After lengthy discussion, the board of trustees voted to approve the conceptual design of the monument sign and entrance to NIC and the higher education corridor, a project funded by NIC’s capital investment reserve.
The vote to approved the design will allow NIC to take advantage of the good weather forecasted for the fall season, and enable them to meet the Oct. 10 deadline they have set for completion.
The completion date should bring a newly paved Hubbard Avenue and a new traffic signal on Northwest Boulevard.
Trustee Julie Meyer raised concerns about details of the entrance plan located at Northwest Boulevard and Hubbard Avenue, including obtaining a right-of-way (ROW) at the entrance site.
Trustee Chairman Mic Armon said he was assured by City Attorney Mike Gridley that NIC will not have problems with ROW, and recommended that the board “start moving forward with this.”
It was agreed that every effort was made to come up with a design that honored both the integrity of its purpose and the aesthetic considerations that the city might have.
“It’s beautiful – it’s gorgeous,” said Trustee Christie Wood.
Landmark Landscape Architects, contracted by NIC, developed the construction and design.
Ron Dorn, vice president for resource management, suggested NIC could make certain components of the project, such as construction, a “learning opportunity” to save money.
In light of the notice received from the State of Idaho that NIC will receive a financial windfall of $1.8 million, trustee Ken Howard suggested NIC not take the two percent property tax increase the board was previously approved.
“We are 11.7 percent unemployment in this country now, ” Howard said. “What’s going to happen when the tourists are gone?”
Armon noted that this is “one-time money for backfilling on projects that didn’t get appropriated before.”
Dorn recommended NIC purchase the Robin Hood Campground and Work Force Training Center, according to the lease/purchase agreement, for the purpose of saving NIC money in the long run.
