Front Page Features

If customers can’t find it, it doesn’t exist. Clearly list and describe the services you offer. Also, be sure to showcase a premium service.

Having a big sale, on-site celebrity, or other event? Be sure to announce it so everybody knows and gets excited about it.

Are your customers raving about you on social media? Share their great stories to help turn potential customers into loyal ones.

Running a holiday sale or weekly special? Definitely promote it here to get customers excited about getting a sweet deal.

Have you opened a new location, redesigned your shop, or added a new product or service? Don't keep it to yourself, let folks know.

The Grotto Group--Scrapin’ and Paintin’ for Berta!

It never ceases to amaze about all the good things that go on in Caldwell. I was told about this group that was going to paint some lady’s house and that maybe I should go and take a picture, so off I went. I got so much more than I bargained for. This town is wonderful and we have so many hidden “gems” that do so much, like the Grotto Group.

Berta Lopez, home owner, had called the city for the past couple of years to see if they could get a group together during the “Paint the Town” program to come paint her house. She had it painted a couple of years earlier by a painter she had hired and he did a pretty poor job. After the job was done and paid for, she tried to contact him, but what a surprise to find that he was nowhere to be found. Berta is a widow who raised her four kids by herself in Wilder and after they were all grown and out of the house, she moved to her current location in Caldwell.

After contacting the city, she was informed that the “Paint the Town” program no longer existed. So she was so excited this year when she was contacted by Diane Moffat and told that the Grotto Group was going to help her out, and that they would paint her house as one of their volunteer projects. “The answer is always there, you just have to keep on looking,” said Berta. This was an answer to her prayer!

The Grotto Group is made up of different business owners that just want to “make a difference,” said Key Bank Manager, Diane Moffat. About 4 years ago, Diane, along with Bill Re (Realtor for Silver Creek Realty) and Brian Doke (owner of The Chronicles Of) got the The Grotto Group started in Meridian. In October of 2014, Diane Moffat, Ben Snell and Casey Eeels started a Caldwell chapter. Today they have 18 members. They meet weekly to discuss what they are doing in their businesses and how they can contribute to their community through their group. Once one project is over, they look for a new opportunity. They have supported Advocates Against Family Violence (AAFV) and others in our community. Kudos to the Grotto Group. Other projects have included “Rake up Caldwell, Nampa, Meridian and Boise.” They have donated to and volunteered for the Boise Rescue Mission, the Mentoring Network and others. 

The Grotto Group urges members to strive to become a participating sales force in the business community for all its members and to look for opportunities to help in the community within the framework of Grotto Group activities. They work to make the business community more successful, and the community at large, a better place to live. 

For more information contact Diane Moffat at: 

diane_moffat@keybank.com. 

“To repeal or not to repeal” the denial of the conditional use permit for an ethanol plant on Lower Pleasant Ridge Road by Planning and Zoning is the question that our Canyon County Commissioners will have to decide. They will hand down their decision on May 5th at 10 AM in the Commissioner’s Room on the first floor at the Canyon County Court House (1115 Albany Street, Caldwell). 

The earlier denial for the conditional use permit from Caldwell’s Planning and Zoning committee was based on a tie 2 to 2 vote, which is considered a “no” vote. Two questions were at the crux of this vote with the first one being, “will the proposed use be injurious to other property in the immediate vicinity and/or negatively change the essential character of the area?” According to the turnout of residents and their testimonies, that answer appeared to be a definite YES! There were concerns of ground water contamination, water usage taking away from their crops during drought seasons, noise, odor, and the devaluation of their properties. The other question of concern was “will there be undue  interference with existing or future traffic patterns?” That also was a definite YES! Concerns of heavy truck traffic and wear and tear on roads came up over and over and the need for more space for big trucks to turn corners than the existing roads could accommodate due to their narrowness.

