West Central Mountains Economic Development Council
January 2025 Board Meeting Minutes
January 14, 2025 3:00pm
Idaho First Bank Community Room, 475 Deinhard Ln, McCall, ID
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88234961292?pwd=nSUrhBKZK9aumQR7GdPECJcnE0PDTl.1
In-Person Attendance: Johanna Osterman, Dylan Martin, Julie Good, and Belinda Provancher, Delta James
Online Attendance: Vonna Torrey, Judy Nissula, Rachel Wessel and Cynda Herrick
Guests: Lindsey Harris, Tiffany Dobbs, Mindi Anderson, Trace McKellips, Jenny Ruemmele, Amber Green, and Hayley Johnson
Board Meeting 3:00pm
- Call to Order, Welcoming of Guests
- Presentation by St. Luke’s McCall with Jenny Ruemmele, Amber Green, & Hayley Johnson: Update of their McCall housing project
- Approval of January Agenda with the addition of Officer Elections
- Motion by Julie
- 2nd by Joni
- Motion Passes
- Approval of December Minutes
- Motion by Joni
- 2nd by Julie
- Motion Passes
- Treasurer’s report
- Approval of December’s Treasurer’s Report, Julie fixed $500 in the general fund
- 4,100 currently in outstanding checks
- Money has not been transferred from the economic summit to ED until the funding has been accounted for in full.
- Motion by Joni
- 2nd by Dylan
- Motion Passes
- 2025 Budget approval in Executive Items with the Action Plan
- Letter(s) of support:
- Copy of City of New Meadows Transportation LTR for everyone’s records – no action needed
- Executive Director Update: Housing Needs Assessment, Community Communication upcoming with Action Plans, BSU Resilience Assessment, Natural Resource Management Planning, Imagine Idaho Broadband Grant, Cascade Geothermal, Small Businesses, BSU Student engagement – Housing opportunity, possibility of creating a new Economic Development Association that is more regional et al
- Executive Items
- Resignation of Linnea Hall minus her official letter and multiple verbal conversations over the last 2 months confirming her resignation. The Board chose to wait one more month for the response from Linnea.
- Discussion & Approval of 2025 Strategic Plan including the verbiage modifications and Childhood Education conference addition.
- Motion by Joni
- 2nd by Belinda
- Motion Passes
- Discussion & Approval of 2025 Budget
- Motion by Vonna
- 2nd by Joni
- Motion Passes
- Officer Elections to reappoint our Executive Board: Dylan Martin (President), Joni Osterman (Vice President), Julie Good (Treasurer), Vonna Torrey (Secretary)
- Motion by Belinda
- 2nd by Delta
- Motion Passes
- Community Reports
- Valley County – No representative available at that time. Sherry will continue to be the Valley County board member due to Katlin Davis’ standing scheduling conflict during our board meeting.
- Cascade –
- Board elections dialogue – engaging young people to get involved
- Fund raising committee starting
- Business engagement and support is an on-going issue
- Wine & Pastry event forthcoming – Mrs. Tibbs
- Liquor Store remodel
- Toured the Geothermal for City of Boise – pump house, program manager from the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL) is interested in signing on as a technical partner.
- Chamber is gaining interest in 4th of July Parade support.
- Donnelly
- City and Chamber worked together to decorate a tree this year for Christmas.
- Assumption the Donut shop has closed.
- Circle K potential is still moving forward.
- McCall
- 2024 statistics – Building permit revenue down 17% since peak in 2021, but also there are smaller amounts in square footage builds, LOT funds Lodging down 10%, Streets LOT down 19%, New Business licenses up 15%
- Pine Creek Ranch proposes over 600 units over 80 acres, area of environment concern for the City of McCall – meeting scheduled Feb 10th at the library.
- McCall library has available rooms for rent/use.
- Study of the potential bypass by ITD is underway, it will take over a year to the ultimate improvements available.
- New Meadows
- Planted a tree for the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.
- Instead of a light parade, 125 kids with glow sticks rode 2 large trailers with straw around town singing.
- Craft bazaar with over 30 vendors – huge success.
- Design review in Jan for the skate park.
- Meadows Valley Early Learning Foundation is in place.
- Waste water facility plan to deal with seepage test failure and increased capacity – trying to work with LOT funds to support.
- Road complaints is the number one complaint.
- Still have an opening for a deputy clerk.
- Partners in Attendance
- Tiffany Dobbs – almost in our Community Health Needs Assessment updates forthcoming, focus groups, community surveys and interviews this spring.
- WCMEDC Updates: Lindsey has restructured these as they pertain to our new strategic plan and priorities in 2025
- Payette River Scenic Byway (Cynda)
- Creative District Update (Delta)
- Community Action Team (CAT) Updates: Moving forward, Lindsey will be working with new CAT leaders as we begin the new year
- Early Childhood Education (Trace/Dylan)
- New delegation to meet at the Capitol on Feb 4th.
- Scheduling a meeting next week with Belinda & Caitlyn Perez, possible new Childcare Facility opportunity.
- Still awaiting child care activity progress in Cascade.
- New Meadows Youth Center has the beams up and is moving forward.
- Planning on organizing a ½ day fall conference for 2025.
- Delivered the last of the assistance checks this week.
- Community Development (Lindsey)
- Housing (Kelly)
- Infrastructure (Julie)
- Workforce Development (Joni)
- Broadband (Lindsey)
- Early Childhood Education (Trace/Dylan)
- New Business
- Perpetua Update: Perpetua received Final Record of Decision, will start working on forward progress while they are in litigation. Working on outlining what the foundation piece looks like. Workforce Development in order to support the mine. Draft impact agreement received by the attorneys.
- Public Comment
- Adjournment 5:04pm