St. Clair Road work may bring temporary detours

Sections of St. Clair Road may be closed to traffic this month as Idaho Falls Power crews replace power poles between 17th and 25th Streets. Work is set to begin Monday.

St. Clair will not be closed to traffic the entire time, but there may be days when the safety of the crews will necessitate brief shutdowns along certain stretches.

The project is part of the city-owned utility’s effort to replace deteriorated poles, some of which are more than 60 years old.

Idaho-made vodka takes another prize

American Harvest Organic Spirit, the Idaho-made vodka last seen at the Obama inauguration gala, has received a gold medal at the Spirits of the Americas competition in Florida.

In the brand's short time on the market, American Harvest has already been awarded a gold medal from the Beverage Tasting Institute, a double gold medal from the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Tasting Panel Seal of Excellence award for outstanding quality.

American Harvest is made for Sidney Frank Importing Co. by Silver Creek Distillers, a company that took over a closed-down ethanol plant in Jefferson County near the Snake River in 1988. Unlike Blue Ice and Teton Glacier, also made there, American Harvest is distilled from organic winter wheat, not potatoes. It is available locally, and will be available nationwide later this month.

Air service will continue if Idaho Falls Regional Airport tower closes

The tower at Idaho Falls Regional Airport is one of hundreds that could be closed in early April due to across-the-board cuts in federal spending.

Although there is growing alarm in the local aviation community that the control tower could be shut down in early April because of federal cuts to spending, planes will continue to take off and land at Idaho Falls Regional Airport, Manager Craig Davis said.

"We don't want to lose the safety the tower provides," said Davis. "But the airport is not going to shut down."

Davis said he has received word from the three commercial carriers, United Express, SkyWest and Allegiant Air, all stating they do not plan to change their service regardless of whether the tower is open or closed. Even now, 12 to 14 commercial flights a week land in Idaho Falls when the tower is closed.

Nevertheless, Davis is leading an effort to persuade the FAA and lawmakers to keep the tower open. In an e-mail to local pilots and service operators, he said, "I have been working with the airport’s lobbyist organizations (American Association of Airport Executives-AAAE and United States Contract Tower Association-USCTA), the media (local and national) and key airport tenants to communicate our objection to this decision and to urge our legislators to negotiate a plan between now and April 1 to keep the towers in operation."

"It's a balancing act," he said. "But whatever happens we want (people) to know that air service will continue and that they will be safe."

In February, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the sequestration that went into effect March 1 could require trimming $600 million this year from the Federal Aviation Administration's budget. That will mean furloughing air traffic controllers at larger airports and shutting down towers at smaller ones. Idaho Falls is on a list of airports that can be found here: http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/Facilities_Could_Be_Closed.pdf

Tuesday afternoon Davis said he received a letter from the FAA telling him he had until March 13 to provide justification why the Idaho Falls tower shouldn't be closed. The justification has to be at a national level. "They won't take local matters into consideration," he said.

In his e-mail, Davis urged local pilots and anyone connected with aviation to contact Rep. Mike Simpson and Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, providing this link: http://afl.salsalabs.com/o/5893/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5779

Taleesha Hillman, the air traffic manager in Idaho Falls for Serco, the company that contracts with the FAA, is also looking for e-mails and letters to pass on to Washington, D.C. In charge of a four-person staff in Idaho Falls, she said it is "unimaginable and unacceptable" that the tower be closed down. "I have been at IDA for 16 years now and have diligently tried every day to keep people in the air and on the ground safe," she said.

In 2012, 159,976 people boarded flights in Idaho Falls, up from 149,194 in 2011 and 143,194 in 2010. Three carriers -- SkyWest, United Express and Allegiant -- serve Idaho Falls with direct flights to Salt Lake City, Denver, Las Vegas, Oakland, and Los Angeles.

Tacoma Screw Products plans store in Idaho Falls

Demolition of the old Plaza Lanes bowling alley should begin sometime this spring to make way for Tacoma Screw Products' store and distribution center.

Tacoma Screw Products, a 66-year-old company with 15 stores in the Pacific Northwest, has bought the old Plaza Lanes property at 1811 North Yellowstone Avenue in Idaho Falls.

A cyclone fence has been set up around the lot, at the corner of North Yellowstone and Hemmert Drive. After the contents have been salvaged the old buildings will be razed.

Founded in 1946 in Tacoma, Wash., Tacoma Screw Products specializes in the distribution of fasteners, tools and maintenance, shop and industrial supplies.With an inventory of more than 45,000 products, it provides service to more than 40,000 business customers. These include retail, manufacturing, construction, transportation, aerospace, maritime, agricultural, food processing, recreational, institutional operations, and city, county, state, and federal governmental agencies. When customers need custom or special fasteners that are oversized, require special threading or bending, the company has a machine shop to fabricate them.

In Idaho, the company has two branch locations, in Boise and Twin Falls.

More information can be found at the company's Web site, http://www.tacomascrew.com.

Downtown I.F. pastry shop eyes opening Monday, March 11

La Vanilla Bean Patisserie owner Kay Lynn Broadhead, right, and baker Jessica Carson. 

La Vanilla Bean Patisserie in downtown Idaho Falls has set next Monday as the date for a soft opening.

Owner Kay Lynn Broadhead said they are testing the two gas convection ovens and getting staff trained this week at the corner bakery, which is at 489 Park Avenue, across B Street from Pachanga's.

Although she had hoped to open earlier, time has been her friend, she said. "It took a little longer than I though it would, but that has turned out to be good. We've been able to learn about food service and build relationships."

Broadhead and her baker, Jessica Carson, will be focusing on European style pastries (tarts, torts, Napoleons, eclairs, scones), and will also provide coffee, specialty cakes and lunch. On bread they are being joined by Jackie Cook, whom Broadhead met at culinary school.

Store hours will be 7 a.m to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Hours on Friday and Saturday will be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Telephone is (208) 881-5176. Here's the link to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Vanilla-Bean/340374779404337?fref=ts

Broadhead was a communications professor at Idaho State University for 20 years before she took early retirement in 2010 to attend the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vt. When she returned to Idaho her plan was to do business in Boise. But the storefront she thought she had lined up went to someone else, and when she started looking at other Idaho locations she was approached by the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Development Corp.

"I've got a very good feeling about what's happening with the downtown here," she said.