About 80 folks from the impacted area, showed up in full force, wearing red badges with a big “NO” written on them, to show their opposition to the appeal. A petition with 235 signatures against the conditional use permit appeal was submitted. About 40 objectors testified, to address the concerns they felt would not only affect them, but our community in general. There were about as many others not testifying, but wanting to go on the record to say that their concerns were addressed by earlier testimonies and they objected on those same grounds.

After all testimonies concluded, the commissioners openly discussed the issues. Commissioner Rule commented on the fact that he had never seen so many people fill the room to object to an appeal during his time as a commissioner. Commissioners Tom Dale and Craig Hansen were leaning in favor of the homeowners to maintain the denial of the conditional use permit by Planning and Zoning. Another comment made was that perhaps this was the right project for Canyon County, but in the wrong location. Commissioner Steve Rule was leaning in favor of industry. Commissioner Hansen asked for a 30 day period to be able to review the material and testimonies. The Commissioners then voted to meet again on May 5th with their decision. 

These homeowners have done everything they can possibly do to keep their agricultural neighborhood intact, not only for their life style, but for their livelihoods. Their fate lies in the decision to be handed down by the county commissioners on May 5th. COMMISSIONERS’ DECISION...ETHANOL PLANT--YES or NO? 

By Leora Summers Caldwell Perspective Editor

Vallivue Superheroes Step Up

Community super heroes (Mayor Nancolas, school resource officers, firemen, local police, C of I football team members, C of I basketball team members, C of I softball and football coaches, a Naval officer, a US Marine and others) joined Vallivue Schools to celebrate their superhero, Alex, a 5th grade boy at Lakevue Elementary. Alex Roberts has been battling a brain tumor and recently lost his mother to cancer. He has two siblings at Vallivue High School, one at Sage Valley, and a toddler at home. His father lost his job trying to take care of the family and in the process lost their home. They have moved in with their grandparents.

At a “Super Hero” assembly on March 20th, College of Idaho’s (C of I) football coach, Mike Moroski, presented Alex with an “All Season All Sport” family pass to any athletic event at the C of I. VHS’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) group presented Alex with a check from the FFA Alumni Association for $3,030.00 (raised through their annual dinner auction) and a check for $1,300.55 from the VHS student body (raised through a student class super hero bucket competition). Vallivue Middle School raised $1,200.00 for the cause. Lakevue School raised a total of $3,540.37 through donations, raffles and selling donuts. The total raised throughout the entire district was $9,120.85. This was a tremendous way to show Alex how much they loved and supported him and his family.

If you wish to contribute to the cause, go to any Washington Trust Bank location and donate to “Heroes for Alex.”

Crookham Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

George Crookham was recognized during the “State of the City” address on February 3rd by Mayor Garret Nancolas with a “Lifetime Achievement Award.” He received the award for his involvement with the community’s youth, area agriculture, and his tremendous support for the Treasure Valley YMCA. George was one of the founders of the Canyon Optimist Soccer Club and served as its president or vice president for over 20 years. He has coached soccer for 25 years and refereed for 20 years. George has been deeply involved with the soccer tournament at the Idaho Youth Games since its inception in 1999. He was instrumental in the capital campaign to build the YMCA and has worked on the Strong Kids Campaign since 2007. He serves on the Caldwell Chamber Board, the WVMC board, and was one of the people to launch the Coalition for Agriculture’s future, which helps preserve agricultural land in Treasure Valley. The Crookham Company and the Crookham family think that is enough achievement for two lifetimes and they are very proud of George. Our community is a better place because we have George Crookham. We thank you, George! 

CALDWELL HOUSING AUTHORITY BREAKS GROUND

Written by Leora Summers, Caldwell Perspective Editor

Caldwell Housing Authority (CHA) broke ground Monday, January 5th, on a multi-million dollar sewer line project that will bring services west of the Boise River for the first time. The project, now 5 and ½ years in the making, will connect Farmway Village west of Caldwell to the city’s wastewater treatment plant. “This project has been a long time coming and we are excited that it is now under way,” said Mike Dittenber, CHA’s Executive Director.  

