It is Christmas morning. I'm sitting with family in Boise. We're at my children's Great Grandma's house. For many years, Connie Kane (Great Grandma) lived on Melrose Drive in Idaho Falls, in the house that my wife's mother and her two sisters (Kandi and Kris) grew up in. Great Grandma's late-husband worked for INL for a few decades, and Connie is a retired nurse.
When my first daughter was born, Great Grandma's mother, Neala, was still alive.
We named our first daughter Neala.
Most of the crowd is gathered in the living room watching one of those loud, crazy, action cartoons. My girls were singing in the car on the way here. Gwynnith is pregnant with our third girl, so she has needed a lot of my help. My 14 year-old brother-in-law mouthed off to me on my way in the door, so I am suffering from temporary case of holiday family overload.
I'm taking a cave time break and writing this blog entry. Thank God Great Grandma has a computer in her bedroom.
The J-Hub is downright therapeutic.
What should I write about during my cave time?
We were in Meridian last night, at Aunt Kandi and Uncle Clint's house. It is very nice neighborhood, one of those fancy cul-de-sacs that Boise is famous for. They live in the area near Centennial High School. One of Clint and Kandi's daughters married a great guy named Zach, who was the quarterback of that Centennial High football team that went 12-0 a few years ago. We had tremendous fun with them.
The Boise area has really developed. After dinner, carolling, and a nativity play put on by all of our children, we took a Christmas tree light-watching drive via caravan. The neighborhoods were great. The scenery was awesome.
This makes me think back to a discussion I had with the superintendent of the Rigby Idaho School district in 2002. We had just moved to Idaho Falls. I was in Rigby interviewing for a substitute teaching position. We discussed the fact that I saw a lot more in Southern Idaho than I ever imagined was here. He said that experts predicted that the corridor between Idaho Falls and Rexburg was going to be completely developed within the next ten years. There would be no more farms nor open range along that stretch. Instead there would be houses, condominiums, office parks, stores, strip malls, schools, and all the other things that come along with economic growth.
Now that we are effectively in 2008, it is fascinating to think back to that conversation. At this point, what the former Rigby Schools superintendent said amost sounds crazy. His prediction would have to come true within the next four years.
I heard that the former Rigby schools chief went back to teaching math, and some interesting math comes to mind as we look back on his vision. From my research, I realize that the prediction, including his ten year range, could still end up being fulfilled. Sound farfetched? I can point you to a conversation I had a couple of months ago with a man from Nampa who sold 100 acres of his farm property to developers just last year. This year, it is already compelety built up (with Best Buy/Shopko/Fred Meyer-type stores, hotels, apartments, convenience stores, you name it).
While I chatted with him in a hotel lobby, the farmer mentioned that he had come back to Nampa for one reason: the developers wanted to by more of his land.
Southwestern Idaho is booming. Boise State University will soon have an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. This is happening while they have to compete for students with: 1) Northwest Nazarene University; 2) Idaho State University; 3) ITT; 4) The University of Phoenix; 5) Stevens Henager; 6) Boise Bible College; 7) soon-to-open College of Western Idaho; 8) Treasure Valley Community College; 9) The College of Idaho; and several other schools.
All of the above have a physical campus in Boise or close to it.
My mother-in-law just gave the call for breakfast. The TV is off. I'll be back later.
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I'm back for a second. The German pancakes were stupendous. But I over did it on the apple juice and bacon. My in-laws and the children are listening to and singing Chipmunk Christmas. And even though I'm feeling bloated, I can still take time to relfect on critical news regarding development and business in Southern Idaho:
"AMI Semiconductor, the largest private employer in Pocatello, announced that it had been sold to ON Semiconductor of Phoenix, Arizona. While it's not clear immediately what the financial impact of this deal will be, it could have huge ramifications for Pocatello," writes JHub administrator Kate Carpenter.
Phoenix, AZ and Pocatello, ID – December 13, 2007 – ON Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: ONNN) and AMIS Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMIS), parent company of AMI Semiconductor, today announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement providing for the acquisition of AMIS by ON Semiconductor in an all-stock transaction with an equity value of approximately $915 million.
