Idaho Falls Downtown Development recognized for spring, summer projects

Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corp. and its executive director, Catherine Smith, received the Leadership Award from the Idaho chapter of the American Planning Association. The award was given in early October at the chapter's annual conference in Twin Falls.

IFDDC and Smith were recognized for the projects completed this summer in downtown Idaho Falls. The work involved replacing old crumbling planters and replacing trees, bringing corners into ADA compliance.

Award-winning projects are highlighted during the annual conference as shining examples of great planning in Idaho. The Awards Program provides an opportunity for Idaho APA to recognize special achievements, with recipients sharing their unique projects and how they have influenced their communities and enhanced planning in Idaho. It is open to Idaho organizations and agencies, professional planners, citizen planners, elected officials, appointed officials (such as planning commissioners), students, and others – depending on the category. In reviewing submissions, the APA Idaho Awards Committee looks for innovation, quality, and the potential for use in other areas.

Rexburg Motorsports hosting annual food drive

Rexburg Motorsports is looking to give back to local families in need with its annual Stuff the Side-by-Side Food Drive. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 outside Broulim's in Rexburg. To help support the Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership (EICAP) Rexburg Outreach Office, Rexburg Motorsports is looking for donations of new or unopened food and household items to stuff a Honda Pioneer Side-by-Side with a half-ton of food.

The Rexburg Outreach Office is seeking donations for the following unexpired items: canned meats, canned tomatoes, cereals, dry goods, laundry and dishwasher detergent, cleaning supplies, and various hygiene items.

The Honda Pioneer is equipped to hold up to 1,000 pounds of donations in the seats, bed, and storage compartments. Rexburg Motorsports is hoping the vehicle's capacity will be exceeded before the event concludes.

To donate, simply stop by the Broulim’s in Rexburg and place your donations in the side-by-side parked outside the store. All items received will be housed in the food bank in Rexburg and be distributed to families in need in the Madison County area.

“We're always looking for ways to help out the community,” said Mike Vickers, owner of Rexburg Motorsports. "The food drive is a fun way for us to accomplish that and to encourage others to get involved."

For further information regarding the food drive or Rexburg Motorsports in general, contact Matt Dyer at 208-356-4000 or via email at mdyer@gearhead.com.

Costco site plan proposes three entrances, keeping roundabout

Here's the layout of the Costco development at Lincoln Road and 25 East (Hitt Road).

We had a question from a reader some time back about the effect Costco, scheduled to open sometime next year, will have on local traffic, and whether the roundabout at Lincoln Road and 25 East (Hitt Road) will remain.

Going by the Transportation Impact Study prepared for the city of Idaho Falls and Bonneville County by Kittelson & Associates, it looks like the roundabout, expanded in 2018, will remain. Kittelson is recommending three access points -- one on Lincoln and two on Hitt.

The full report can be found here -- TRANSPORTATION IMPACT STUDY | Idaho Falls Costco  -- but if you'd rather not scroll through 71 pages here are the passages we found most informative.

Proposed Development Plan
▪ Kittelson maintains a database of traffic data and travel characteristics for Costco Wholesale. This information was used to estimate the trip generation for Costco Wholesale during the weekday PM and Saturday midday peak hours.
o The  proposed  Costco warehouse  and  fuel  station  and  outparcel  are estimated  to generate 7,045 daily net new trips, 707 weekday PM peak hour net new trips, and 988 Saturday midday peak hour net new trips.
▪ The distribution pattern for site-generated trips was estimated based on Costco Wholesale’s prediction of potential members in the area, a review of the proposed access locations and adjacent  roadway  system,  existing  traffic  patterns, and  insights  from  the  City  and  County staff.
▪ The proposed development plan includes two access points on 25th East and one access point on Lincoln Road. For initial analysis purposes, these three access points were assumed to be unsignalized, full-movement accesses.

Off-Site Intersections
▪ No improvements are recommended at the off-site intersections as part of the Costco warehouse and fuel station development. ... The  results  of  the  study  indicate  that  the  proposed Idaho  Falls  Costco can  be  constructed  while maintaining  acceptable   traffic   operations   and   safety   at   the   study   intersections,   assuming the recommended mitigation measures are in place.

