Around Idaho: June 2016 Economic Activity

Information provided in this article is from professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North Central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South Central Idaho
Southeastern
Eastern Idaho

NORTHERN IDAHO – Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai & Shoshone counties

Bonner County

• Bonner County has agreed to grant Quest Aircraft a package of tax exemptions in recognition of the company’s expansion plans. The exemptions come under a provision in Idaho code which allow a company to declare all or partial market value as tax exempt provided the company spends a minimum of $3 million on business improvements over a five year period. Source: Bonner County Daily Bee

Kootenai County

• Several new restaurants and retail stores opened in Kootenai County, mostly in the northern and western areas around new housing developments. The Prairie Shopping Center in northern Coeur d’Alene continues to grow. Coeur d’Alene is running out of space against the lake and river in the south, which increasingly sent new business establishments and housing developments northward. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
• A Montana-based builder has announced plans to construct a new three-story, 52-unit apartment building in downtown Coeur d’Alene. Glenn Construction Co., confirmed it has purchased land and is currently working with the city to approve a design that will accentuate Coeur d’Alene’s downtown aesthetics. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
• Coeur d’Alene is in the process of a major downtown public works project which includes overhauling parking lots, city streets and pedestrian corridors around City Park and the lakefront. The goal is to better facilitate the large crowds that descend on the area for events like Ironman Triathlon and Independence Day. Source: Spokesman Review
• Kootenai County’s Fairgrounds and Airport hosted a large training exercise which included state and local law enforcement and emergency services from Idaho and Washington, as well as federal agencies. The exercise was designed to test preparedness to respond to a major earthquake event along the Cascadia fault line. In such an earthquake scenario, northern Idaho would be expected to be a key evacuation point for Washington and Oregon residents on the Pacific Coast. Source: Spokesman Review

Shoshone County

• A federal mediator will help with contract negations between Hecla Mining Co. and its Lucky Friday Mine workers. A deal is imperative after eight weeks of failed bargaining. While no workers are on strike currently, union representatives say they are prepared to strike if the next round of negotiations does not reach a deal. Source: Shoshone News Press
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded $48 million to upgrade the Central Treatment Plant near Kellogg. The plant is a key component of ongoing efforts to clean up the Bunker Hill Superfund site and a broader effort to reduce toxic contamination in the local water basin. Source: Shoshone News Press

Sam.Wolkenhauer@labor.idaho.gov, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 457-8789 ext 4451

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO – Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis and Nez Perce counties

Idaho and Lewis Counties

• Pacific Cabinets Inc., received a workforce development training grant from the Idaho Department of Labor for $63,170 to train 11 new and 11 existing employees that include engineer technicians, computer control programmers, finish carpenters and fabricators. http://labor.idaho.gov/news/NewsReleases/tabid/1953/ctl/PressRelease/mid/3872/itemid/2986/Default.aspx Source: Idaho Department of Labor

Latah County

• The Moscow Planning and Zoning Commission green-lighted a development of 154 residential units and a 3,000 square-foot retail space with three shops on six acres of vacant land at South Main Street. March 2017 is set as the goal for construction to begin and a completion date is set for the fall of 2018. Concerns were raised about insufficient parking planned for the residents of the development. Source: Moscow-Pullman Daily News
• The city of Deary was awarded a $25,000 grant from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to “study and inspect its aging pipes” in preparation of an information document. The town’s pipes are breaking down and leaking, causing the city to lose water and resources. Moscow-Pullman Daily News
• The national Marine and Fisheries Service and the Federal Highway Administration both agreed that a paving proposal to “extend the Latah Trail east of Troy is not likely to adversely affect Snake River Basin steelhead or their habitats.” Source: Moscow-Pullman Daily News
  

Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov, regional economist supervisor
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 332-3570 ext. 3201

SOUTHWESTERN IDAHO – Ada, Adams, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Valley & Washington counties

