Friday Briefing

To: City Council From: Amanda Brown Date: Friday, August 23rd, 2013 From the Office: The BPD Briefing Notes for the week. The correspondence for the week is attached and has been routed to the appropriate department for response. We did receive one call this week in opposition to the civil sidewalks ordinances. o Bond o Parking The Strategies 360 Newsletters on federal legislative actions. From the Departments: Public Works (Neal Oldemeyer): An update on utility billing. Planning and Development Services (Karen Gallagher): The final plan review and comments on the Gowen Road/I-84 interchange. Please send any comments to Karen no later than Tuesday, August 27th. This is the memo only; I am sending the full packet out in a separate email. It is a large file and will not be able to be opened on an ipad. Claims The claims that were submitted this week.

Amanda Brown
From: Sent: To: Subject: Katie Fite <katie@westernwatersheds.org> Thursday, August 22, 2013 1:47 PM MayorandCouncil why aren;t trees being watered by old national guard building on fort st?

Dear Mayor and Council, I noticed the trees are dying by the old guard building on Fort St. There are beautiful trees there, and they are not being watered. I e-mailed the guard PR officer. Here is his reply (below). I request that the trees be watered, and the ones saved that can be at this point. Certainly citizens woudl help water them if asked. If there is money for repeated replacement of sidewalks that don't need replaced in the first place - certainly there is money for this. PLease let me know what will be done about this. Katie Fite 1006 N 5th Boise, ID 83702

Katie - the City of Boise is the owner, it's no longer us. (mobile) ----- Original Message ----From: Katie Fite [mailto:katie@westernwatersheds.org] Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2013 01:30 PM To: timothy.marsano@us.army.mil <timothy.marsano@us.army.mil> Subject: why aren't trees being watered at old guard building near hospital? Hi, I left you a message inquiring about why trees weren't being watered at the old guard building near Fort St and the VA. If you need volunteers, I am certain you could get help watering them. Some of the beautiful old trees are already dying. Katie Fite 871-5738
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Amanda Brown
From: Sent: To: Subject: jakeblowguitarist@gmail.com on behalf of Jake Blow <jakeblow@u.boisestate.edu> Monday, August 19, 2013 11:08 PM MayorandCouncil Busking Laws or Permits

Hello, I'm Jake, a student at Boise State and a guitarist of six years. I've been hearing a lot about busking lately, and I wanted to check and see what laws I should be aware of prior to playing some music downtown. Specifically speaking, would any laws be broken if myself and a friend were to play acoustic guitars and sing without amplification, sitting in an unobstructed area on a sidewalk downtown, with a container that says "Tips Appreciated"? There would be no vocal request or forward asking of tips or donations, simply an open guitar case and a piece of paper. Any information on pertaining laws would be awesome, I love this city and the music it makes, and I want to make sure I don't blacken an eye of the community by being ignorant. Thanks! Jake

Amanda Brown
From: Sent: To: Subject: joanie fauci <joanie4c@yahoo.com> Wednesday, August 21, 2013 12:28 PM MayorandCouncil bond comments

Hello, I just want to say that I am in favor of the bond, so the Mayor and City Council should vote on it, and should put it on the November ballot. The foothills levy money added so much to our city. I'm sure more money for open space will do the same. Please add me to the mailing list for future updates on this issues. Regards, Joanie Fauci 2944 Hillway Dr Boise ID 83702 208-631-4748

Amanda Brown
From: Sent: To: Subject: Robin Zimmermann <pianozimm@gmail.com> Wednesday, August 21, 2013 10:28 AM MayorandCouncil Bond proposal for open spaces/public safety/parks

Hello, I am writing to show my full support for the $33.8 million bond package that Mayor Bieter has proposed. Its crucial to maintaining our citys quality of life and natural heritage. Thank you,

Robin Zimmermann (208)850-3156

Amanda Brown
From: Sent: To: Subject: Amanda Brown Tuesday, August 20, 2013 1:55 PM Amanda Brown Phone call on bond

