platform for data transfer, saving taxpayer money by allowing departments to communicate more efficiently.

98 percent of its phosphorous discharges into the Boise River and ensures residents will be fishing, floating and swimming in the river for generations to come. The city is also proposing the innovative and cost-effective Dixie Drain project, a new and nationally recognized method of reducing phosphorous while controlling costs for ratepayers.

BOISE STATE GEOTHERMALJanuary marked the completion of phase one of a project to extend environmen-

tally friendly geothermal heat across the river to Boise State University. Starting in November the Morrison Center and the Student Union Building will be among the first to receive service from the city’s geothermal heating system, the largest of its kind in the United States. When completed, eight campus buildings will be heated by geothermal energy.

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a City of CULtURe fLoURiSheSA City of Culture

FlourishesDEPARTMENT OF ARTS & HISTORY

The Department of Arts & History continues to serve as a major catalyst and sup-porter of cultural and historic activities in Boise. The past year marked the 10-year anniversary of the Percent for Art program, which has allowed Boise to create more than 80 artworks valued at $4 million. During the same period the Boise Visual Chronicle, a collection of portable works by Idaho artists, has grown to 90 pieces by 49 artists, which can be seen throughout Boise in a variety of public spaces.

The Department also distributed more than $100,000 in grants to cultural organizations and arts and history projects, including $60,000 in Economic Development Grants to four major local arts organizations.

The biennial Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in Arts & History were presented last September at the Old Penitentiary, with awards going to landmark institutions such as The Cabin and the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, celebrated artists includ-ing the late Surel Mitchell, and community treasures like retired Statesman colum-nist Tim Woodward and the late civic leader and philanthropist Jane Oppenheimer.

The popular and successful traffic box and transit shelter art programs continue to grow, with 14 more traffic boxes added within the city and eight transit shelter artworks. Look for more traffic boxes to be installed this summer.

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BOISE LIBRARYBoise’s passion for reading shows no sign of waning, with an average of 4,469

people visiting a Boise Public Library facility every day they’re open and daily checkouts averaging 7,241 items. Approximately 59 percent of Boise residents are registered library cardholders. The library has also become more user friendly, with a new option to pay library fines online and a new browsing and reading area at the Main Library.

Use of library ebooks continues to grow, with 51,623 customer downloads in the 52 weeks ending March 2012. The popular service includes more than 5,500 titles with more to come, ranging from classics to bestsellers, and including many chil-dren’s chapter books and selections for teens. Most e-readers and mobile devices are now compatible with the library’s ebook service.

Thanks to a grant from the Friends of the Boise Public Library, the library expanded its local music collection this year. Over 400 CDs by local artists in various genres are listed in the online catalog, with new titles added regularly.

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a CaRinG City GiVeS BaCKA Caring City Gives Back

LET’S MOVE BOISE A team of organizations accepted the Mayor’s challenge to join First Lady

Michelle Obama’s national campaign to combat childhood obesity by increasing access to healthy food and physical activities. Hundreds of children and adults have participated in first-year activities, include $1 Skate Day at Idaho IceWorld, zoorobics exercises at Zoo Boise and the Grow a Row seed distribution program to encourage residents to donate fresh produce to local food pantries.

BOISE CELEBRATES GOOD NEIGHBORSLast year the city developed a new program to allow neighborhood heroes

to receive the recognition they deserve. In September, Mayor Bieter presented award certificates to more than 30 individuals nominated by their fellow resi-dents for giving their time and energy to strengthen the bonds that connect our community together.

POLICE AND FIRE UNIONSCity of Boise firefighters and police officers earned their hero status in more

ways than one last year when they agreed to reduce their pay to help balance the city budget. Mayor Bieter joined with representatives from Boise Firefighters Local 149 and Boise Police Local 486 at an event in December to announce that both unions would forgo contractually guaranteed payments, saving the city a total of

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$1.275 million. The historic agreement proves that city governments and public-safety unions can work together to solve difficult problems and allow Boise to remain on a solid financial footing.