Ada County

• Motive Power, a Boise-based locomotive manufacturer, has announced it will lay off 210 workers — nearly half of its workforce — over the summer. The company said positions to be eliminated are across the company, including management, engineering, administrative staff and direct labor. Motive Power is wrapping up work on several contracts that are ending and is working to keep some of the employees whose jobs are headed for elimination. Source: Idaho Statesman
• The Blower Shop, a 32-year-old engine parts manufacturer from southern California, is moving to Boise and is expected to open in August. This will be the Blower Shop’s fourth location. The company is moving all of its operations to Boise. The shop will hire about 20 people to join the six employees moving to Boise with the company. It purchased a 13,000-square-foot building near the Boise Airport that will serve distribution, manufacturing and warehousing needs. Source: Idaho Business Review
• HydroPoint, a San Francisco-based water management company, has bought Baseline Systems, a Boise-based water management company. HydroPoint said the 33 Baseline employees would remain in place in Boise. HydroPoint has 56 employees. Source: Idaho Statesman
• American Airlines now offers a direct flight to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) from Boise. On June 1, American Airlines flight No. 473 from Dallas/Fort Worth made its inaugural daily direct roundtrip service  between Boise and DFW in Texas, one of the nation’s largest travel hubs. Source: Boise Weekly
• The City of Boise is trying to sell a 275-acre industrial tract made up of six parcels located near the Winco Distribution Center on the Boise city rail spur. The city hopes commercial real estate firm Cushman and Wakefield can find a private developer willing to build a “transload” facility where a full-size, 100-car train could be loaded and unloaded to and from shipping trucks. In addition, the property could someday become the center of a larger industrial park featuring uses such as storage, assembly or manufacturing of inbound goods and bailing or other consolidation of outbound recyclable materials and other freight. Source: Idaho Statesman
• The Boise City/Ada County Housing Authority wants to build a 50-unit, affordable housing apartment complex near Whitewater Park Boulevard. Rent for the Sandhill Crane apartments likely would range from $290 for a one-bedroom to $750 for a four-bedroom unit. Tenants would be workers and families whose household incomes range from about $15,000 to about $36,000. The project is in the early stages. No permits have been filed, and the tax-credit project relies on financing through the Idaho Housing and Finance Association. Source: Idaho Statesman
• Los Angeles-based developer LocalConstruct has expressed interest in building a 130- to 200-unit residential and retail mixed-used development on 6.5 acres in downtown Boise’s west end. One component of the development could be a grocery store. The earliest potential construction start date is summer 2017, but Brown said the project is not a foregone conclusion, based on construction costs and rental prices. Source: Idaho Business Review
• Construction has started on the 55,000-square-foot, 73-unit Veranda Senior Living at Paramount at the corner of Chinden Boulevard and Fox Run Drive. Source: Idaho Business Review
• A new Catholic school is under construction in Meridian. St. Ignatius will be the first Catholic school built in the valley in almost 50 years. The 56,000-square-foot school building will have two wings stretching out from a 5,500-square-foot central common area that will serve as a gathering place just beyond the lobby. It will hold 470 students from pre-K to 8^th grade.  St. Ignatius is scheduled to open for the fall 2017 school term.  Source: Idaho Business Review
• TSheets has broken ground on a new, 65,000-square-foot facility in Eagle for the company’s 115 employees. TSheets will hire up to 85 more employees by the time the building is complete. Source: Idaho Business Review
• Work on the Eagle Island Marketplace – which stopped in 2011 – has resumed. So far, the developer, Eisenberg Co., has invested about $50 million in Eagle Island Marketplace with the ultimate expenditure likely reaching $75 million at buildout. The 40-acre, Fred Meyer-anchored center will be about 70 percent built out once the 8,500-square-foot and 5,160-square-foot buildings at the corner of Chinden Boulevard and Linder Road are finished. A Commercial Tire Center is also under construction on the center’s innermost pad. Source: Idaho Business Review

