Whittier Art Installation Charette

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Dear Artists, Community Members, and Whittier Parents:

We’d like to invite you to participate in a collaborative community design event (charette) on March 9, 2013, 8:30 am – 1:00 pm.

Background: Ada County Highway District begins construction of a ¬5-lane boulevard adjacent to Whittier Elementary School, beginning Februrary 2013. Whittier is a Title 1 school with students who speak more than a dozen different languages and come from all over the world. The school’s playground backs onto the new road, anticipated to be named Whitewater Park Boulevard.

Project: A group of neighbors, parents, artists and other community members are leading an effort to create an artful boundary between the schoolyard and the new boulevard. The charette is a half-day brainstorming activity to source and modify ideas for this project. Community members and artists from multiple disciplines are invited: landscape designers, glass artists, metal artists, architects, painters, sculptors, mixed-media artists, graphic designers and those with knowledge of the neighborhood and school. Did we leave out your expertise? We still want you there!

Project Components: The proposed project/art piece will combine art and function to reflect the character of the diverse neighborhood known as The 30th Street Neighborhood. The boundary-to-be is anticipated to be funded by a series of grants to be written in 2013. Installation is projected to begin June 2014. We anticipate a call for artists to design and install the selected artwork.

Reasons to participate:
• Brainstorm ideas for a new public art project
• Get involved with this grass-roots effort in Boise, Idaho to create a work of art in the 30th Street Neighborhood, a neighborhood on the cusp of great change and prepped to blossom creatively, socially and economically
• Find out more about the neighborhood cultural arts plan which identi¬es public art opportunities and de¬nes the neighborhood voice
• Blow your mind with participants who will step up your creative thinking early in the morning
• We will provide breakfast and plenty of snacks

When: March 9, 2013 | 8:30 am to 1pm

Where: Whittier Elementary School, 301 N. 29th (At Je erson)

Who: You and representatives from Boise School District, Ada County Highway District, Whittier Elementary School, Veterans Park Neighborhood Association & City of Boise

If you can join us, please RSVP to Elizabeth Rodgers by March 1st by emailing her at emailerodg@gmail.com. We’ll send an agenda in late February to those who respond to this invitation.

Thank you for your involvement in the cultural life of Boise!

30th Street Extension | Project Update from ACHD

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Construction to begin in Early February

Recently, the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) Commission awarded the 30th Street Extension construction contract to Alta Construction of Boise. Construction will begin February 1st, 2013 and is anticipated to take nine months to complete.

While originally referred to as the 30th Street Extension, in October 2011, the City of Boise approved the new roadway name, Whitewater Park Boulevard. You may hear the project referred to by both names.

During construction, Whitewater Park Boulevard between Main Street and Fairview Avenue will be closed to through pedestrian and vehicle traffic but will remain open for local traffic. In addition, Whitewater Park Boulevard (including the existing 31st Street between Pleasanton Avenue and Stewart Avenue) will be closed from just north of the Reflections Apartments entrance to the west end of Rose Street.  Pedestrian access will be maintained near the entrance to Reflections Apartments to connect to Whittier Elementary School and will also remain available at Pleasanton Avenue to connect to the Greenbelt.  Vehicle access will be maintained at Pleasanton Avenue for access to Idaho River Sports, Quinn’s Pond and the Boise River Recreation Park.  This section of the future roadway is not a through roadway today.  Keeping it closed to through traffic will allow the construction to move more quickly and safely.  Please see the corresponding map which illustrates these anticipated roadway access impacts.

The project will:

  • Construct a four-lane roadway from State Street to Fairview Avenue – to include medians and turn lanes
  • Construct a two-lane roundabout at Whitewater Park Boulevard  & Stewart Avenue,  the future Esther Simplot Park entrance
  • Construct curb, gutter, sidewalk and bike lanes throughout the project area
  • Add pedestrian crossing signals at the following locations:
    • Entrance to Reflections Apartments to connect to Whittier Elementary School
    • Whitewater Park Boulevard & Pleasanton Avenue
    • Whitewater Park Boulevard & Jordan Street
  • Replace the City of Boise sewer main between Fairview Ave and 32nd Street – this work will also include removing and reconnecting sewer services
  • Add landscaping in select areas throughout the project (by the City of Boise)
  • Re-stripe 27th Street to include two travel lanes, a turn lane and bike lanes, eliminating one existing travel lane in each direction (this will be done under a separate project once the Extension is constructed)

How can you stay informed during construction?

Construction updates will be posted to the project page and will be e-mailed to project subscribers. To sign up to receive construction updates to your e-mail account, please visit the project web page and enter your information under the “Subscribe” section.

Regular on-site construction coordination meetings, led by the contractor, will be held during the project and will be open to the public to attend. Dates and location will be determined closer to the start of construction and will be posted to the project web page, http://www.achdidaho.org/Projects/PublicProject.aspx?ProjectID=87

Please feel free to share the enclosed information with your neighbors or those interested in this project.

If you have questions about this project, please e-mail projects@achdidaho.org or call 387-6100.

Thank you for your continued interest in the 30th Street Extension project.

Color of Conscience at UCC

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Boise First Congregational Church will be sponsoring a community event celebrating the passing of the Boise’s Anti-Discrimination ordinance.  The Color of Conscience will be viewed and discussed with Marcia Franklin the award winning producer of the film  All are invited on January 12th at 6:30 at the church…
2201 Woodlawn Ave.