PhonecallfromagentlemanonAugust20thwhoisnotinfavorofthebond.Hesaidthattaxes,feesandotherbillsare increasingandthatpeoplearestruggling.Sidewalksandotherthingsaremoreimportantandhefeelsthatthecityis goinginthewrongdirection

Amanda Brown
From: Sent: To: Subject: SUKI MOLINA <sukimolina@msn.com> Friday, August 23, 2013 12:10 PM MayorandCouncil Comments re: proposed bond

DearMayorandCouncil: IwassorrythatnoneofyouwereattheopenhouseyesterdayatCityHall.Thestaffinattendancedidagood jobatansweringmyquestions. MyoverallcommentisthattheCityofBoiseshouldincludemoremoneyforopenspaceinthe2013 bond.While$10millionwasagoodnumberin2001,landcostsmoretoday.Moremoneyforopenspace wouldmakeitpossibletoexpandopenspaceprotectiontoincludetheBoiseRiver. IamsendingthesecommentsasacitizenofBoiseandnotonbehalfoftheIdahoConservationLeague. Thanks, SukiMolina 930ArgyllDrive Boise,ID83702

Amanda Brown
From: Sent: To: Subject: Strategies 360 <lewisl@strategies360.com> Tuesday, August 20, 2013 3:00 PM Amanda Brown Inside Strategies from the Hill

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Economy, Business & Taxes

Energy and the Environment

President urges swift action at meeting on Wall Street rules Jobless rates increase in 28 states Sugar could hold up trade deal

GOP lawmakers press for exemption from proposed fracking rule Are fracking proponents wrestling enough with the environmental risks? Greens press EPA to revoke 'outdated' emissions exemption

Gallup: Summer Months Unkind to Obama

Health Care

Congress & the Administration

Wonkbook: Newt Gingrich explains how the GOPs Obamacare tactics backfired Health costs are growing really slowly. Americans havent noticed. Study: Employer mandate delay to have
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The Clinton dramas: Here we go again GOP operatives try the news biz Several prominent Senate races in 2014 have a family factor at core

minor effect on ObamaCare

Health insurance costs outpace wage gains, survey says HHS Offering Prizes For Videos Promoting Obamacare

Today in Congress
Congress is in recess until September 9th.

Economy, Business & Taxes

President urges swift action at meeting on Wall Street rules By Peter Schroeder and Justin Sink The Hill 08/19/2013 President Obama on Monday urged financial regulators to "expeditiously finish" work on the Wall Street reform law. Three years after the Dodd-Frank overhaul was enacted, regulators are still working to get some of its most significant, and contentious, pieces in place. The president gathered the nation's top financial regulators for a White House meeting to underline the need to get the rules finished sooner rather than later. FULL ARTICLE Jobless rates increase in 28 states By Vicki Needham The Hill 08/19/2013 Unemployment rates increased in a majority of states last month as the labor market struggles to gain traction. Jobless rates increased in 28 states, were unchanged in 14 and fell in eight states, the fewest since January, the Labor Department said Monday. FULL ARTICLE Sugar could hold up trade deal By Eric Bradner Politico 08/19/2013 To seal a blockbuster trade deal that would let the United States export rice to Japan and dairy products to Canada, free trades advocates say, the Obama administration must concede at least
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one sweetener: More sugar imports from Australia. Other sticking points include Vietnamese shoes, New Zealand milk and privacy worries involving Big Data as the U.S. and other countries approach the 19th round of talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. FULL ARTICLE Fed fight: Will Rand Paul make a stand? By MJ Lee and Alexander Burns Politico 08/19/2013 If you thought the debates over drones and surveillance were tailor-made for Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, just wait until President Barack Obama picks a new Federal Reserve chair. The upcoming debate over the confirmation of a successor for outgoing Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is both a golden opportunity and a test for the libertarian-leaning senator, who has long criticized Bernankes policies and the institution of the Fed. FULL ARTICLE Forget Congress, some states show how to pass tax reform By Niraj Chokshi The Washington Post 08/20/2013 Love it or hate it, North Carolina this year achieved something the federal government isnt expected to do any time soon: tax reform. While Sen. Max Baucus and Rep. David Camp, the Democratic and Republican heads of Congresss tax-writing committees, lay the foundation for federal tax reform with their Max and Dave national tour, states like North Carolina have already debated and passed tax reform of their own. Chalk it up to whatever you wantan easier time getting the message across, an easier political climate, fewer vested interests or more urgencybut plenty of tax changes are underway at the state level. FULL ARTICLE

