Most of the 1,400 homes and apartments needed in Valley County over the next 10 years could be built by existing development proposals, according to a regional housing study.The study, which was conducted over the last year, was presented on Monday at Tamarack Resort during the 7th annual Economic Summit.
A public fieldhouse and event arena could be built in Lake Fork under a proposal aired on Monday during an Economic Summit hosted by the West Central Mountain Economic Development Council at Tamarack Resort.The 120,000-square-foot facility, called the Mountain Community Center, would provide year-round indoor recreation space as well as a venue for conferences, concerts and other events.Current plans call for multiple sports fields surrounded by a walking track, with the ability for future expansions to add pickleball courts, a swimming pool, an indoor gym and other amenities.“This facility is for our entire community,” said Donnelly resident Johanna Defoort, who is helping to lead a group of Valley County residents who have developed the proposal.“We envision that it would be open to all members of the public but can also be reserved for sports to practice, tournaments, family and corporate gatherings, and other events,” Defoort said.The Mountain Community Center would be funded by donations and creating an auditorium district that could tax stays in short-term rentals and motels up to 5%, under state law.“We’ve created a business model and a framework that won’t affect your individual property taxes,” Defoort said.
The McCall-Donnelly boys soccer team brought home a fourth place trophy from the 4A State Tournament over the weekend.But the Vandals will need to make more room in the display case after being selected as a 2024 Sportsmanship Winner.The announcement was made by the Idaho High School Activities Association and is posted on the organization’s website, idhsaa.org.“When we started in August I told the team that winning the Academic Award and Sportsmanship Award were as important as trophies for playing excellence,” M-D coach Forrest Stanley said.The Vandals opened the state tournament with a 4-1 victory over Sun Valley Community School, but then lost to eventual state champion Wendell, 1-0, in the semifinal.M-D tackled Teton of Driggs in Saturday’s third place game, settling for fourth place following a 2-1 loss.Stanley said his players won gracefully and met adversity with dignity.
The McCall-Donnelly School District’s $5.3 million project to build eight staff housing apartments has depleted the district’s operating funds to “critically low” levels, trustees were told at the district’s October board meeting.Building the apartments, which are expected to be move-in ready Dec.
The City of McCall will join a task force formed to evaluate proposals that would make state endowment lands around Payette Lake part of the Payette National Forest.Last week the McCall City Council accepted an invitation to join the group, which is being assembled by United Payette, a local advocacy group focused on preserving public land around Payette Lake.Council member Julie Thrower was appointed to the task force by fellow council members during last Thursday’s meeting.“I definitely would be interested,” said Thrower, who has an environmental law practice in McCall.
First responders will practice a “mass casualty” event on Tuesday in Downtown McCall, simulating a multiple vehicle accident that would stretch the limits of local hospitals and EMS services.“We want to make sure the community is aware of this training exercise, as it may appear to be a real event, but it is for training purposes only,” St.
Volunteer work, donations, and other “outside the box” efforts could improve decrepit dirt roads in New Meadows, a newly formed committee said this week.The group, called the Streets and Roads Committee, held its first meeting on Tuesday night to brainstorm low-cost ways to improve city streets that are dusty in the summer and plagued by potholes in the winter.“We have a community of lots of experienced people in building roads and maintaining them,” said Josh Carr, a New Meadows City Council member who suggested forming the committee.
Residential properties in Valley County have seen a steady increase in property tax bills, while most commercial properties have paid less and less over the past five years.“We have seen a shift in property tax to residential properties because residential values have increased at a rate faster than commercial properties,” said Valley County Treasurer Johanna Defoort.Over the past five years, residential property values have increased by about 193% on average, from $4.1B to $10.7B in total value countywide.