Horse races Saturday help Help Inc.

Someone, I can't remember who, quite possibly my wife, asked me the other day whether they still had horse racing at Sandy Downs. It appears they do, and it appears the Exchange Club of Idaho Falls is doing a benefit there for Help, Inc.  If you want to read about Help Inc., here's a link to its Web site: http://www.helpincidaho.org/. Whether you like to bet on horses or just watch them run, maybe we'll see you there.

Class for contractors to be offered in Idaho Falls next week on truss flooring systems

The Professional Contractor License Review Board is offering contractors a class in Idaho Falls next week that addresses design, construction and installation methods for wood truss floor systems.

The class will be held at July 25 at 10:30 a.m., at the Idaho Falls BMC West Truss Plant, 3715 Bombardier Ave.

In addition to design and installation, the class will also focus on the proper understanding of shop drawings of truss systems. A tour of the BMC truss plant will follow, and a light lunch will be provided.

The class has been approved for yearly continuing education units for professional building contractors and city of Idaho Falls licensed building contractors.

Idaho has more than 22,000 registered contractors, but becoming a professional building contractor through the Professional Contractor Licensing Review Board means a contractor has met training and experience standards not required for state registration. PBC certification allows contractors to offer consumers extra assurance that they are qualified, reputable and committed to staying up to date on the latest codes and issues.

Training and experience criteria include completion of a bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture or construction science, 32 hours of approved code-related education, and, depending on the class of license, from 5 to 15 years of experience. Classes of contractors include General Contractor (Class A), Building Contractor (Class B), Residential Contractor (Class C), and Sub-Contractor (Class D).

Pre-register by calling 208-342-1270, emailing jcarrell@amsidaho.com or online at http://www.idahoclrb.org/.

Meet the Distinguished Under 40 winners

Last week there was a lot of interest in our post about the winners of the Young Professionals Network Distinguished Under 40 award this year. We got a list of winners published as soon as we got the news, but were a little disappointed that we didn't have photos of them. In an effort to rectify this, we rounded them up with the help of Idaho Falls Magazine's Steve Smede and put them all into this little layout, which you can click on if you wish to enlarge it. The these ten will be honored July 30 at a luncheon. For more information, call the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce office at 523-1010.

One16 Sports Bar and Grill owner announces plans for casino

Queenie Linderman

There's going to be a lot more to report in a week or so, but Queenie Linderman of The One16 Sports Bar and Grill announced on Facebook this morning that her establishment will become a casino in October.

This will roughly coincide with the first anniversary of her opening at 3078 Outlet Blvd.,  next door to Teton Volkswagen and near I-15 Exit 116. Going into business with some local investors and others from "back East"* her part of the business will be food and beverage. The gaming will be machines-only and regulated by the state, much the same way Montana runs its casinos.

The eventual plan is to occupy the entire building once Teton Volkswagen moves to its permanent location.

If you want to keep up with this on Facebook, the link is https://www.facebook.com/TheOne16SportsBarAndGrill.

*I put "back East" in quotation marks because it's a relative term in Idaho. My former Post Register colleague Rocky Barker always called his native Wisconsin  "back East." Being from Delaware, I found it amusing.

Event Center to be topic Thursday at Grow Idaho Falls investor breakfast

The site of the event center is shaded in grey. (Click on the map to enlarge it.)

Cindy Ozaki, who chairs the Idaho Falls Auditorium District, will speak Thursday morning at a Grow Idaho Falls investor breakfast about the progress of the Idaho Falls Event Center.

The breakfast will be at the Hotel on the Falls from 7:30 to 9 a.m. RSVP by calling 522-2014 or emailing soseen@postregister.com.

Voters approved formation of an auditorium district in May 2011. In May this year, a plat was filed with the city of Idaho Falls. It has been reviewed by the Idaho Falls Planning Commission and recommended for approval. The matter goes before the City Council July 26, at its regular meeting.

Once a plat is approved and land is annexed, developers can file site and building plans and begin work on the project.

Last winter, when the Idaho Falls Auditorium District named Centennial Management Group to operate the center, CMG President Kevin Bruder said they expected to break ground in May. Obviously that hasn't happened, but when it does the construction is expected to take 18 months.

Plans for the center include a hockey area, shopping area, restaurants, conference center and concert venue. It will be located on 22 acres at Snake River Landing, south of Pancheri Drive, with a road that runs between Pioneer Road and Snake River Parkway serving as the main access.

Partial funding for the project comes from a 5 percent hotel and motel bed tax, which is administered by the auditorium district.

Here is a link to the Event Center's Web site: http://www.idahofallseventcenter.com/index.html