Energy & Environment

GOP lawmakers press for exemption from proposed fracking rule By Zack Colman The Hill 08/19/2013 Wyomings Republican congressional delegation asked the Interior Department on Monday to exempt states that already regulate hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, from a proposed rule governing the practice on federal land.
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Sens. John Barrasso and Mike Enzi, along with Rep. Cynthia Lummis, said theyre concerned the draft rules from the department's Bureau of Land Management would be duplicative. That, they said, could deter people from drilling for oil and gas on federal lands within their states, costing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. FULL ARTICLE Are fracking proponents wrestling enough with the environmental risks? By Neil Irwin The Washington Post 08/14/2013 In our Wonkblog Crowdsourced discussion of the likely economic and business consequences of an era of more plentiful natural gas, a recurring theme among commenters is that the damage to water supplies could be more severe than enthusiasts of fracking technologies let on. Argues reader Dbizzness: How about asking why is natural gas so cheap? Domestic, check. Abundant supplies, check. Virtually unregulated, CHECK! FULL ARTICLE Greens press EPA to revoke 'outdated' emissions exemption By Zack Colman The Hill 08/19/2013 The Obama administration is poised to rescind a little-known emissions exemption for power plants as it seeks to flex its muscle through the Clean Air Act. Green groups are pressuring the Environmental Protection Agency to finalize a rule that would force utilities to limit emissions of hazardous pollutants, such as those that contribute to smog, when power plants are shutting down, starting up or malfunctioning. FULL ARTICLE

Health Care
Wonkbook: Newt Gingrich explains how the GOPs Obamacare tactics backfired By Ezra Klein and Evan Soltas The Washington Post 08/20/2013 The opening session of the Republican National Committees Boston confab featured ex-speaker Newt Gingrich scolding his fellow Republicans on their failure to come through on the replace side of repeal-and-replace.

If were going to take on the fight with Obamacare, we have to be able to explain to people what we would do to make your life better, he said. FULL ARTICLE Health costs are growing really slowly. Americans havent noticed. By Sarah Kliff The Washington Post 08/20/2013 Ask any health economist and theyll no doubt tell you that health care cost growth is slowing, growing at a low, unprecedented rate. They can point to the National Health Expenditures report, which shows health care costs now growing at the same rate as the rest of the economy. Or, they can pull up new data out Tuesday from the Kaiser Family Foundation, showing that premiums grew 4 percent in 2013. Thats way lower than growth in the late 1990s and early 2000s. FULL ARTICLE Study: Employer mandate delay to have minor effect on ObamaCare By Julia Hattem The Hill 08/19/2013 The Obama administrations decision to delay a requirement that employers provide their workers with health insurance will have relatively few consequences on the overall rollout of ObamaCare. Thats the finding of a new study by the Rand Corporation, a nonprofit research organization, that looked at the effects of the administrations July decision to delay by a year a crucial provision of the healthcare reform law. FULL ARTICLE Health insurance costs outpace wage gains, survey says By The Associated Press, in Politico 08/20/2013 An annual survey shows that the average cost for employer-sponsored health insurance rose modestly this year, but it still outpaced worker wage increases. That means that in many cases workers are seeing a larger portion of their paycheck sliced off to cover health insurance. FULL ARTICLE HHS Offering Prizes For Videos Promoting Obamacare By Carrie Feibel, KUHF, in Kaiser Health News 08/20/2013
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The young invincibles are what health policy wonks call healthy young adults (18-30) who dont see being uninsured as a problem. But it is a problem, at least for the success of the Affordable Care Act. Thats why the Department of Health and Human Services is spending $30,000 on prizes for a national video contest, in a frank appeal to the YouTube generation. FULL ARTICLE