Site Access Intersections
▪ Site Access A/Lincoln Road -- Construct a full-movement, unsignalized access at Site Access A on Lincoln Road that includes one ingress lane, two egress lanes (southbound left-turn and right-turn lanes),and a westbound right-turn lane.
▪ Site Access B/25th East -- Construct a full-movement, unsignalized access at Site Access B on 25th East that includes one ingress lane, two egress lanes (eastbound left-turn and right-turn lanes), and a southbound right-turn lane at the opening of Costco, plan for a future multilane roundabout at this driveway by reserving the space needed for a multilane roundabout design, and participate in a cost-sharing of the roundabout. The multilane roundabout would be installed at a future date when deemed necessary by traffic volumes, traffic operations at this driveway, and development of the property to the east.
▪ Site Access C/25th East -- Construct a full-movement, unsignalized access at Site Access C on 25th East that includes one ingress lane and one egress lane (shared westbound left-turn and right-turn lane).
▪ Maintain adequate sight distance at Site Access A, B, and C by limiting the shrubbery and landscaping.

CHC Foundation announces Fall 2019 grants

An aerial view of Community Hospital on South Boulevard. Originally called Sacred Heart and later called Parkview, the money from its sale and demolition in the 1980s formed the basis of the CHC Foundation, which awards grants in eastern Idaho twice each year.

The CHC Foundation Board of Directors has announced its Fall 2019 grant awards: $341,652 to 20 recipients.


The foundation is based in Idaho Falls and serves Bonneville County and nine surrounding counties. It dates back to 1985, when it was created with money from the liquidation of Parkview Hospital in Idaho Falls. Originally Sacred Heart Hospital, then Community Hospital, Parkview, on South Boulevard across from Tautphaus Park, was part of Idaho Falls Consolidated Hospitals. It was torn down after Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center opened.

CHC awards grants twice a year to 501c(3) non-profit organizations in the 10-county area formerly served by the hospital.


The largest grant this cycle was a $140,000 award to the Museum of Idaho, which is in the process of a major expansion. Other grant award recipients include:

• The Giving Cupboard, Rigby, $24,000
• Idaho Falls Humanitarian Center, $1,622
• City of Mackay, $12,500
• Museum of Idaho, Idaho Falls, $140,000
• Ronald McDonald Charities, Idaho Falls, $6,000
• Blackfoot Community Players, $10,000
• Idaho Falls Arts Council, $7,200
• Challis Arts Council, $4,000
• Parker-Elgin School, $9,500
• Lemhi Historical Society, Salmon, $2,441
• ABC-After school Literacy Program, Driggs, $1,638
• Museum of Henry’s Fork, $3,900
• Teton Valley Trails and Pathways, $20,000
• Shelley Senior Center, $15,000
• Teton Regional Land Trust, $7,000
• Girl Scouts of Silver Sage-Swan Valley, $11,594
• Promise Ridge Shelter, Idaho Falls, $7,325
• Snake River Youth Performing Arts, $7,932
• Idaho Arts Lab, St Anthony, $10,000
• Veterans Mobility Corps, Idaho Falls/Ucon, $60,000

The CHC Foundation’s next granting session opens Jan. 1, with grant applications accepted through Feb. 26. For information, visit chcfoundation.net.

INL named winner of four 2019 R&D 100 awards

Idaho National Laboratory has received four R&D 100 awards for 2019. Since they were started by R&D Magazine in 1963, R&D 100 Awards have identified and celebrated the top technology products from the public and private sectors. The U.S. Department of Energy’s national laboratories typically have dozens of finalists every year.

Winners will be honored Dec. 4-5 at a banquet in San Mateo, Calif., also the site for the fifth annual R&D 100 Conference, an event where leaders from the R&D community can attend multi-disciplinary general sessions and exchange new ideas in innovation and technology transfer.

In the Analytical/Test category, INL took honors with its Electronic Neutron Generator Calibration System and its High-Temperature Irradiation-Resistant Thermocouples (HTIR-TC).

In the IT/Electrical electrical category, it received a joint award with the University of Utah School of Computing for Wireless radio Frequency signal Identification and protocol Reverse Engineering—WiFIRE.

In the Software/Services, INL was recognized for Consequence-driven Cyber-informed Engineering.

INL’s finalists included Lithium-ion battery defect detector, Waste-to-Energy Ionic Gasification Technology (a joint award with Cogent Energy Systems, Inc.), Wireless sensor system for online monitoring of valve position, and HELICS, a project also involving Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL).