West Central Mountains Economic Development Council
October 2025 Board Meeting Minutes
October 14, 2025 3:00pm
Cascade Public Library Tech Room, 105 N Front St, Cascade, ID
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88234961292?pwd=nSUrhBKZK9aumQR7GdPECJcnE0PDTl.1
Board Members Present: Dylan Martin; Belinda Provancher
Guests: Lindsey Harris (in-person); Tiffany Dobbs; Trace McKellips; Mindi Anderson; Forest Atkinson; Sheila Francis – McCall Chamber of Commerce (Online)
Online Board Attendees: Rachel Wessel; Julie Good; Vonna Torrey; Sherry Maupin; Ron Coate; Cynda Herrick
Board Meeting 3:00pm
- Call to Order 3:04 pm, Welcoming of Guests
- Approval of October Agenda
- Motion by Vonna
- 2nd by Ron
- Motion Passes
- Approval of September Minutes
- Motion by Sherry
- 2nd by Belinda
- Motion Passes
- Treasurer’s report
- Approval of October Treasurer’s Report
- Motion by Ron
- 2nd by Sherry
- Motion Passes
- Letter(s) of support for Priscilla to continue work on the Resiliency Assessment at BSU:
- Motion by Belinda
- 2nd by Sherry
- Motion Passes
- Executive Items
- WCMEDC Bylaws – will have to postpone voting and can coincide with our strategic planning for 2026.
- Executive Director Update
- Economic Summit November 13, coming up, agenda has been set, looking to add a housing panel from Agnew Beck. KB’s is catering the lunch, working on lodging, keynote is confirmed, lofty goal of 25K to raise funds for the event. We are at 19K committed right now, but we have additional costs with a blank canvas. Lindsey will send out the list to the board for additional support for sponsorship recruitment.
- Excel Wizardry Class Wednesday, October 15th, 30 people registered to attend. Good responses. Each of the chambers are involved in their respective locations.
- Valley County Career Fair October 28th in Cascade, looking for business participants. WCMEDC will cover the cost of an ad for the paper. Lindsey has reached out to Mindi at Cascade Chamber and the new Department of Labor representative to set a meeting for this Friday to review what they need for the event.
- Tiny Home Needs for the MDSD Apprenticeship specialty trades program.
- BSU Resiliency Assessment – Balancing Growth and Stewardship to Advance a Prosperous Future 10/30 & Education-to-Employment Pipeline Roundtable 10/29
- McCall Chamber Business Expo Success
- Workforce Opportunities – MDSD for their apprenticeship program. Specifically, their specialty trades students and building of a tiny home. Lindsey is trying to connect them with funding sources to sponsor the build.
- Idaho Gem Grant RFF 1 Submitted to the Department of Commerce
- Rural Ed Pro Payment 1 submitted to Valley County
- Other Updates
- Early Childhood Education (Trace)
- Early Learning Collaborative Symposium Recap, recognized for their success. Looking to expand the reach next year.
- Workforce Survey on childcare now live for employees and employers to gauge the needs. 11/20 and 12/3 events scheduled in McCall. Ignite Idaho has opened a childcare center in Cascade. Idaho Early learning kits orders have been placed.
- Playful Learning Community gathering that is forthcoming, request of $300 for space rental;
- Parent Café space rentals on 12/3=up to $150
- Pyramid Training in Boise – learning model for directors of early learning facilities, looking to pay for hotel and per diem, up to $2,750 for up to 4 participants;
- Survey gift cards that will not come out of our current budget, but we do have funds left over in the amount of $250, incentivizing survey responses. All together the costs involved would be $3,450 requested to be distributed.
- Motion by Sherry
- 2nd by Belinda
- Motion Passes
- Community Reports
- Valley County – commissioner Caldwell has returned after being out.
- Highway 55 Corridor study hoping to have some agreement in the next 2 weeks.
- Working on the BSU Resiliency Study focus – 29th 1-3, 2nd is the follow up balancing stewardship.
- Legislative housing committee to finalize some changes in housing.
- Forestier a Woody Biomass project, Valley County volume has become difficult to manage, this company is coming in and looking for a few different sites – very large project. They also separate the refuse to turn it into Methane that can be used.
- Transfer Station is getting closer to completion.
- Contract with Lakeshore Disposal – focus on improving customer service and recycling options.
- Grant Program for Non-profits is coming up 11/1, they are looking at McPaws and the Transportation conversations first.
- Agenda for tomorrow about taking back roads in the Clear Creek area, we are trying to get access on a backroad to Horsethief for fire mitigation and emergency responders. We lost a great deal of our easements when the property was sold.
- Starting the conversation of a road levy to support our infrastructure specific to roads, we cannot rely on others outside of our jurisdictions.
- Cascade
- Hog Wild event this coming Saturday. Main focus at the moment.
- Donnelly
- New Business Brynge, clothing store next to the urgent care center.
- Starting new outreach of businesses to determine how to best support them.
- Trunk or Treat is 3:45p – 7p Cascade; 4p-6 in Donnelly
- McCall
- Trying to wrap up projects before the weather – Mission and Davis streets.
- Water storage tank construction
- U of I was approved to tie into the water without paying a fee and they will utilize those funds to pay for a snow study.
- Planning initiatives forthcoming: Comprehensive Plan, Transportation Plan, including a parking study, Water Master Plan updating.
- New Meadows
- Grand opening for the Youth Center was hugely successful, almost completed.
- Meehan Memorial Skatepark, it was an amazing day.
- Partners in Attendance
- Tiffany:
- YAC / Ignite
- Great programs forthcoming: Behavior Health Pipeline to be shared with students.
- Lukes Partnered with Penn State to fund a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner who will now be trained and located here locally.
- Operating as 5 week grief support starting at the McCall Library – pamphlet available.
- WCMEDC Updates:
- Creative District Update (Delta) No report. But working on the website updates.
- Community Action Team (CAT) Updates:
- Community Development (Lindsey) On-Going
- Housing (Kelly)
- 3 Units in Cascade available first of November.
- Excited to see the updates from Agnew Beck for implementation support.
- Infrastructure (Julie) – Assisting the South Lake Sewer District grant project. Long term residents and short-term rental information Lindsey is trying to assist the consultants with for the South Lake Sewer District area.
- Valley County Partnership meeting – the regional transportation group with all Cities and the County (roads departments, planners, etc) will be meeting on October 23rd at McCall Public Library and Lindsey will be facilitating this meeting. Local Highway Technical Assistance Council will be presenting on the Federal grants available for 2026. The WCMEDC sponsors lunch.
- Workforce Development (Lindsey) Excel Wizardry tomorrow. Looking to focus on AI, prompts, business support in the future.
- Cascade Geothermal Project – ongoing. Lindsey submitted her hours for the first half of 2025 to the City of Cascade for payment to the WCMEDC.
- Attended Perpetua Subcontractors Day and met with many partners and subcontractors in downtown Boise. Such as ISBDC, SBA, Department of Commerce, Department of Labor, Idaho Workforce Development Council. A good day to connect with these resource partners.
- Broadband (Lindsey) – WCMEDC needs to connect with IRON and see how the Middle Mile Project is going.
- New Business – none.
- Public Comment – none.
- Adjournment at 4:50pm.
- Valley County – commissioner Caldwell has returned after being out.
- Approval of October Treasurer’s Report