Congress & the Administration

The Clinton dramas: Here we go again By Maggie Haberman Politico 08/20/2013 Tabloid headlines. Personal dramas. Organizational disarray. Score-settling between rival factions documented in news accounts like a soap opera. Does this have a familiar ring? FULL ARTICLE GOP operatives try the news biz By Mackenzie Weinger and Alexander Burns Politico 08/20/2013 The tagline at the top of the homepage reads: News for Republicans, by Republicans but that doesnt mean members of the GOP will like what they read on The Iowa Republican. Founded in 2009 by a former state party operative, Craig Robinson, the obsessively political website burst onto the national scene this month with a series of damaging disclosures about Michele Bachmann and Ron Pauls 2012 campaigns. It published fresh evidence that a state senator traded his endorsement for cash and posting audio of a top Paul aide saying hed have to hold my nose to work for a new boss, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. FULL ARTICLE Several prominent Senate races in 2014 have a family factor at core By The Associated Press, in The Washington Post 08/19/2013 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Sen. Mark Pryor likes to tell voters that he always puts Arkansas first, borrowing the campaign slogan associated with his family for decades. In Wyoming, Liz Cheney bets that her famous fathers name will be gold in her Senate race. And in Louisiana, Sen. Mary Landrieu counts on her kins New Orleans ties to help lift her to re-election in a tough race.

Family does matter in the runup to next falls Senate elections: Candidates are wielding famous political pedigrees in a number of races that could determine whether Democrats maintain control in the 2014 elections. FULL ARTICLE

801 Pennsylvania Ave, NW - Suite 715 | Washington, DC 20004 | 202-333-2234

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Amanda Brown
From: Sent: To: Subject: Strategies 360 <lewisl@strategies360.com> Friday, August 23, 2013 11:53 AM Amanda Brown Inside Strategies from the Hill

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Economy, Business & Taxes

Energy and the Environment

Debt Ceiling Drama Underway Moody's Threatens to Cut Credit Ratings of Banks Obamacare's many definitions of small business breed confusion, challenges

NASA: 2013's Arctic melt part of 'sustained decline' Wind Farms Take Root Out at Sea Al Gore's storm comment stirs Category 6 mini-flap BP argues it's being bilked in spill claims

Gallup: Americans Sour Slightly on Quality Jobs Market

Health Care

Congress & the Administration

State Laws Hinder Obamacare Effort to Enroll Uninsured GOP's Obamacare Shutdown Caucus? U.P.S. to End Health Benefits for Spouses of Some Workers

On Bus Tour, Obama Seeks to Shame Colleges Into Easing Costs Holder: Budget cuts threaten justice system 'integrity'

Today in Congress
Congress is in recess until September 9th.

Economy, Business & Taxes

Debt Ceiling Drama Underway
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By Jake Sherman & John Bresnahan Politico 08/23/2013 House Republicans have no idea how theyre going to lift the debt ceiling this fall top aides and lawmakers freely admit it. But Republicans say their best hope is to try to leverage Democrats desire to blunt sequester cuts to get something in return for raising the nations borrowing limit. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other GOP leaders think that if they are able to lump the sequester and debt ceiling into one legislative fight, they will be able to extract some changes to entitlement programs from President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. The more issues thrown in the same debate, the better as they create more leverage points, Republicans say. Obama could say he didnt negotiate over the debt ceiling, but rather the sequester, and Republicans could brag about more concessions from the president. FULL ARTICLE Moody's Threatens to Cut Credit Ratings of Banks By Peter Eavis New York Times 08/22/2013 President Obama is walking into crucial battles over the debt ceiling and government spending for the first time without Timothy Geithner at his side, leaving him without a partner lauded for his ability to highlight the economic dangers posed by Washington gridlock. The former Treasury Secretary was Obamas right-hand man for past fiscal battles, and the president relied on the former head of the New York Federal Reserve to speak with authority about financial markets and the economy. FULL ARTICLE Obamacare's many definitions of small business breed confusion, challenges By J.D. Harrison Washington Post 08/23/2013 It is a question employers across the country are trying to answer as the government prepares to implement some of the most important provisions of the health-care reform law: Does my company qualify as a small business under Obamacare? The answer is anything but simple. The legislation features a number of requirements and exclusions that apply only to small businesses; however, the new rules rely on different measures to determine which firms are considered small, and several are scheduled to fluctuate in the years ahead. Some say the inconsistency adds an unnecessary layer of complexity to the law, confusing many employers and making it difficult to gauge the legislations impact on Main Street. FULL ARTICLE
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Energy & Environment