It appears that they will be gone from Pocatello since the headquaters for the two new companies will be in Phoenix. AMI employs 900 people in Pocatello.
Prediction: AMI can be replaced. Hoku is on the way and other companies have shown serious interest in the Gate City.
Years ago, Mayor Roger Chase said that there had been talk of Pocatello becoming a ghost town. Times have changed. Development is here to stay. Enrollments at Idaho State University are still at all-time highs. ISU's fundraising strategy is solid and the outlook is optimistic.
On the flip side, I have had more conversations than I can count conversations with current and former residents who would love to live or continue to live in Southern Idaho, but "can't afford it." It is ironic that the expression "can't afford to live here" is often used for this area, where expenses are exactly at the national median. In other words, roughly half of the places in the United States cost more to live in than Southern Idaho. The other half cost less. Thus, by national standards, Idaho is not "expensive." The cost of living here is right in the middle.
In doing some probing, I found out thart many people know that there are good jobs around, and the core issue is often "hours." A lot of folks have child care issues, and can't work nights. Others don't work on Sundays or have other issues with working weekends, including extracurricular activities that their children need. Students are constrained by class schedules. So your $10-an-hour call center job with the health benefits and cushy incentives is not within many people's capabilites. Such jobs always require evenings and weekends for a few years.
Many of the people I have spoken to, who have this problem, are well educated, with bachelors degrees, or they have extensive work histories and experience.
"There’s no telling what will happen with the jobs and the plant. But regardless of the outcome, local leaders have worked diligently to get Pocatello poised to weather the worst-case scenario," the Idaho State Journal editors said in a recent editorial regarding AMIS.
Hence, there seems to be a lot of hope for the many lovely Idahoans I have met, who have fallen into that conversation about lack of opportunity here.
The editors continued:
"Never before has the Southeast Idaho economy been so diversified.
It’s been a monumental year for city leaders and officials with Bannock Development in terms of luring new industry to the area. At the beginning of the year, Hoku Materials, a division of Hoku Scientific based in Hawaii, announced plans to build a massive polysilicon plant in west Pocatello."
... My family is now yelling "Michael, It's time for presents!"
More later.
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Back again. I'm happy that I was able to write that much above before being called into the living room. I received a bunch of really cool presents. And our daughters got some little, Black, cabbage patch girls from my wife's parents. I remember a time when there were no dolls for children of color, where they could see themselves in the doll. There were very few books out that they could see themselves in either. But that's a topic for another article. My four sister's in law are doing a lot of singing. Most people are in pajamas. Everyone looks cozy.
Doing Santa Day with family and gifts reminds me that while holiday shopping revenues may have been down this year, Idaho's economy shows no signs of slowing. For example:
"In November, Petersen Inc., an Ogden, Utah, steel fabrication company, announced plans to build a plant in Pocatello that should employ at least 250 workers.." the Idaho State Journal reports. "Several other high-tech companies, including IsoRay Medical, could be on the horizon for the area. Every day, our local officials are in another city touting Southeast Idaho to clean industry, hoping to bring more jobs home. AMIS may scale back considerably. Then again, it’s possible that little will change."
Development is coming. It will continue. I know that the housing market has cooled off, but that was to be expected. The trends are cyclical. You may have also noticed several businesses coming and going in Pocatello over the last five years -- "all part of the normal business cycle" the Pocatello Chamber of Commerce confirms.
The next major topic for discussion has little to do with whether Southern Idaho will grow, and everything to do with how our government and other civic leaders handle the impact:
Does Rexburg have a plan in place to handle its crumbling roads? Traffic is way up with all the new development and with BYU-Idaho's skyrocketing enrollment. Where will the money come from to fix Rexburg streets?
What is the Boise area going to do about the gridlock, now that so many commuters come from Nampa, Caldwell and elsewhere for the numerous jobs in Boise? There is virtually no public transporation system in the Boise area. When will there be one? What kind of system will they create? Who will fund it? How will they handle the intrusion and resulting traffic and local business nightmare while it is being built?
