Below are minutes from an April 6 meeting between the Highlands Traffic Committee and the Ada County Highway District. Both parties discussed a range of items affecting the Highlands area, including the 15th and Hill intersection and the plan for an extruded curb on Highland View Drive. You can also find these minutes under the Resources and Information tab on this website.
Spring has arrived, which means it is time for the Highlands Neighborhood Association Annual Meeting!
This will be held on Tuesday, April 17th from 6-8 PM at Healthwise 2601 N. Bogus Basin Road. We will be meeting in their conference room off the main lobby. Nearly two dozen files have been added to this website on the Resources and Information page.
The files are related to business concerning the Highlands Neighborhood Association Traffic Committee, and include various kinds of data including studies, memos and emails to and from Ada County Highway District staff. The Resources and Information page also includes HNA Traffic Committee meeting minutes, notes from the HNA Executive Team meeting, and a link to the Highlands Neighborhood Plan. The Traffic Committee meeting minutes from March 20, 2018 are now available by clicking the file below.
The Highlands Neighborhood Association Traffic Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 20 from 6-8 PM at Healthwise, 2601 N Bogus Basin Rd, Boise, ID 83702. Click below to download the agenda.
2/22/2018 Highlands School Committee UpdateBy Scott Tuthill, VP-HNA
On February 7th I published a note looking for volunteers to work on a Highlands Neighborhood Association (HNA) sponsored committee to provide guidance on the upcoming work at Highlands Elementary School. Eleven residents raised their hand to say they would participate. One of them, Dianne Soule, also volunteered to be chairperson and after talking with her she was given that role. She planned a first committee meeting for this weekend. As was stated in the initial note the first and most pressing decision has to do with the “new vs remodel” approach on the school building. Then, after that there would be a multitude of neighborhood issues related to the construction on the site. During the last day the HNA Executive Committee has decided to suspend activities of this committee until after the "new vs remodel" decision is made. You deserve to know the rationale why: * From monitoring discussions on Nextdoor it is clear the "new vs. remodel" decision has become polarizing within the neighborhood. We see no way for a committee at this point to make a rational and effective contribution to this decision, especially in the short time available. * The chairperson, Dianne Soule, who volunteered, and we chose for this committee, is linked to an active team supporting the "remodel" position and that team is meeting at her home next Monday. Though Dianne's involvement to date has been per the role we asked of her and she has been striving to find and publish factual information -- the circumstances and optics going forward put her in position many would identify as biased. And, we have received complaints about it. The HNA Executive Team thanks all the volunteers for this committee. We ask them to maintain their interest and enthusiasm and apply it to the many neighborhood wide issues that will certainly arise after the design decision is made and we enter the construction phase. Regarding the "new vs remodel" decision we encourage you to participate as residents of the Highlands and speak up for what you think is best for our neighborhood. Though not meant to be a comprehensive list, I am aware of the following methods and groups you can contact: • The Boise School District currently has a survey open where you can make input. It is open through February 28th. You can find it at: https://goo.gl/forms/OUetruokVP29vG3s2 There is also information on the project on their website including the video and slides from a presentation at Highlands School on February 5th. • The Highlands School PTO is discussing this issue. • There is a “Save Highlands School” team discussing this issue. • Preservation Idaho’s Idaho Modern project is involved. 2/22/2018 Boise School District surveys residents about renovation options for Highlands Elementary SchoolThe Boise School District recently posted an update on the process for updating Highlands Elementary, which includes links to a PowerPoint presentation by architects, a video of a community meeting held earlier this month and a survey where taxpayers and residents can provide input. According to the update page, feedback from the survey will be considered by the District in making a decision on rebuilding versus renovating Highlands Elementary. A decision is expected in April.
The Boise School District is taking comments on the new school design through February 28 via this survey. The PowerPoint presentation by architecture firm Hutchinson Smith presents two possible design options. The Boise School District has also posted a video of the February 5 community meeting. Last March, 86% of Boise voters approved a $172.5 million bond to support the district's 10 year Educational Facilities Master Plan. Highlands Elementary is one of six schools slated to be rebuilt as part of the plan. The estimated cost of the Highlands Elementary project is $9,680,000, according to the Boise School District. In addition to a new main building, the rebuild includes new physical education and music facilities. Highlands Elementary was built in 1960 and welcomed its first students for the 1961-62 school year, as the area formerly known as Slaughterhouse Gulch transformed into one of the city's newest housing developments. Its floor plan is nearly identical to Jackson Elementary, which was built the same year on Cole Road, but that school has since been closed and was demolished in 2014. By Scott Tuthill, VP-HNA As many of you know there was an informational meeting on Monday February 5 at Highlands Elementary concerning the new school. The basic details presented, as told to me, were: • Construction will start after the 2018-2019 school year and will continue during the whole of the 2019-2020 school year. During construction students will be bused to Fort Boise. • The school district has not decided yet on whether to remodel the existing school or do a “tear down rebuild”. That decision will be made this April and there will be a public input period. • The school design will likely be finalized in late fall 2018, as best we can guess. Now that we have an actual schedule for the new school, the Highlands Neighborhood Association (HNA) Executive Committee is probing for resident interest in forming a committee to coordinate neighborhood comments and input to the Boise School District. There is an immediate opportunity with respect to the remodel or “tear down rebuild” decision and we are sure there will be many other items during the remainder of 2018. If you are interested in being a member of such a committee, please fill out the form below. (Please add a comment if you are interested in volunteering as the chairperson.) If there is enough interest the HNA Executive Committee will select and work with a chairperson to get the committee going. We have an opportunity to organize and provide input on a major public project in our neighborhood. Let’s not lose this chance. 1/31/2018 HNA Traffic Committee Meeting agendaAll Highlands Neighborhood residents are welcome to attend next Tuesday's meeting at Healthwise. Highlands Neighborhood Association - Traffic Committee Meeting Tuesday, February 6, 2018 6-8 pm Healthwise - 2601 N Bogus Basin Road *Agenda Attached Notes: 1. This meeting will be run more like a City Council meeting with a session for public comment. Please review the agenda and come prepared with any comments (2 minutes or less). 2. Agenda Item 2A will be posted on or before Sunday Feb 3, 2018.
Hutchinson Smith Architects, the designated firm in charge of remodeling Highlands Elementary school as part of a recent bond, plans to update the public on the project on Monday, February 5 at 7 pm in the Highlands Elementary Gymnasium. Architects, engineers and construction managers will review preliminary site and floor plans at the meeting. Officials from the Boise School District will also attend. Last March, 86% of Boise voters approved a $172.5 million bond to support the district's 10 year Educational Facilities Master Plan. Highlands Elementary is one of six schools slated to be rebuilt as part of the plan. The estimated cost of the Highlands Elementary project is $9,680,000, according to the Boise School District. In addition to a new main building, the rebuild includes new physical education and music facilities. Highlands Elementary was built in 1960 and welcomed its first students for the 1961-62 school year, as the area formerly known as Slaughterhouse Gulch transformed into one of the city's newest housing developments. Its floor plan is nearly identical to Jackson Elementary, which was built the same year on Cole Road, but that school has since been closed and was demolished in 2014. Highlands Elementary School Design Status Update Meeting Monday, February 5 7 pm Highlands Elementary Gymnasium |