NASA: 2013's Arctic melt part of 'sustained decline' By Ben Geman The Hill 08/23/2013 Retreating Arctic sea ice probably wont reach last years record summer low, but 2013 is nonetheless part of a long-term vanishing act, NASA said Friday. The agency provided an update as the annual minimum reach of the Arctic sea ice nears. While the ice will continue to shrink until around mid-September, it is unlikely that this years summer low will break a new record. Still, this years melt rates are in line with the sustained decline of the Arctic ice cover observed by NASA and other satellites over the last several decades, NASA said in an online report. FULL ARTICLE Wind Farms Take Root Out at Sea By Stanley Reed New York Times 08/21/2013 BREMEN, Germany In a warehouse district on the outskirts of Bremen in northwestern Germany is a big, well-lighted work space dominated by the massive top section of a wind turbine called a nacelle. It is here that Siemens, the German power systems giant, trains new employees and gives refresher courses on how to work safely on modern windmills that can rise 90 meters, or about 300 feet, and weigh more than 100 tons. FULL ARTICLE Al Gore's storm comment stirs Category 6 mini-flap By Andrew Restuccia Politico 08/22/2013 Al Gore needs to be more careful when discussing climate change and hurricanes, one scientist said Thursday. Gretchen Goldman, an analyst in the Scientific Integrity Initiative at the Union of Concerned Scientists Center for Science and Democracy, largely praised Gore but took issue with some comments the former vice president made in an interview with The Washington Posts Ezra Klein. In the interview, published Wednesday, Gore said that the fingerprint of man-made global warming is all over storms like hurricanes and other extreme weather events. The extreme events are more extreme. The hurricane scale used to be 1-5 and now theyre adding a 6, he said, according to a transcript of the interview.
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But Goldman along with the Posts own Capital Weather Gang blog noted that nobodys planning to add a Category 6 to the hurricane scale. FULL ARTICLE BP argues it's being bilked in spill claims By Zack Colman The Hill 08/23/2013 BP has launched a public relations offensive to argue it is being bilked for fraudulent damages related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. BP claims the process, which its CEO labeled absurd, has been rife with abuse and that it has been overly generous in rewarding businesses and individuals who suffered no damages from the spill. Today we are working to ensure that our willingness to do the right thing is not taken advantage of and distorted to provide windfalls to undeserving businesses, including law firms, BP spokesman Geoff Morrell said in a statement. FULL ARTICLE

Health Care
State Laws Hinder Obamacare Effort to Enroll Uninsured By alex Nussbaum & Alex Wayne Bloomberg 08/23/2013 President Barack Obama has set aside $67 million to make it easier to enroll in his health-care overhaul. Laws pushed by Republicans in 12 states may keep that from happening. Under the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. government plans to pay a network of local groups known as navigators to explain the laws new coverage options to the uninsured and guide them through its online insurance markets. New laws passed by a dozen Republican-led states, the latest in Missouri last month, may make that harder, imposing licensing exams, fines that can run as high as $1,000 and training that almost doubles the hours required by the federal government. Republicans say the measures will protect consumers. Obamacare supporters say theyll undermine the effort to get as many people as possible enrolled. FULL ARTICLE GOP's Obamacare Shutdown Caucus? By Emma Dumain Roll Call 08/22/2013 The number and names are in: 80 House Republicans representing the most conservative wing of
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their conference have signed the letter urging leadership to defund Obamacare in any spending bill to float the government past Sept. 30. The letter, spearheaded by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., doesnt mention government shutdown, but thats exactly what that strategy would provoke, given that a repeal by any other name is dead on arrival in the Senate and would not be signed by President Barack Obama. The letter does give the lawmakers an out it stops short of demanding defunding in return for their votes. And the number about a third of the GOP Conference falls well short of putting GOP leaders at risk of violating the Hastert rule requiring a majority of the majority if they ignore the letter. FULL ARTICLE U.P.S. to End Health Benefits for Spouses of Some Workers By Steven Greenhouse New York Times 08/21/2013 United Parcel Service has told its white-collar employees that it will stop providing health care coverage to their spouses who can obtain coverage through their own employers, joining an increasing number of companies that are restricting or eliminating spousal health benefits. U.P.S., the worlds largest package delivery company, said its decision was prompted in part by costs associated with the federal health care law that is commonly called Obamacare. Several health care experts, however, said they believed the company was motivated by a desire to hold down health care costs, rather than because of cost increases under the law. FULL ARTICLE