Canyon County

• Construction has started on a new D.L. Evans Bank in Caldwell. The building is scheduled for completion in October. Source: Idaho Business Review
• Meridian’s Legacy Feed and Fuel is expanding into a new Nampa location. The current Legacy Feed and Fuel store, with 16,000 square feet, is at the corner of Meridian and Victory roads. The new store is planned for the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Highway 45. The owner, Simon VanderWoude, expects the new location to open by spring 2017. The new location will employ 15 people. The old store currently employs 24.  Source: Idaho Press-Tribune
• The College of Idaho plans to build a new residence hall and improve current student housing buildings as part of a $17 million project. The three-phase project is expected to be complete by summer 2018. Phase I of the project will be a roughly $4 million renovation of the historic Voorhees Hall, a 15,000-square-foot dormitory built in 1912. Phase II of the project will include renovation of Finney Hall. The 20,000-square-foot building will receive an approximate $4 million upgrade like Voorhees Hall, with a completely refurbished interior and other modern upgrades. Phase III of the project will be the construction of a new “suite style” residential complex that will provide 90 additional student beds. The new student housing complex is slated for construction at the corner of Illinois Avenue and Oak Street south of campus.  Source: Idaho Press-Tribune
• Pioneer Federal Credit Union has merged with Cornerstone Credit Union and opened its 14th branch. Pioneer Federal Credit Union has taken over Cornerstone’s branch on Kimball Avenue in Caldwell. Source: Idaho Business Review

Gem County

• Four businesses have begun operations at the Shadow Butte Industrial Park recently. One business relocated from within Gem County, one business relocated from outside of Gem County and two of the companies are new businesses. Source: Messenger-Index
• The Emmett Cherry Festival was a success this year due to early warm weather in contrast to last year when some orchards lost up to 90 percent of their cherry crop due to freezing cold conditions. Source: Messenger-Index
• The Gem County Commissioners have granted Woodgrain Millwork, who owns the Emmett sawmill, a five-year property tax exemption. To earn this exemption, Woodgrain committed to an $8 million investment in the mill over the next seven to 10 years. The company plans to open the mill at full capacity by February 2017. The mill will take product from Horseshoe Bend, process it and send it to Fruitland, where the company headquarters is located. The Emmett location is expected to employ 54 people when the mill starts up again in February. Source: Messenger-Index

Owyhee County

• Up to 12 homes are planned for the Santa Fe Subdivision in Homedale. There will be at least four homes built in the next year and up to 12, says the developer, Ron Mayhew. It has been nearly nine years since the subdivision was first platted. Home building ended after the first four homes were constructed and the recession set in. Source: Owyhee Avalanche
• The Marsing Senior Center has purchased The Sandbar restaurant in Marsing. After receiving state and federal funding, senior center officials will pay $275,000 for the restaurant, which has been closed for the past year. The current senior center, located on Main Street, is now up for sale to help purchase The Sandbar. The senior center board hopes to close on the purchase of the facility within 60 days. The restaurant will resume operations under the new ownership. Source: Owyhee Avalanche

Payette County

• A new Dollar Tree dollar store is under construction in Payette County. The store is expected to be finished by September. Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar in July 2015 and will share 600 square feet of the 9,500-square-foot retail center with Family Dollar. Source: Independent Enterprise

Valley County

• The Northwest Passage Apartments, a 37-unit apartment complex designed for lower-income families, was approved by the Donnelly City Council. It will be built on land along Idaho 55 on the north end of Donnelly. The first apartments should be ready to occupy by March 2017, according to developer Chance Hobbs. Source: McCall Star-News
• A Utah businessman has purchased the Osprey Meadows Golf Course at Tamarack Resort for $1.2 million, according to court records. Walter J. Plumb III signed a purchase agreement on May 5 with the Tennessee representative for the company that controls the land, according to records filed in U.S. District Court in Boise. Source: McCall Star-News
• Ridley’s Family Market plans to expand its McCall supermarket by 30 percent to include more fresh produce and install public seating areas. The store has submitted plans to the city of McCall to expand into space east of the McCall store, located in The Marketplace. Plans call for expansion of the current 35,000-square-foot store by 9,780 square feet, according to the application to the city. Source: McCall Star-News

