D.L. Evans breaks ground on Ammon branch

Officers of D.L. Evans Bank, developers and local government and business leaders did a ceremonial groundbreaking in Ammon Wednesday.

Founded in Albion in 1904 with $25,000, D.L. Evans Bank is looking to expand in eastern Idaho. Officers broke ground Wednesday on a new branch in Ammon, indicating they had plans for more offices in Idaho Falls, Blackfoot and Rexburg.

The new branch, the company's 21st, is expected to be finished by Thanksgiving, said Byron Wiscombe, who will manage it when it opens. It will be on the Sunnyside Road side of the 90-acre Sand Creek Commons development, which will also be home to Cabela's.

Wednesday's groundbreaking is likely be the first of many in the next year or two, said Eric Isom, chief development officer of Ball Ventures, which is developing Sand Creek Commons with the Salt Lake-based Woodbury Corp. Eventually, they anticipate developing 300,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and service space.

"We expect more announcements in the next several months," Isom said.

D.L. Evans, which built a branch at 17th Street and Jennie Lee Drive in 2007, has had a sign for years on Pancheri Drive, near Snake River Landing.

Wiscombe said when he asked the bank's officers, "What about Ammon?" they told him, "You tell us. You live there." So an Ammon branch leapfrogged ahead of the Pancheri project.

The bank's CEO, John V. Evans Jr., was on hand for the ceremony, but his father, former Idaho Gov. John V. Evans Sr., now 89, was unable to make it. The elder Evans, grandson of D.L. Evans, remains the institution's president.

Other guests included Gavin Gee, director of the Idaho Department of Finance ("It's not every day a bank invites its regulator to a groundbreaking," he said) and Ammon Mayor Dana Kirkham.

Remodeled Idaho Falls terminal has open house

The new TSA equipment at Idaho Falls Regional Airport. 

The Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors turned out Tuesday to help with the ribbon cutting at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport, where a $2.9 million remodel was completed this spring.

Checking in will be a lot less work, now that the TSA operation has been moved to the back, with a new conveyor system taking bags back to be scanned by a machine that reminded me of a Soyuz spacecraft.

Of the money spent, 94 percent came from the Federal Aviation Administration, with the city's airport reserves making up the difference. "Now it's up to our community to use our local airport," he said. The airport has hired Sixell Associates out of Seattle to plan its marketing, but what's most important is for people to check prices, he said.

Last Saturday, Delta started flights from Idaho Falls to Minneapolis-St. Paul and this Friday Frontier Airlines is starting round-trip service to Denver.

Checking fares to the East Coast in October to visit my mom and attend my high school reunion, this is what I found. Fares for a round trip to Philadelphia, Oct. 1 to Oct. 19:

• Idaho Falls: $490
• Salt Lake City: $480
• Pocatello: $840
• Jackson Hole: $1,090

A trip on Frontier those same dates, from Salt Lake City to Wilmington, Del. (where my mom lives), would be $385. There is no round trip from Idaho Falls to Wilmington offered, but breaking it down I discovered that I can fly Frontier to Denver then Denver to Wilmington and back and that the cost would be $356.

The drawback would be an eight-hour layover in Denver on Oct. 1, which I suppose might give me ample time to research the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, but it's probably not the best idea.

AmeriTitle expands services into Bingham, Fremont counties

AmeriTitle has expanded its services into Bingham and Fremont counties. One of the largest independent title insurance and escrow companies in the Pacific Northwest with, 42 offices throughout Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, AmeriTitle now has 10 branches serving 13 counties in Idaho.

“All of us at AmeriTitle pride ourselves in providing the best title and escrow services to our local real estate communities,” said Richard Hajek Jr., AmeriTitle assistant vice-president and East Idaho area manager. “Expanding into these two counties has been a goal of mine for some time, and thanks to the support of our new parent company, Futura Title and Escrow Corp., I am thrilled that we were able to complete this expansion.”

Apartment Association has new officers

Jared Duncan has been nominated the new president of the Eastern Idaho Apartment Association. He is the lead property manager at BMG Rentals, managing single family homes, duplexes and multifamily properties.

Aaron Belk, owner and operator of Trail Creek Property Management, has accepted the nomination as president-elect. He leads a team that manages more than 300 units between Rigby and Blackfoot.

The association is scheduling all of next year's speakers and meetings. Possible topics for meetings and speakers include fair housing and how to increase the value of property. Anyone who would like to make a topic recommendation can contact the association's officers:
President: Jared Duncan
President-elect: Aaron Belk
Treasurer: Bart Weaver
Board Member: Jake Durtschi (jake@jacobgrant.com)

Making the grade

We know the sight of dirt being moved can sometimes be the basis for wild speculation, but according to our highly reputable sources nothing is currently planned for this parcel southwest of Wal-Mart on Pioneer Road (that's the new Pancheri overpass in the background). The owner is Guy Arnold of Maple Creek Investments. Because of all the lava rock it is not the easiest ground to sell, so Arnold is grading it to make it more appealing to potential developers.