Lake Shore Disposal to hike rates 4%
Trash collection service in McCall will cost 4% more starting July 1 after a rate increase requested by Lake Shore Disposal was approved last week by the McCall City Council.
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Read MoreLake Shore Disposal to hike rates 4%
McCall refunded $237K for failing downtown concrete
The City of McCall will receive a $237,000 refund for curb, gutter and sidewalk work completed in 2020 on Second and Lenora streets in downtown McCall.Sunroc Corporation, a Boise construction company, agreed to reimburse the city for the work after concrete the company poured in 2019 and 2020 began failing within the two-year warranty period.The reimbursement was approved last week by the McCall City Council.The concrete failures were first identified by Horrocks Engineers of Meridian, the city’s contract engineer, and later confirmed by an independent third party.Sunroc completed some repairs in 2022, but most of the repairs have not yet been completed due to a lack of available contractors.The city plans to use the refunded money to hire a contractor of its choosing to complete the repairs, McCall Public Works Director Nathan Stewart said.The work completed by Sunroc was among the first phases of a rebuild of downtown streets and sidewalks that began in 2018 and continues this summer with a rebuild of First Street.So far, the project has rebuilt streets and sidewalks on Park Street, Second Street, Lenora Street and Veteran’s Alley.
Roll out the orange barrels
Major rebuilds of Deinhard Lane and First Street in McCall will be completed this summer, while a summer-long rebuild of Mission Street is slated to begin next week.
MD staff see 2% pay raise in ’25 budget
District staff received a 2% raise in the upcoming year, the smallest pay increase in several years.Teachers received a 5.25% raise last year, a 5.75% raise the year before and a 9% raise in 2021.The salary increase was part of a $30.7 million budget adopted by M-D trustees on June 3.Wages increased at the higher end of the district’s pay structure with teachers with eight years of experience or more seeing a pay increase of $1,657 per year to about $84,000.Beginning teacher wages remained steady at about $52,000 per year.Principals will earn about $98,000 as a starting salary and as high as about $121,000 after eight years in the position.Directors of finance, operations and technology will earn a starting salary of about $78,000 per year to about $100,000 after 10 years in the position.Superintendent Eric Pingrey’s three-year contract, signed in 2023, includes a salary of about $155,000 per year, with a 3% increase each year.
Perpetua proposal explained
Perpetua Resources’ proposed gold and antimony mine is located in the Stibnite Mining District about 40 air miles east of McCall.Perpetua, formerly known as Midas Gold, hopes to extract about $6 billion in gold and other minerals from Stibnite, the site of historic mining operations during World War II and as far back as 1899.The Boise company’s original mining proposal was submitted in 2016 and is currently being reviewed by the Payette National Forest, the lead permitting agency.Approval of the project would trigger a three-year construction phase that Perpetua estimates would cost about $1.26 billion, followed by 12 to 15 years of mining.Gold, silver, and antimony would be extracted from three open pit mines totaling about 473 acres of disturbance within the 1,740-acre project zone, which is about three miles from the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness.An on-site ore processing facility would remove gold and silver from up to 25,000 tons of rock per day in a contained cyanide circuit, according to Perpetua’s operating plan.The mine is expected to produce 115 million pounds of antimony and 4.2 million ounces of gold, which is expected to account for 94% of the mine’s estimated $6 billion in lifetime revenue.Stibnite would become the only domestic mined source of antimony and would supply an estimated 30% of the annual demand for the mineral in the United States, according to Perpetua.Antimony is used in the renewable energy industry and to make flame-proofing materials, paint, glass, defense munitions and ceramics.Exploration of the Stibnite Mining District began with drilling in 2009.
