Nanobrewery Wants to Locate at 10th and Grant in Caldwell

THE GUARDIAN received a very nice letter today inviting me to attend a meeting to review and discuss a proposed "nanobrewery" project at the corner of 10th Avenue and Grant Streets.  The meeting will be held at the Caldwell public library at 3:00 PM on Monday August 6th. 

Those familiar with brew pubs know they are not just another beer joint in a community, they are more restaurant with a limited high quality menu and they serve up equally high quality micro brews.  The few that I have been in are family friendly, have a relaxing atmosphere and generally the perfect mix of good food served in a clean environment at reasonable prices.  This could be a nice addition to the Fairview Golf Course, sort of a 19th hole environement.

THE GUARDIAN owns property in the vicinity of this proposed project and will attend the meeting in support of this project.  The letter we received was signed by Josh White of Tay's Inc. 

This meeting is part of the process in getting permits and approvals from the city of Caldwell P&Z and final approvals from the City Council.

Loud, Noisy, Disagreable and Mayor Dale Gets to Decide

There is a very good article on the workings of Nampa City Government and what the addition of Councilman Bob Henry has brought to Nampa's City Council in the Idaho Statesman today (Sunday).

The Nampa City Council is no longer a rubber stamp for the the Mayor and various departments of Nampa City.  Councilors Henry and Kren have demonstrated a parsimonious defense of their view of spending citizens tax dollars v. the opposite attitude  demonstrated with Councilors Pam White and Martin Thorne.  Mayor Dale is having to weigh in with tie breaking votes that generally affirm the votes of White and Thorne.

It is a very good read written by Kristen Rodine of the Idaho Statesman and you can get it all at: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/07/22/2197573/nampa-council-often-divided.html 

How To Use an AED When Someone Has A Cardiac Arrest

In the event of a sudden cardiac arrest, what would you do?  You can stand around and be a spectator or get involved in saving someones life.  AED's are in most public places.  I have seen then and asked: What is the gizmo hanging on the wall.  Most employees know it is a defibrillator but they have no idea how to use it.

I had no idea how to use an AED until this link http://www.heartrescuenow.com/ was sent to me by a friend. It will take a few minutes of your time but well worth the investment.  You will know how to administer one of these life saving tools should the need arise.

Regards,  Paul

Caldwell Water Report In And It is Liquid Gold In Quality

People in Caldwell take water  for granted.  Once again the water quality report was sent out to users in their monthly water bills this past week.  The  quality of water in Caldwell is something we have come to expect.  We have some of the best drinking water I have ever encountered in all of the places I have visited or lived.

Wells all over the valley serving small rural communities are fraught with all manner of chemical and/or bacterial problems.  It may look like water but chemical/biological tests tell another story.  The Federal Govt. sets primary drinking water standards for all states and they are required to comply with these standards, in additions some states have secondary standards that are over and above primary Federal Drinking Water Standards.

We are using water that is millions of years old in Caldwell and once used the aquifer is depleted by the amount drawn out.  Problems we are not addressing as a community is using potable water to keep lawns green.  We should be taking steps to use irrigation water 100%  for outdoor uses.  Most of the newer homes have this water available but where I live I have no option but to use city potable water to keep my trees and lawn watered.

It would seem reasonable to form LID's where potable water is used for irrigation and get this changed over just as a matter of saving drinking water for future generations.

Land Board Sweetheart Leases Unconstitutional

Supremes Say Cottage Lease Law Unconstitutional

June 29, 2012 by David R. Frazier

 

In a ruling released Friday the Idaho Supreme Court eliminated the “home field advantage” for cottage leaseholders on state land at Payette and Priest Lakes.


We have to hand it to Attorney General Lawrence Wasden for suing his fellow land board members over the issue–a 1990 law giving current lessees priority for lease renewals. He contended the law was being used to circumvent the Idaho Constitution’s requirement to generate the maximum return for endowment beneficiaries. Wasden’s office said public schools will benefit because auctions will generate more income.

There was a huge outcry 20 plus years ago when all “those Californians” started bidding on cottage sites owned by the state. The out of staters had plenty of cash and were willing to outbid the old-time Idaho families who had build cottages on the state land they leased for very good rates.

Wasden uses the same basic argument–maximum return on investment–when it comes to the state going into business ventures normally conducted by the private sector. The BOISE GUARDIAN has opposed some real estate deals–notably the Affordable Storage venture in Boise and tenant improvements on a new brew pub downtown. Our research indicates these business deals don’t always increase the return on investment for the endowment funds (most go to education) and depending on how the books are cooked actually show a loss.