THE SPEEDY FOUNDATIONLast September, Mayor Bieter joined suicide-prevention advocates to launch The

Speedy Foundation, an organization created in memory of Jeret “Speedy” Peterson and dedicated to understanding mental health conditions and preventing suicide. At the event, the Mayor and other advocates called for the creation of a statewide suicide prevention hotline, a project that has since received full funding and is on target to launch later this year.

REFUGEES The City and its many community partners completed the first year of imple-

mentation of the Refugee Resource Strategic Community Plan. Boise’s success at refugee resettlement is being used as a national model by the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Episcopal Migration Ministries. In a moving ceremony last October, Mayor Bieter presented local refugee Fidel Nshombo,a survivor of the Rwandana genocide and the winner of the 2011 Refugee Integration and Success Award, with an American flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol.

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•No. 2, Best Cities for Raising a Family

— Forbes (April 2012)

• No. 2, Five Safest Cities for Driving in America — Allstate Insurance Co. (September 2011)

• No. 5, Healthiest Cities — Women’s Health/Men’s Health (January 2012)

•No. 6, America’s Hottest Music Cities — The Atlantic (March 2012)

• No. 8, Top 10 Places to Live — RelocateAmerica (August 2011)

• No. 8, Top 25 Metro Areas Gaining Kids — Urban Land Institute (September 2011)

• No. 10, 20 Longest-Living Cities — The Daily Beast (July 2011)

• Top 10 Turnaround Towns — CNN Money (February 2012)

•10 Great Places for Paddling in the City

— USA Today (August 2011)

• No. 13, America’s Luckiest Cities (most lottery winners and holes in one, fewest lightning strikes and deaths from falling objects) — Men’s Health (October 2011)

oVeRheaRDOverheard

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• 25 Best Places to Retire — CNN Money (September 2011)

• “Stroll around downtown Boise on a warm day and you’ll see throngs of cyclists — and packed bike racks. The variety of cruisers, mountain bikes and road bikes shows that biking is a beloved way of life here.“ — “Great Cities for Cycling,” MSN (August 2011)

• “Mild weather? Check. Ample options for outdoor activity? Check. Cool coffeehouses and shops? Check. More and more triathletes are turning up to test Boise’s vast terrain — and deciding to stick around.”

— “Best Places to Live 2011,” Triathlete (August 2011)• “Like most cities, this 200,000-person metropolis has felt the impact of the recent recession; unlike many

of them, it has rebounded in artful and inventive ways. … Perhaps it’s a lesson for the rest of us. As Boise proves, emphasizing the small things seems to make everything better.” — “The Buzz on Boise,” AAA | Via (September-October 2011)

• “Take one look at the 22.5-mile Boise River Greenbelt trail, watching locals float rafts downstream or cast flies in the shallows, and you’ll wonder why you haven’t heard more about this smalltown city, which seems to have more green space than people. Boise might just win the award for most within-city recreation. And just out of town is pretty great too.” — “Fittest Towns of the West,” Sunset (February 2012)

•“Boise was a place I never dreamed of, a place I never heard of, a place where today I think I really needed to be all along. A place of peace, love and prosperity. A place that allowed me to search for myself, my family, my dream…”— Boise refugee Fidel Nshombo, from his book Route to Peace: The cries of the forgotten refugees in deadly camps

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A FAREWELL TO PARKS & RECREATION DIRECTOR JIM HALLParks & Recreation Director Jim Hall announced this spring that he will

be retiring in July after more than 20 years of service to Boise.

“Jim Hall took a good parks system and turned into one of the best in the country. Everywhere you look in Boise you see Jim’s imprint. From the expansion of the Greenbelt, the acquisition of thousands of acres of foothills open space and our spectacular Ribbon of Jewels riverfront parks, to the city’s new community centers and the upcoming River Recreation, Marianne Williams and Esther Simplot parks, Jim has made our parks system Boise’s signature asset. Boise wouldn’t be Boise without our parks, and our parks wouldn’t be the same without Jim Hall.”

— Mayor David H. Bieter

Cover Photo: Michael FalveyEditing: Adam Park

Design: Kris Hudson

City of Boise / 150 N. Capitol Blvd. P.O. Box 500 / Boise, ID 83701-0500 208-384-4422 / TTY 800-377-3529

www.cityofboise.org