 Openings

• Fidelity National Bank in Downtown Boise
• Carhartt store at the Village in Meridian, in July
• CarMax, a used car retailer, with 58 employees in Meridian in September
• The Goodness Land, an Arabic restaurant on Overland Road in Boise
• Save the Day Seasonings, direct-sales company, on Adkins Way in Meridian
• Trailhead Guesthouse in Midvale

 Closing

• Alphonsus’ last Express Care clinic inside the Rite Aid on 16^th and State streets in downtown Boise

Ethan.Mansfield@labor.idaho.gov, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 332-3570 ext. 3455

SOUTH CENTRAL IDAHO – Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka and Twin Falls counties

Regional News

• Southern Idaho Economic Development Organization’s ‘Operation Facelift’ is going full-steam ahead in the communities of Jerome and Rupert. The strong construction market in Twin Falls created a shortage of contractors and consequently, work on downtown Twin Falls has been tabled for this year. Source: Times-News

Dairy Update

• Milk production continues to grow as herd sizes increase across the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand estimates. Year-to-date sales of conventional products fell .7 percent while organic products rose 4 percent. Exports were down due to a strong dollar holding back milk and dairy product sales. Idaho’s market, which is supported by contracts with processors, saw profits fall to $238 per head in 2015, a difference of $1,140 from 2014. However, the change in profit was not as sour as other dairy regions as indicated by Table 1. Applied to the herd size of south central Idaho counties in 2015, the change yielded a total loss in profit of $470.4 million. This has tremendous impact on the region and state.
• Class III milk, used for cheese processing, is projected to average $13.60 per hundredweight (cwt.) compared with $15.80 in 2015 and $22.34 in 2014. The 2017 average is forecast at $14.50 per cwt. Class IV milk is projected to average $13.60 per cwt., as well. This follows a 2015 average of $14.35 in 2015 and $22.09 in 2014. The 2017 estimate is at $13.70 per cwt. Cost of production is estimated at $15.20 per cwt. according to Rabobank Food and Agribusiness Research and Advisory Team. Source: Progressive Dairyman

Blaine County

• An existing business with a showroom and corporate headquarters in Ketchum is applying for Idaho’s Tax Reimbursement Incentive and getting closer to moving its manufacturing facility to Bellevue. The company, Leeds Look Listen, makes high quality speakers for its custom sound service design and installation business, with an existing manufacturing site in upstate New York. Source: Idaho Mt. Express
• The city of Hailey’s Local Option Tax (LOT) reported that since inception, it has brought nearly $4 million to the city. The second quarter 2016 LOT revenue is up 13.4 percent from second quarter last year and 12 percent from the second quarter of 2014. The increases reported in rentals of cars and hotel rooms were high at 18 percent growth as restaurant food sales grew by 12 percent over the year. Liquor-by-the-drink had a modest gain of 5 percent. LOT collections subsidize sidewalk maintenance, police salaries, holiday lighting, Mountain Rides and Hailey Chamber of Commerce expenses. Source: Idaho Mt. Express
• The city of Ketchum’s Local Option Tax is also showing an upward trend, up for the fifth straight month in a row, and increased 6 percent from April 2015. Short-term lodging and building materials did not contribute to the boost in growth. The city collected $105, 346 in April following robust collections of $215,537 in February and $189,526 in March; the year-over-year change was 15.70 percent and 13.45 percent, respectively. Contrary to Hailey’s results, liquor-by-the-drink was up 37 percent compared to April 2015. Source: Idaho Mt. Express
• Limelight Hotel is still under construction in downtown Ketchum with hopes of renting rooms by December. It is currently taking bids on eight of its 14 residential units located on the fourth and fifth floors for best views. It is one of the tallest buildings in downtown at 65’ and will have 99 rooms when completed. Source: Idaho Mt. Express
• Kneebone Building, a three-story office complex with two residential units on top has broken ground in the middle of downtown Ketchum. Completion is tentative for 2017. There will be 3,000 square feet of dedicated office space and 4,000 square feet of residential units with nine parking spots for staff and residents. The general contractor is one of the owners, Kearns, McGinnis & Vandenberg. Source: Idaho Mt. Express
• The assessment of all property in Blaine County is up 4.1 percent from 2015 but still down 25 percent from its peak in 2007. Pre-recession, the aggregated property values reached almost $12.5 billion, while 2016 came in at $9.2 billion. Source: Idaho Mt. Express

