February 13, 2013
Dear Members
Caldwell Chamber Launches “Due Diligence 2013”
To Evaluate Canyon County Fair Relocation Proposal
CALDWELL---The Caldwell Chamber of Commerce will launch shortly an in-depth evaluation of the impacts of a proposal to move the Canyon County Fair from its present location in Caldwell to a new site adjacent to the Ada County line, Chamber officials announced yesterday.
“Due Diligence 2013”, as the project is known, is a formal effort by the Chamber to examine and evaluate the overall rational behind the relocation plans. The results of “Due Diligence 2013” will provide the Chamber and community at large with meaningful, factual, verifiable data to guide the Chamber in its future public position on the project, explained Julie Taylor, Caldwell Chamber Chair.
“Due Diligence 2013” will study a variety of elements of the proposal including:
· To what degree the move might impact the Caldwell business community, economy and individual citizens;
· Whether the proposal meets the litmus test of a generally acceptable business plan that will ensure self-sustaining profitability or will eventually require a subsidy,
· If taxpayer subsidies are required, would it impact the chances of passage of other tax funded projects such as a new jail, school district improvements, infrastructure improvement, etc.
· Whether the plan might ignite a new round of land speculation and unwarranted commercial development in what is now agricultural lands; and
· Whether or not moving the fair from its current location will negatively impact the traditional “Canyon County” nature and social heritage of the fair.
“We believe that the ‘Due Diligence 2013’ process will provide valuable information to our membership and the community at large because it will help provide answers to some of the important questions that are being asked about a proposal that could impact our City,” Taylor explained.
Chamber members with expertise in the various specific areas of concern will be used to help develop a factual and unbiased evaluation for consideration by the Chamber membership, Chamber officials said.
No time frame for completion of the project has been set. However, it is expected that the process will last through the coming summer with information and findings being released to the public as it is made available to Chamber membership, according to Taylor.
A letter outlining the project has also been sent to the Fair Board asking for its cooperation in the effort.
Theresa Hardin
Executive Director
Caldwell Chamber of Commerce
I smell a bond election for $??,000,000.00 to build that new fairground. Good luck with that effort.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a predetermined decision or recommendation has already been made to move the fair to the Idaho Center. Since the Idaho Center can't over its costs, Nampa Urban Renewal is going to expect all of Canyon County taxpayers to foot the bill.
ReplyDeleteSimply as a practicl matter, the Idaho Center is a great place to hold the county fair. It has the space, parking and freeway access. It is a big venue that will be just a fine place for the county fair. For the Fair Board to want citizens of the county to fork over tens of millions to build a facility that would be used for a total of 4 days boggles my mind. Canyon County is still a small place of about 180,000 people. The financial burden of maintaining another while elephant project during the 361 days a year it would not be used, all the developement costs and the costs of bringing city services like electricity and sewer to a new fairgrounds simply is wishful thinking. Let's all be smart about this and locate the Fair at the Idaho Center.
ReplyDeleteWhile I would concede that the Idaho Center would be a good fit for the fair, I am utterly baffled as to why a chamber that represents CALDWELL would in any way shape or form support the move. Caldwell has so few large draws left to get county residents to visit, anything short of making every effort to keep the fair in Caldwell is an utter failure by Caldwell's Chamber, due diligence or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteCaldwell is simply "odd" when it comes to long term thinking via our elected officals. It does have a lot of positives but the visuals of the city are lacking and have not improved all that much since the decline started in the 1970's.
ReplyDeleteDowntown Caldwell is nothing short of a huge eyesore on the community. The drive-by shootings may have ceased but Caldwell remains unattractive to outsiders looking for opportunities.
There are a lot of people with good ideas in Caldwell but the various factions figure out a way to kill them off before they have any chance of an up or down vote or the Mayor and his Finance Director kill the ideas and destroy any initiative from peole with good ideas.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone really believe the CC Fair will not be relocated to Nampa or east thereof. The actions of the Caldwell City Government have in no small way facilitated Nampa becoming the economic and cultural Hub of Canyon County with More To Offer. St. Lukes, Midland Marketplace retailers, CWI at 4 or more locations, and this list can go on into the adnausium of lost hope, awe but Caldwell has a new 6 lane Boulevard to Sky Ranch, paid for by Caldwell property tax (via Urban Renewal) with all its vacant land much of what is still using the agricultural exemption or totally exempt from property tax because the City of Caldwell owns it. The city government of Nampa is no prize but with competition like their counterparts in Caldwell HOW COULD THEY LOSE. The CC of C's due diligence or anything else they can come up with could not be more irrelevant, much akin to jumping off a cliff and debating if you will fall. They have been on backing the wrong horse for so long they don't realize it was really a PIG. The reality as I see it is changes in Caldwell will be slow in coming and minimal. Simplots new state of the art potato processing plant will be located Just outside the city limits as it has been since WW2. Not much the city can do about that. The have PID to keep themselves occupied.
ReplyDeleteAmen
I attended several meetings on the 20/26 widening project and more correctly, the funds came from all the "overtaxation" to fund streets and roads in Caldwell. No URA funds were used on this project to my knowledge. If you ever wonder where all this "extra cash" is stashed it is in the LGIP. Local Government Investment Pool for short, all the excess funds are put here in short and long term investments and used when projects like this are passed forward by the City Council mot the URA board.
DeleteI forgot to add the LGIP is managed by the State of Idaho Treasurer.
Delete