Congress & the Administration

On Bus Tour, Obama Seeks to Shame Colleges Into Easing Costs By Micahel Shear & Tamar Lewin New York Times 08/23/2013 BUFFALO President Obama deplored the rising costs of college on Thursday as he tried to shame universities into holding down prices. He held out the prospect of more federal student aid if they did. Speaking at the University at Buffalo, where tuition and fees now total about $8,000 per year for New York residents, Mr. Obama said the middle class and those struggling to rise out of persistent financial troubles were being unfairly priced out of American higher education. Colleges are not going to just be able to keep on increasing tuition year after year and passing it on to students, Mr. Obama told an enthusiastic audience of about 7,200 students and others in the universitys auditorium. We cant price the middle class and everybody working to get into the middle class out of college.
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FULL ARTICLE Holder: Budget cuts threaten justice system 'integrity' By Tal Kopan Politico 08/23/2013 Attorney General Eric Holder has joined the judiciary branchs push against sequester cuts, writing an op-ed warning of the dangers of the cuts for public defenders. Calling the cuts draconian, Holder warned in a Washington Post op-ed Thursday that the funding reductions threaten the very foundation of Americas justice system. These cuts threaten the integrity of our criminal justice system and impede the ability of our dedicated professionals to ensure due process, provide fair outcomes and guarantee the constitutionally protected rights of every criminal defendant, Holder wrote. He joins a growing call from the third branch of government for Congress to address the funding reductions. Last week, nearly 100 district court chief judges wrote a letter to Congressional leaders sounding the alarm, as well. FULL ARTICLE
801 Pennsylvania Ave, NW - Suite 715 | Washington, DC 20004 | 202-333-2234

This email was sent to abrown@cityofboise.org. To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list. manage your preferences | opt out using TrueRemove. Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails. email marketing by Strategies 360 powered by

Amanda Brown
From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Neal Oldemeyer Friday, August 23, 2013 7:22 AM Amanda Brown Jade Riley; Michael Zuzel; Heather Buchanan; John Tensen; Marcia Schmelzer; Paul Woods; Scott Canning Friday Memo

UtilityBillingCallVolumesWemadeverygoodprogressthispastweek,butstillhavealotlefttodo.Wehavehired twonewcustomerservicerepresentativesandwillhaveathirdlongtermtempcomingonboardinadayorso.OurUB Supervisorhasbeenverygoodatplacingthenewstaffmembersinpositionswheretheycantrainandbeproductiveat thesametime.TheadditionalsupportfromCatherineChertudissolidwastestaffhasbeeninvaluable.Theyhavebeen focusedonassistingthetitlecompanieswithescrowissuesalongwithrespondingtoothermiscellaneousrequestsnot requiringdetaileduseoftheUBsystem.Sincewehavestabilizedtheissueswiththetitlecompanies,wearenow focusedoncatchingupwithservicestopsandstarts.Wehopetohavethisareanormalizedwithinaweek,whichshould placeusbackinamorenormaloperationalmode. IThasdoneanicejobofgettingoursoftwarevendorsattention.Thevendorisfocusingonfixingsomeofourtop priorityefficiencyissues.Iusethetermefficiencyissuesbecausethesystemiscalculatingbillscorrectly,butnotall functionsareworkingastheyshouldbeadditionalworkisneededtoprovidetimelybillprocessingandtoproduce criticalreportsandinterfaces. Again,pleaseforwardanycallsoremailstoHeatherBuchanan(HMink@cityofboise.org)andshewillmakesurethey areaddressed.