 

Minidoka and Cassia Counties

• Christiansen Implement has been acquired by an existing dealership, Stotz Equipment based in Arizona — both specialize in the John Deere brand and are family owned and operated entities. The sale will close in August and all three of the businesses impacted will remain open and retain employees, including Burley, Twin Falls and American Falls stores. Stotz Equipment has released its current ownership of 28 dealerships across eight states, catering to the agricultural and government industries, along with the golfing sector. Source: Times News
• The Minidoka County School district has been awarded a $25,000 micro grant from the Idaho Department of Labor. The requisite matching funds or in-kind support were provided by the School District, Amalgamated Sugar Company, Transystems, McCain Foods, High Desert Milk, PerforMix and Norwest Manufacturing. A combination of school personnel and industry professionals will teach knowledge and skills in welding, electrical wiring, centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, basic hand and power tools, reading blueprints, safety procedures and soft skills at Minico High School. Existing workers may also attend courses with an apprenticeship to be developed. http://labor.idaho.gov/news/NewsReleases/tabid/1953/ctl/PressRelease/mid/3872/itemid/2991/Default.aspx Source: Idaho Department of Labor

Gooding County

• The city and county are collaborating on the design and construction of an animal shelter after years of contracting out to a veterinarian. Source: Idaho Business Review

Jerome County

• Kenworth Sales Co. hosted a grand opening of its newly remodeled facility in Jerome. The company spent $4.5 million to remodel its existing 20,000-squarefoot building and employs 40 workers. The general contractor was Starr Corporation. Source: Times-News

Twin Falls County

• Clif Bar is producing and shipping goods from its new plant in Twin Falls. The commercial bakery broke ground on the $90 million, 275,000 –square-foot plant in March 2015 and employs 200 workers. Source: Times-News
• Red Robin announced it will hire 100 part-time and full-time staffers in mid-August. The company invested $1.1 million toward remodeling the former River Rock Grill in Twin Falls. Source: Times-News
• Twin Falls hosted its first Special Olympics Summer State Games in early June with more than 1,200 athletes converging on the area. It will continue to host the event for the next three years. Source: Times-News
• St. Luke’s Community Health Improvement Fund announced its annual selection of 30 groups receiving $267,000 worth of funding. Magic Valley Regional Medical Center started the fund in 1998 and St. Luke’s continued the tradition when it took over the locally governed hospital and built a new facility. The annual distribution started at around $200,000, with increases each year to match increases in the Consumer Price Index for Medical Care. The fund has given out a total of $2.2 million of community grants over the past 10 years. Source: Times-News
• The College of Southern Idaho’s Bridge to Success program has enrolled 32 students this summer with the goal of earning seven college credits. The program is for first-time, degree-seeking students interested in biology or health science careers. Students pay $125 for the eight-week program that provides instruction and mentoring four days a week. Textbooks, tutoring, leadership training, academic advising, transportation for those traveling in from the Mini-Cassia area and daily lunches are included in the fee. This is funded by the CSI Foundation, J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation and McGraw-Hill publishing company. The Idaho Board of Education’s goal is for 60 percent of 25- to-34-year-olds to have earned a postsecondary degree or certificate by 2020. Source: Times-News
• Twin Falls Urban Renewal Agency has purchased a lot for $500,000 in the downtown core to create 70 parking spaces, addressing the need for parking. The existing buildings will be removed as part of the purchase price. Source: Times-News
• The Rogerson Building built in 1908 was razed, making space for construction of the Downtown Commons, an outdoor plaza for events such as concerts, markets and live performances. Source: Times-News

Openings

• Mom’s Tumbleweed Café opening in Castleford, the second of two restaurants. Source: Times-News
• Jerome County Jail, a 135-bed facility funded by an $11.2 million bond, was built with additional capacity to generate an income stream, as it takes on inmates from the state and other counties. Source: Times-News

