Published on August 29, 2008 by Tracy
BOISE - Idaho’s tallest residential building reached its highest point today.
The Aspen Lofts on Front Street near BoDo are Boises latest downtown condo project. They hit the construction milestone this morning – reaching the 17 story level. The project began just eleven months ago, and is slated to open this December.
“Good planning and constant communication between the builder and developer has made this project one of the fastest and most efficient projects in the northwest,” contractor Dan Sweig said in a prepared statement.
Developer Scott Kimball also started phase two of the downtown condo sales in the building – this time focusing on the workforce segment of the market, with units starting at $169,000.
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The downtown condos are located on the fifth through ninth floors, and will offer smaller floor plans and fewer custom options than the luxury units on higher floors. But Kimball stresses the latest offerings will still feature many of the same amenities.
“I think people who work in the downtown core will find these condos to be a very realistic and advantageous option in today’s housing market,” Kimball said in a prepared statement.
The ‘skinny-scraper’ is being built on a small piece of land next to the City Centre Garage near the BoDo Development. The building will feature retail space along the street and condos on upper floors. A grand opening ceremony will be held in December – and Kimball expects to close on all units in the building by January.
Published on August 26, 2008 by Tracy
An Idaho charter school has won a big grant worth millions to fuel the charter school movement in the state.
At the Idaho Arts Charter School in Nampa, State Schools Superintendent Tom Luna accepted the first installment on the grant — $3.4 million.
Idaho is one of only five states to get the money from the U.S. Department of Education.
“We need more charter schools of high quality, we don’t just need more charter schools. So, Idaho has a real focus on student achievement and high quality charter schools and sharing best practices,” said Doug Mesecar, U.S. Department of Education.
That focus is what helped Idaho win the grant, which will be worth $6 million over the next three years. The money will be used to help new Idaho charter schools get started.
Right now, there are 31 Idaho charter schools and another 15 in the process of trying to open.
Published on August 22, 2008 by Tracy
The city of Nampa today unveiled its new bigger and better emergency room at Mercy Medical Center.
Doctors say the $6.2 million expansion will help meet the needs of a growing community.
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On a yearly basis, the emergency department at Mercy Medical Center sees close to 36,000 patients a year. So to meet the demand, they say this expansion was absolutely necessary. The new E.R. is larger and will be able to better accomodate these patients.
The new facility has added 4,000 square feet - bringing the emergency room to 11,000 square feet. And they have added 11 new treatment areas.
Before there was only one nurses station and that has now grown to two.
Each room has new state-of-the-art equipment including a flat screen television.
Mercy Medical Center Joe Messemer says the biggest difference patients will see is a shorter wait time.
“The biggest improvement will be the number of treatment areas we will have, we went from 16 up to 27, which is a significant increase. We were at capacity before, this will give us flexibility for growth in the future,” said Messemer.
The new facility has already been put to use. Over the weekend, doctors tell us all 27 new beds were used.
Messemer says the building was designed to expand in case they need to grow again in the future.
Published on August 20, 2008 by Tracy
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Hewlett-Packard Co. says its third-quarter profit jumped 14 percent, beating Wall Street’s expectations. Strong laptop sales and a robust international presence continue to lift the technology bellwether.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company’s fourth-quarter outlook was also slightly better than investors expected.
HP says it earned $2.03 billion, or 80 cents per share, in the May-July period. That’s up from $1.78 billion, or 66 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding one-time charges, HP earned 86 cents per share, three cents higher than the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.
Sales were $28.0 billion, a 10 percent increase over last year and higher than the $27.4 billion analysts were expecting.
Published on August 19, 2008 by Tracy
A proposed retail shopping center in Eagle has received the go ahead from the city’s planning and zoning commission.
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The commission voted last night to recommend the Eagle Island Marketplace.
The 350,000 square-foot retail shopping center will include a Fred Meyer grocery store and department store.
The marketplace would be built at the northeast corner of Chinden Boulevard and Linder Road.