Date: To: From:

August 23, 2013 Mayor and City Council Karen Gallagher Transportation Planner Gowen / I-84 Interchange Plan Review Comments

Re:

Requested Action Send comments to ITD on the final plans for the Gowen Road/ I-84 Interchange. The plan review packet was received on August 20th, and comments on are due to ITD by Wednesday, August 28th. If Council has any addition or changes to the those recommended in this memo, please send them to Karen Gallagher by Tuesday, August 27th.

Summary Extra GARVEE funds made it possible for ITD to advance the upgrades of three interchanges: Gowen, Broadway, and Meridian. ITD is rebuilding the Gowen Road / I-84 interchange to increase the number of through lanes for Gowen Road (current bottleneck). Boise City PDS team and ITDs Connecting Idaho Partners consultants are working together on the aesthetics and other details of the project. The design is scheduled to be complete by the end of October 2013, with construction starting in spring 2014.
At a previous work session on July 23rd, we reviewed the textures on the concrete walls. This packet covers: Drainage & Fencing There are three smaller swales on the north side of Gowen Road, near Eisenman Road, and a large pond tucked down at the end of the cul-de-sac on N. Eisenman Road. The pond will have chain-link fencing, which is appropriate given the relatively discrete location in an industrial area. Two of the swales will have wrought-iron type fencing on the north sides, due to the steep cut slope in the rocks. These fences will be visible from Gowen Road.

Landscaping There is a well-designed, existing landscape buffer on Gowen Road for the commercial subdivision at the southwest corner of Federal Way and Gowen Road. The consultant has done a great job and worked with the PDS Design Review team to create a landscape plan using Boises plant list and maintain the existing detached sidewalk.

Stamped Concrete & Crosswalks The medians and pedestrian islands have stamped concrete. The consultant has added texture and visual cues to increase the visibility of pedestrians at the southwest and northeast corners of Federal Way and Gowen Road. They are waiting to hear if ACHD will accept maintenance of these items. Lane Configurations, Sidewalks and Bike Lanes The proposed widening of the Gowen Road underpass generally includes 3 eastbound lanes and 3 westbound lanes one of these lanes is a dedicated right-turn only lane for Boise/westbound travel (think Micron workers headed home); there is also a right/through lane to help accommodate the demand. Please see the Layout display for details. Because of the free-running, dual right-turns at the westbound I-84 ramp, ITD did not want to add pedestrians to the mix. The proposal has a 10 foot wide shared bike/pedestrian paved path on the south side of Gowen Road from Federal Way to Eisenman Road. The segment of the path closest to Federal Way is detached. Five foot wide bike lanes are included on Gowen Road from Federal Way to Eisenman Road, and includes the use of green paint in the bike lane to highlight the potential conflict point where the right turn lane and right/through lane connect to the westbound I-84 ramp. The only concern the PDS team has is in regard to the right-turn lanes on the west end of the project (see below). Recommended Comment to ITD Remove right-turn only lanes on Gowen for N. Eisenman Road and the driveway to the west of Eisenman Road (see north side of Gowen/westbound). While the ACHD Commission is supportive of right-turn lanes, the PDS team has not seen any evidence that these lanes are warranted. The lanes increase the width of the intersection unnecessarily, creating a longer distance for pedestrians to cross, increasing the signal phase timing, and complicating travel for bicyclists. The plan review packet was received on August 20th and comments on are due to ITD by Wednesday, August 28th. If Council has any additional comments or changes, please send them to Karen Gallagher by Tuesday, August 27th. Attachments 1. Layout, Gowen from Eisenman to Federal Way 2. Basic Cross Sections 3. Wrought Iron Type Fence and Cross Section 4. Crosswalk Details 5. Landscape Plan at Southwest Corner of Gowen and Federal Way 6. Textures/Form liner Display