Old Stinker station slated for demolition this week

Joe Watkins of Bateman-Hall punches into the pavement at the Stinker Station at First Street and Holmes Avenue. The longtime store, which was Sav-Fast Gas before it became Stinker, was closed Monday, with demolition scheduled to start Wednesday. The new store, diagonally behind it, has been under construction for several weeks and is scheduled to open after Labor Day. The parking lot is going to be expanded, but the gas pumps will remain where they are. And here's some history for you: The old Sav-Fast was where Phylis Nisbet and May McCune of  Idaho Falls bought a Super Lotto ticket in February 1992 that won them $12.3million. Will anyone be so lucky at the new store? One never knows, does one?

When it comes to Greenbelt geese, what about the 'Fido solution'?

Geese and seagulls on the west bank of the Snake River in Idaho Falls.

The city of Idaho Falls has decided it wants to manage the goose population on the Greenbelt. It has approved a $3,000, yearlong contract with USDA Wildlife Services that involves rounding up birds and relocating them to a management area, treating eggs so they don't hatch, and launching a don't-feed-the-birds education campaign.

The City Council is scheduled to consider an ordinance at its July 25 meeting that could impose a fine for feeding wildlife -- not only geese, but seagulls, pigeons and ducks.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, however, is the "Fido Solution," more commonly called hazing.

I give you this link from the Times Call of Longmont, Colo., from October 2012: Longmont wants dogs for 'goose hazing' on local golf courses.

In the wild, foxes and coyotes are the natural predators of geese. Obviously we don't have an abundance of them in city limits, so the next best critters are obviously dogs.

For a more detailed look at goose management methods, here is an interesting document I found this morning: Managing Problems Caused by Urban Canada Geese.

The section on hazing says this: Geese are afraid of dogs, and they respond quickly when one is in their area. Any dog may be a satisfactory hazer although border collies are preferred because they are bred to herd sheep and are more relentless than other breeds in pursuing geese. However, dogs used for hazing must be supervised by a handler or tethered on a leash or a slip-wire. Some situations may allow the use of an “invisible fence” to restrict the dog. One potential drawback of using dogs to haze geese is that geese may swim out into the middle of the water and wait until the dog leaves. For hazing to be most effective, geese must be made to fly away.

The most compelling paragraph in the report, however, was this one: Elimination of food handouts for urban geese is essential if geese are to be dissuaded from using a site. If people continue to feed geese on the property, the geese will be difficult to remove.

Wild Russet Cafe and Grill open on Lindsay Boulevard

Heather Phillipp, who recently opened the Wild Russet Bar and Grill with her partner, Jay Drahota.

While their main focus is on tourists, Heather Phillipp and Jay Drahota would certainly like locals to come check out their latest venture, the Wild Russet Bar and Grill at 850 Lindsay Boulevard, in the Guesthouse Inn.

The two, partners already in D'Railed, learned last winter that the property was unoccupied after the restaurant, Open Season, and bar, the Twilight Lounge, both closed. Phillipp said she had worked there as a teen-ager and remembered the size of the kitchen.

The kitchen needed work, however, and after reviewing the past arrangement, in which the restaurant was up front and the bar was in the back, they decided to integrate the restaurant and bar and let the hotel have the old bar area for its complimentary breakfast area.

The menu is soups, salads, sandwiches and burgers, supplemented by dishes made from 20 different varieties of potatoes. For the sake of visitors, Phillipp and Drahota wanted to give the place an Idaho theme, so there is a large variety of Idaho wines and locally brewed beers and ales. Guests often ask where they can buy souvenirs, so Drahota and Phillipp would like to start a crafts cupboard with Idaho-themed gift items. Anyone with something they think would fit the bill is welcome to call them at 881-5204.

The Wild Russet does catering and room service, and has a ballroom they hope to rent out for parties and events. "We just keep trying to test ourselves," Phillipp said.

Construction, real estate hold steady in first half of 2013

Now that we're halfway through the year (I know, I know … I don't want to deal with it either), let's look at what's going on with construction and real estate. Thanks to the city of Idaho Falls and the Snake River Multiple Listing Service, we have numbers for the first six months of this year as well as numbers from past years.

In a nutshell, construction in the city of Idaho Falls is lagging behind last year, but 2012 was extraordinary due to a few big projects. This year's six-month building permit total -- $38.4 million -- was way ahead of 2011, 2010 and 2009 (years I don't think most business people would care to live through again).

By the way, if you want a magnified view click on any of these graphics.

On the real estate front, the median home price in Bonneville County continued to climb back upwards, as did the number of homes sold.

Source: Snake River Multiple Listing Service

Here's something interesting, though. The median home price in 2008, right before the great collapse, was $160,182. If you bought a house for that amount then, what would it be worth today? The answer, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's Housing Price Index Calculator, is $137,715. So we've still got a ways to go.

If you want to use the calculator to check out the relative value of your own house, here's the link: http://www.fhfa.gov/Default.aspx?Page=86

Idaho Youth Ranch plans to open new store Aug. 3

Racks of clothing and boxes at the Idaho Youth Ranch's new store on Woodruff Avenue near WinCo Foods, scheduled to open to the public Aug. 3.

The Idaho Youth Ranch is busy getting moved from downtown to a new location on Woodruff Avenue, next door to WinCo Foods, where the Honks store used to be, with a grand opening set for Aug. 3.


The 13,000 square feet at the new location will be more room than they have had downtown on Shoup Avenue, said Jeff Myers, vice president of business enterprises for the Boise-based charity. Myers oversees operations at the 27 thrift stores the Youth Ranch operates statewide.

More importantly, the location is going to be more accessible for both donors and shopers, with better access and parking. Myers said the level of support from donors and supporters in Idaho Falls has always been good.

"Every dollar we make raises funds for kids' programs," he said. "Once we move, we expect the (new) store to double the contribution we get from Idaho Falls."