At some times during the year, a lot of things happen at once, and often right before the paper goes out to print.  In the interests of letting people know the we are aware of some of the developing stories in the county (but have already assigned space for this week), here are a few of the items that will be run down in more detail for next week:

School Bond

Questions have arisen about the financing of the new Malad Elementary School, with many rumors circulating about the upcoming bond election on May 20.  The questions about the bond election involve how long it will take to pay off the elementary school and the effect of the bond, if any, on property taxes. 

Superintendent Jon Abrams has created a detailed slide show presentation to address concerns and questions, including the role of the Idaho Legislature in negating the original plans for financing the school and ball fields.  He welcomes the opportunity to talk to individuals, family groups, and organizations about the issues involved in this complex school finance situation.  Please contact him at [email protected] or call him at 208-705-3723 to set up an appointment or meeting time.  

The slide show will be posted on the Oneida School District website: www.oneidaschooldistrict.org, and we will present an overview of the slideshow contents once we have time to process them and check on the information.

Bannock Street

The long planned Bannock Street project has experienced some setbacks as a result of federal funding.  The problem was announced at last week’s City Council meeting, but is a complicated quagmire to wade through.  The short version is that the project will not proceed as originally planned (in the very near term), but precisely what the status of the project is at present and what a future timeline for it looks like remains to be clarified in more detail.  Rather than rush any conjectures to press, we will meet with city officials and other stakeholding parties to get a clearer sense of where the project is, and what residents of the city can expect in the coming months and potentially years.

These two issues specifically have been simmering for months, if not years, and while neither one is resolved yet, it is important to make sure the current information is presented in a way that is accurate and useful for all involved.  In that spirit, we will bring you those stories (along with third party informational resources) after the Easter weekend.