What is the strategic plan to handle the massively increased public needs in Southern Idaho? These needs include greater: water usage; sewer system impact, police, fire, and other emergency initiatives, garbage disposal, pollution control, and such.
More development also equates to an larger population in Idaho's already overcrowded prisons, and heavier caseloads in the court system. Are we ready?
10,000 Californians move to Idaho every year. Trailer parks and mobile home areas are being snatched up and levelled for "redevelopment." As more expensive homes are built for professionals and and retirees -- what will be the plan for affordable housing -- as the working class and poor get pushed further and further out of previously established neighborhoods?
Who will work service jobs in Southern Idaho's metropolitan areas if no hourly wage earners can afford to live there?
These and other questions require probing.
In 2002 we stayed at Great Grandma's former home for a few months months to check out the West and give Idaho a shot for "a semester or two." Close to six years later, I hope we never leave. Idaho leaders need to step up and maintain that delicate balance between the economic growth essentail to the Gem State's survival and the remarkable quailty of life to which we have all grown accustomed.
Idaho State University Master of Fine Art’s student Tim Goodworth’s artistic prowess has struck again: the Blackfoot native has won the ISU Holiday Greeting Card Contest for the second straight year.
“I really wanted to try to win this one a second time, so I put a lot of effort into it and also entered two paintings into the competition,” Goodworth said
His winning painting, which earns Goodworth a $1,000 prize, graces the official 2007 ISU President’s Holiday Card. This year’s winning entry features a snowy scene with a squirrel on the left in the foreground, and the Administration Building, trees, the U.S. flag and Red Hill in the background.
“There are so many squirrels on campus running around that I thought it would be fun to put one on the card and combine that with the campus square, the Administration Building and Red Hill that are all strong symbols of the campus,” he said. “Overall, I was just trying to capture the festive season with the fun wildlife on campus.”
According to ISU First Lady Laura Vailas, Ph.D., “Goodworth did just that. The committee felt his painting best represented the upbeat mood of the University community.”
Goodworth, 33, is in his second year at ISU. His wife, Heather, is a clinical assistant professor in the ISU Kasiska College of Health Professions School of Nursing. He earned an associate degree in fine arts from Ricks College, now BYU-Idaho, and a bachelor’s degree in painting from Utah State University. His winning card last year was of a wintry scene looking through historic Swanson Arch.
Pre-pharmacy student Jeff Gower of Pocatello finished second in this year’s competition, earning a $500 prize for his efforts. His painting featured Hutchinson Quadrangle and campus buildings with Red Hill in the background.
“I was grateful for the opportunity to participate,” Gower said. “It is really satisfying to have my painting recognized. I really had to be motivated to complete that painting amid all my studies and other obligations.”
The Holiday Greeting Card Contest was created last year as an opportunity to highlight the talents of ISU students. It is an opportunity for ISU students to participate in a juried competition, win prize money, and attain widespread recognition of their work.
The contest was open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students. Submissions were judged on how well they were able to “capture the spirit and beauty of the holiday season while thematically incorporating the University.”
The Holiday Greeting Card Committee consisted of Vailas, Libby Howe from the ISU University Relations Office, Alumni Relations director Bill Kobus, and ASISU president Jennifer Brown.
Just a quick reminder of this weeks TLC (True Loyal Connections) Meeting.
Tuesday, December 4th, at The Continental Bistro, 140 S. Main in Old Town Pocatello.
Time: 11:45 to 1:00 pm
Barclay Roper with Edward Jones will be presenting for us this week.
If you’re crunched for time there will be a soup and salad bar for $5.50 or you can call your lunch in ahead of time if you like. The phone number for The Bistro is 233-4433.
The sole purpose of this time is to meet with Business Owners, Managers and Leaders to network, pass referrals and have lunch.
There is nothing to join, and no cost other than your lunch and a $1.00 voluntary donation to support our group. Bring a new friend and your lunch could be free!
Remember, everyone who attends is eligible to win a free dinner courtesy of The Continental Bistro.
If you have any questions please call Troy Neu at 234-2679.
Troy Neu
Old Town Embroidery
208-234-2679
208-251-9910