Lawsuit: Boise Forest prematurely OK’d Burntlog work
An approval that allows Perpetua Resources to begin preliminary work on a new roadway to the company’s proposed Stibnite mine was granted prematurely, according to a lawsuit filed in United States District Court.The lawsuit, filed last month by Save the South Fork Salmon River, Idaho Rivers United, and the Idaho Conservation League, seeks to overturn an approval that allows Perpetua to conduct drilling and geological studies for its proposed Burntlog Route.The approval was granted by the Boise National Forest, which began reviewing the project scope in 2020 and on March 1 found it is unlikely to cause significant environmental harm due to its limited size and scope.The lawsuit, however, says the approval was premature because the Payette National Forest, the lead permitting agency for Perpetua’s proposed gold and antimony mine year Yellow Pine, has not yet issued a decision on Perpetua’s proposed mining plan.“Because the Burntlog Route has not yet been approved—and might never be approved—for construction and use as part of Perpetua’s proposed mine, the Forest Service has authorized Perpetua to engage in unnecessary and needlessly destructive activities,” the complaint said.The Boise Forest’s review process included a biological evaluation of the project zone, a public comment period in 2020, and consultation with the U.S.
NM approves childcare center plans
Plans to convert a former recycling drop-off depot into a childcare facility were approved on Monday by the New Meadows City Council.The proposal, which was submitted by the city, involves enclosing an existing pole barn building at 400 Peterson Memorial Ave.
Donnelly Library walks back ‘adults only’ designation
Unsupervised children will still be allowed in the Donnelly Public Library come July 1, library trustees were told on Tuesday.The library announced in May that it would become an “adults only” library in response to a new state law that requires libraries to physically separate adult books from children’s books.Library Director Sherry Scheline feared that the law, which takes effect July 1, could not be followed in Donnelly due to limited space in the 1,000-square-foot building at 150 E.
MacGregor goes before Valley County Commissioners
Valley County Commissioners postponed a vote on the 341-lot MacGregor Townsite development following a public hearing on Monday.Commissioners tabled the application until July 1 at 1:30 at the Valley County Courthouse in Cascade.“We need to do a lot more research and a little more reading before we can really sit down and make a final decision on this,” said Commission Chair Elt Hasbrouck following a presentation on the proposal and public testimony on Monday.Hasbrouck, however, noted some complaints about the application.“Even though we have some other subdivisions in here with the same density, or even more density, two wrongs don’t make a right,” Hasbrouck said.“To me, this is a great application, but I think it’s in the wrong spot,” he said.If approved, the subdivision would be built on 159 acres about two miles south of Donnelly on property bordering Loomis Lane and Old State Road.Developer Craig Groves of Donnelly has proposed that water and sewer services would be provided by the North Lake Recreational Sewer and Water District.Construction would take place in six phases over 15 years.Lots range from 0.19 to 0.26 acres with a density of about 2.2 units per acre.Proposed neighborhood amenities include recreational courts, a commercial plaza, an outdoor ice rink, playground, pathways and about 99 acres of open space.Commissioners questioned how the application can claim 99 acres of open space, as private backyards are also included in the total acreage.Some properties would have an easement that allows public use of a community pathway.Homeowners would not have exclusive rights to that portion of their lot, said Bonnie Layton of Meridian, representing the applicant Groves Family LLC.“To tell somebody that they’re paying taxes on this backyard, but it’s being used for open space, I have a problem with that,” said Commissioner Sherry Maupin.Maupin also took issue with the application’s snow storage plan, which utilized people’s front yards and the affect the development could have on wildlife.Public testimony at the hearing was opposed with 16 people speaking against the application.
Gold Line bus route moves to five days a week
A public bus route linking New Meadows to McCall, Donnelly, and Cascade is now operating five days a week until at least October.Mountain Community Transit’s Gold Line route was expanded last week to offer eight daily trips between New Meadows and McCall on Monday through Friday.“This service is for everyone,” said Terri Lindenberg, who serves as the executive director of Treasure Valley Transit, which operates Mountain Community Transit.“From seniors looking to be independent to youth programs, employment, and recreational and social activities, we want to take you where you want to go across the region,” Lindenberg said.The route had been offered on Mondays and Wednesdays since last June, during which 901 people rode the bus.The Gold Line route includes three stops in New Meadows and five stops in McCall, including at St.