In August, the Eagle City Council will consider the application.
Published on August 18, 2008 by Jennifer
The Shakespeare festival has long been a Boise favoirite. The performances are amazing, the location along the river cool and allowing homemade picnics the best! This summer treat continues to amaze with the addition of Macbeth- for more, check out the link below:
http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A316335
Published on August 18, 2008 by Tracy
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Arts West Academy is the newest performing art school in Eagle, Idaho. They are now enrolling. Arts West opened their doors in 2007, but have since opened a new building at 3415 Flint Dr. in Eagle. Arts West is a performing and visual arts school with opportunities for students to feel accepted and welcome in an environment that is fun and educational. The students perform throughout the year in a variety of settings: theatre, band venues, and dance. For more information about the latest performing art school in Eagle, visit http://www.artswestschool.org.
Published on August 17, 2008 by George Seybold
Western Idaho Fair
It’s that time of year again, the Western Idaho Fair fills the valley with lights, screams, and the smell of carnival food. This is an annual event held at the fairgrounds located off Chinden and Glenwood, one that children and adults alike have come to enjoy. Admission prices are $7.00 for adults, $4.00 for children. There are special prices available for seniors, families, and children this year at the Western Idaho Fair. For more information about the festivities, visit http://www.idahofair.com/. Admission tickets, concert tickets, and wristbands are all available on the website. The Expo Center will be filled with vendors of all sorts. Pygmy goat show, tattoo show, gun show…the list goes on and on. Head out to the Western Idaho Fair and play your heart out.
Published on August 10, 2008 by George Seybold
Hidden Springs
Continuing a 145-year tradition of farming in Idaho’s Dry Creek Valley, Hidden Springs Community Farm grows its produce on 5 to 10 acres of reserved land along Dry Creek, with the potential to expand to about 30 acres.
Hidden Springs Farm is a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation. A CSA is a community of individuals who support a farm, with the growers and consumers sharing the risks and benefits of food production.
CSA members buy shares each spring, in advance of production, to cover the costs of the farm operations for the coming year. In return, they receive shares in the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season and the satisfaction of participating directly in local food production.
Each farm share provides four people with 20 weeks or more of seasonal fresh produce grown right here in Hidden Springs.
Shareholders select from a seasonal variety of produce once a week at our produce stand at the Community Barn. The weekly market is also an opportunity to meet with local neighbors and enjoy the products provided by other vendors – truly a community experience.
To become a farm member or find out about this year’s share prices, contact Susie Headlee at 208-229-3434 or our farmers, Sisters of the Soil, at 208-830-1841 2soilsisters@gmail.com.
Published on August 10, 2008 by George Seybold
Bella Terra
The Flavor of Tuscany
The first of its kind in the beautiful city of Eagle, Idaho, Bella Terra offers the charm and elegance of true Tuscan architecture. Bella Terra is Eagle, Idaho’s newest premier community and has been staged to offer residence the look and feel of Tuscan living. From the design of each model home, to the active lifestyle promoted through the community pool, fitness center, community lake, and plentiful walking paths, Bella Terra has captured what truly is a “The Flavor of Tuscany.”
Located 10 miles west of downtown Boise, Eagle is a total living experience in a remarkable setting. There is a small town charm where simple pleasures become priceless family memories. Placed between the Boise Foothills and the Boise River, Eagle has much to offer in the way of mountain biking, walking paths, parks, golf, fishing, dining and shopping.
Bella Terra Example Home
The District includes charter, private and public schooling, 25 elementary, 7 middle and 6 high schools, all strategically located in the area with the reputation for excellence in education. Community events promote a fun and friendly atmosphere with the annual Eagle Fun Days Festival, the world’s largest Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed, July 4th Fireworks and an old fashioned Christmas. With Eagle’s country feel you can be assured of gracious living, privacy, convenience and comfort.
The Bella Terra Community features an initial release of 34 incredible lots in the first phase. Learn more about Bella Terra by clicking here.