Jan.Roeser@labor.idaho.gov, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 735-2500 ext 3639

SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO – Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida & Power counties

Bannock County

• Construction crews have begun expanding the Federal Bureau of Investigation Center in Pocatello. Project cost is expected to exceed $10 million dollars. Local leaders say the facility could create as many as 300 new high paying jobs and have a total economic impact for the Pocatello area upwards of $36 million dollars. Construction is expected to be completed in the spring of 2017. Source: KPVI News
• The Idaho Transportation Department has started pavement rehabilitation, utility upgrades and sidewalk repairs on Yellowstone Avenue between Pole Line Road and Flandro Drive in Pocatello. The project is projected to last through mid-September. Source: Idaho State Journal
• Pocatello City Council has shut down the idea of putting a cellphone tower in Alameda Park over concerns of radiation and reduction in property values. The proposed Verizon Wireless cell tower was in response to growing demand for service and would have included a fenced 110-foot tower with a faux pine tree look and a 12-by-32-foot equipment shelter. Verizon will now look at commercial or private property to construct the tower. Source: Idaho State Journal
• A new Fairfield Marriott hotel will fill the empty lot in front of the Holiday Inn Express in Pocatello. Construction is scheduled to begin in late July. Source: Idaho State Journal

Bingham County

• Bingham Memorial Hospital is expanding its surgical options with a new robot. The DaVinci Surgical System is a Robotic assisted device and is currently used in other hospitals throughout the region. It will allow for less invasive surgical procedures, letting doctors operate without making a large incision and ultimately speeding up recovery. Source: KPVI News
• Aberdeen’s police and fire dispatch will move to Bingham County following a special meeting where city council members voted the move unanimously. There are concerns that once dispatch is gone, the city would not get it back and people would be losing their jobs. Source: The Aberdeen Times
• The Idaho Transportation department will replace a crumbling bridge over the Snake River Valley this fall and has programmed funding to widen U.S. Highway 91 from the north Shelley city limits to York Road by 2021. Source: The Shelley Pioneer
• Bingham Memorial Hospital representatives presented Bingham County with a check for $442,040 this month. This is the latest payment that has been made since the hospital converted from a county-operated facility to a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation – BMH Inc. in a lease agreement. Through capital investments, BMH Inc. has worked to increase the hospital’s real property and capital assets, which has doubled in value from $38 million to $76 million since 2007. Source: The Blackfoot Journal

Franklin County

• Hunzeker Ford has been purchased by West Motor and will continue to sell Ford products. The new dealership opened its doors on June 1. Source: Preston Citizen
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has denied the Twin Lakes Canal Co. application to build, operate and maintain a 10-megawatt hydroelectric dam on the Bear River in Franklin County. The project would have occupied about 89 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It would have flooded a 4.5 mile stretch of the Oneida Narrows Canyon east of Preston. Source: KIDK/KIFI
• Papa Jay’s has recently expanded its services to include catering. The jerky and deli business has a store in Clifton and one in Logan. Both locations now offer catering services. Source: The Preston Citizen

Oneida County

• Plans for a new commercial multi-purpose building at the Oneida County Fairgrounds have been proposed to county commissioners. The building would be used as a display building during the fair, a place for voting and offices for the Oneida County Extension Service. The cost is estimated at $300,000 for just the foundation and the building with the rest unfinished. Source: The Idaho Enterprise

 Power County

• The Christiansen Implement stores in Burley, American Falls and Twin Falls have been purchased by Arizona-based Stotz Equipment. The announcement means very few changes for the 70 employees who work at the three stores. Source: Idaho State Journal
• Power County will get a new boat ramp on the western side of the American Falls Reservoir as the water recedes this fall. The project will cost just under $1 million. The Bureau of Reclamation will build the new ramp, and turn the maintenance over to the waterway’s board after it is completed. Source: Power County Press
• A groundbreaking ceremony for Valley Agronomics, on land that was once the southern edge of the FMC property, marked the start of construction of a new fertilizer distribution facility. The new center represents a $12 million investment and will bring in 60-70 new jobs. Plans are to have the facility fully operational by next spring. Source: Idaho State Journal