Walking trail gets another $4000!

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VPNA is pleased to annouce that the interpretive walking trail project under way in the “West End” neighborhood recieved another boost from the city of Boise. The original grant could only pay for capital improvements (ie interpretive signs and trail markers) along the trail. This new grant was awarded through Boise 150 in celebration of our city’s susquicentennial. The $4000 will be used to hire a professional historian to research and create a walking trail guide to take with you on the trail. The guide will highlight additional information about specific properties and locations within the neightborhood that have historical, architectural or cultural significance.

VPNA helps Taft School get new playground!

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VPNA with assistance from NHS (Neighborhood Housing Services) has received a grant from KaBoom to  build a new playground at Taft Elementary. We are looking for volunteers to help with construction! Build Day is October 27th from 8 am to 3 pm. The whole playground will be built that day! Breakfast and lunch is included. Your family and friends are also invited, but please contact Lesley Krone with NHS if you have youth (under 18) that are interested in being involved.  We also need community support, in the form of food donations, tools, ladders, wheel barrows, etc (equipment can be borrowed).  Please spread the word and save the date to pitch in and help. RSVP to lkrone@nhsid.org or 258-6215

Volunteers needed to help with Greenbelt Survey

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Volunteers are needed Tuesday, Sept. 18, and Saturday, Sept. 22, to help conduct a survey of Greenbelt
users.

Data collected from the 1-page  survey will be used in management decisions for the 22.5 miles of Greenbelt pathways maintained by Boise Parks & Recreation.  Managers use survey results to measure satisfaction and identify needs and problem areas on the Greenbelt.

Teams of 2-3 volunteers are needed in four-hour shifts at a variety of locations. Time shifts are from:

  •  7:00-11:00 a.m.
  • 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
  • 3:00-6:00 p.m.

To sign up online, see bit.ly/IOmN8R and type “Boise Greenbelt Survey” in the search box. Or contact Jerry Pugh, Boise Parks & Recreation volunteer coordinator, via email at jpugh@cityofboise.org, or by calling (208) 608-7617.

Neighborhood Housing Services looking for new board members

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Neighorhood Housing Services (NHS) is looking for two new board members to represent the interests of low-moderate income families in our community. NHS is best known for organizing Rake Up Boise and Paint the Town Boise , but they also provide affordable housing, home lending, foreclosure prevention, etc… These board positions need to be filled by August 1.  These board members must fulfill one of the following requirements…

  • A low-income resident of Boise (earning 80% or less of the median income). Please refer to the chart attached.
  • A resident of a low-income neighborhood in Boise (if you have an individual in mind, tell me their address and I’ll check to see if it qualifies)
  • An elected representative of a low-income neighborhood organization within Boise (in this case, we’ll need a copy of a signed resolution from the neighborhood organization naming the individual as their representative)

If interested contact:
Neighborhood Housing Services, 1401 Shoreline Drive Suite 200, Boise, ID 83702
Email:         cbarnes@nhsid.org
Phone:         (208) 343-4065

Fairview Park sees cutbacks on city maintenance

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Fairview Park, in VPNA’s Pleasanton sub-neighborhood, is one of six parks selected by the city for reduced maintenance this summer.

According to a Statesman article June 21, 2012. Six parks and six medians/rights of way in Boise that was selected for reduced maintenance — every-other-week mowing, less watering, no weeding — beginning in early April. If implemented in all neighborhood and community parks, the program could save the city $340,000 annually. Parks staff recommended to city leaders that neighborhoods be notified about the cutbacks, but “the mayor and council elected not to make a notification because they wanted to wait and see what comments might be received,” according to minutes from the commission’s April 19 meeting. Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/06/21/2163078/boise-cuts-some-park-services.html#storylink=cpy

Remember this is a pilot project, so it might be implemented across more parks citywide in the future. If a park with more weeds, long grass or even brown grass is undesirable to you please let the city know. Perhaps a positive way to accomplish the task of reducing park maintenance and cost would be to convert grass to native, water wise plantings.

The city wants to hear what you think about this pilot project. If you think the appearance of Fairview Park has changed for the worse, then please let the city know by completing the survey at the link below. Please note, you can complete the survey multiple times throughout the summer when you feel the park’s appearance is undesirable.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/servicereduction

August 2012 Follow-up – from city website link… http://www.cityofboise.org/Departments/Parks/CaringForParks/page71583.aspx

The City of Boise has completed a pilot program launched in April to determine if reduced maintenance levels in city parks and public rights-of-way could be used as a low-impact way of saving taxpayer dollars.

The pilot program reduced the amount of mowing, watering, trimming, bed care, and other maintenance procedures in in six neighborhood parks and six rights-of-way maintained by Boise Parks & Recreation. Residents can expect maintenance levels in pilot areas to return to previous levels for the immediate future.

“This pilot program has been productive because it allowed us to measure both how different types of vegetation respond to varying levels of service and if those levels meet the expectations of our citizens,” said Interim Parks & Recreation Director Doug Holloway.

The City will use the data collected to make decisions about future parks maintenance strategies.

Additionally, the Mayor and Council have directed the department to explore new design standards including alternative types of vegetation and landscaping that require less water and overall maintenance.

Our thanks to citizens who took the time to respond to the survey and provide their opinions about parks and rights-of-way sites in the program.