The project was conceived in September of 2009 when varmints burrowed into the side of the housing authority’s wastewater lagoon and caused a leak, which took much of CHA’s financial resources. At that time, the housing authority staff realized that the agency did not have the money to finance a new wastewater facility. They started planning a way to connect to the city’s system.  

The total project cost is approximately $3 million dollars and is funded by the Caldwell Housing Authority and the City of Caldwell. CHA will provide $1.7 million to the project and the remaining will be provided by the City of Caldwell. CHA received a loan from the Department of Environmental Quality to pay for their part of the project, which includes a 24-inch gravity line that will run from the corner of Farmway Road and Highway 44 one mile to Pond Lane. The City of Caldwell will build a regional lift station on Pond Lane and pump the sewer to the city’s wastewater plant some two miles away. 

Once completed, CHA will no longer operate and manage a wastewater treatment facility.  The project is referred to as a “Pollution Control Project” because when finished, CHA will no longer discharge processed wastewater into the neighboring canal. CHA will then let their federal wastewater discharge permit expire. This project ensures the long-term sustainability of Farmway Village and the Caldwell Housing Authority. It also means that services west of the Boise River could be a catalyst for further economic growth out in that area--economic growth that could benefit both the city and the county.   

Present at the groundbreaking ceremony were representatives of seven different agencies or organizations who played a role in making the project come to fruition. There were countless hours of coordination that occurred in the planning process. The largest hurdle, according to Mike Dittenber, was redesigning the project after it was $1.8 million over budget this time last year. He said, “If it wasn’t for the patience and cooperation of everyone involved, we would not be where we are today.”

Why Another Newspaper?

By: Michael Hensel

Thanks for picking up this copy of the Caldwell Perspective. Your second thought after “What a great looking little newspaper,” is probably “Why are they publishing another one?” That’s a good question which I’ll do my best to answer.

 In all modesty, newspapers are the lifeblood of any community. Even though we as an industry are in decline with the big papers losing subscribers and the doomsayers declaring us no longer a mass media by 2030, small community papers continue to thrive and continue to provide a necessary forum or their constituents.

 We are here to provide space for you. This is how you can keep in touch with your neighbors, their kids, grandkids, all the people that are active in our community. Whether it be the debate team at the high school or the latest bingo winners at the senior citizen center we want to publish what is important to you. The ideas are limitless, even if it’s just to rub in your horseshoe victory over your neighbor, send it in and we will put it in print. Have some fun and share a smile or a laugh. If you have an itch to write a column, don’t hesitate to give us a call we would love to hear your idea. 

 There are plenty of outlets for the bad news, we all know about the latest car chase or shooting from watching TV and checking the Internet. As we grow we will come some of that from the human-interest standpoint, how it impacts our neighbors and our neighborhoods. If you have a unique perspective or insight please share, but for the most part we’ll leave that to the big boys and provide you with a paper you can read to your kids without worry.

 We also want to help provide a thriving marketplace, a place you can go to sell that old lawnmower or buy a new one. Ideas for gifts (which if you’re like me are always last minute) and a resource for our local businesses to reach you with their best deals and indispensable services. Take a look, call them up and get that porch swing fixed, summers coming. Since we’re locally owned every dime spent on advertising stays in our community where it belongs.

 We will post your stories online and your ads for the entire world to read.

 So, why another newspaper? Because this one is your opportunity to grab your fifteen minutes of fame, read about your neighbors, and participate in the community. Thanks again for picking us up.

If customers can’t find it, it doesn’t exist. Clearly list and describe the services you offer. Also, be sure to showcase a premium service.

Having a big sale, on-site celebrity, or other event? Be sure to announce it so everybody knows and gets excited about it.

Are your customers raving about you on social media? Share their great stories to help turn potential customers into loyal ones.

Running a holiday sale or weekly special? Definitely promote it here to get customers excited about getting a sweet deal.

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