Openings

• Red Robin in Chubbuck
• Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen in Chubbuck
• Sips-N-Sweet Treats, a soda and treat shop, in Old Town Pocatello
• The Bru House, a coffee shop on the corner of Main and Wyeth streets in Pocatello

Esther.Eke@labor.idaho.gov, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 557-2500 ext. 4331

EASTERN IDAHO – Bonneville, Butte, Clark, Custer, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi, Madison & Teton counties

Bonneville County

• The Center for HOPE plans to open its doors next month. The peer-to-peer recovery center is geared toward people with mental health and substance abuse issues and will help bridge the gap between treatment providers and the criminal justice system. A $150,000 grant awarded to the Idaho Association of counties will fund four new peer-to-peer recovery centers in Bonneville, Bannock, Nez Perce and Kootenai counties, bringing the total in the state to eight. Source: KPVI News
• Renovations are underway at the 17th Street Albertsons store in Idaho Falls. One of the biggest changes will be the revamped pharmacy, which will see its footprint increased by 2 1/2 times with new consultation and waiting rooms plus a drive-up window. The grand re-opening is scheduled for Aug. 3. Source: The Post Register
• Kate’s Real Food announced a national distribution deal with United Natural Foods, which carries and distributes more than 85,000 products to more than 40,000 customer locations throughout the United States and Canada. Kate’s Real Food makes trail bars from “organic, real food ingredients.” Source: The Post Register
• Black Bear Diner, a Redding, California-based chain, will add a location in Idaho Falls at the Hall Park Shopping Center. An opening date has not been announced. Source: The Post Register
• WoodburyCorporation, a Salt Lake City-based real estate development and management company, broke ground on a 124-room Spring Hill Suites by Marriott. The hotel will be built along the Snake River south of the Residence Inn by Marriott. Construction on the new hotel is expected to be finished in late spring 2017. Once completed, it is estimated the hotel will bring an additional 40 full-time jobs to Idaho Falls. Source: The Post Register
• Idaho National Laboratory’s Advanced Test Reactor has been awarded the 2016 Meritorious Performance in Nuclear Operations Award by the Operations and Power Division of the American Nuclear Society. The award was presented during the annual meeting of the American Nuclear Society in New Orleans. Source: KPVI News
• The Idaho Falls Zoo was nominated to win a $10,000 grant to fund science, technology, engineering and math programs at the zoo. The zoo is among 30 organizations vying for 10 Global Community Project Fund grants available from the Fluor Corporation, a Fortune 500 company that provides project management solutions to government and private clients. Source The Post Register
• After extensive community outreach, research and a pilot project, Ammon will expand its fiber network throughout a neighborhood; the latest progression for what officials hope will be a citywide high-speed internet network. Source: The Post Register
• A ribbon cutting ceremony marked the opening of Ammon’s new splash pad at McCowin Park. The splash pad was partly funded by a $25,000 donation from Rockwell Homes. Splash pads are similar to standards playgrounds, except include aquatic features and fountains. Source: The Post Register

Madison County

• Rexburg City Council passed its parking ordinance reducing student housing’s required parking ratio from one-car to one-bed to a .75-car to one-bed ratio. This means developers would not have to provide a parking spot for every tenant. Source: Rexburg Standard Journal
• Sonic Drive-in will be moving into the former Arctic Circle building in Rexburg. The store will be launching a new concept with a dine-in area. Construction for the new Sonic Drive-In will begin around the first two weeks of July, and it should be open by the end of the summer. Source: East Idaho News
• The Museum of Rexburg has been reopened after being closed for six months. The museum hosted a public open house event earlier this month. Source: KIFI/KIDK Idaho Falls

 Openings

• The Yellowstone Food Village, a food truck lot at the Idaho Innovation Center in Idaho Falls

Esther.Eke@labor.idaho.gov, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 557-2500 ext. 4331