City Council

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes October 14, 2025 | 9:00am | Willard Arts Center Board of Directors Attendees: Chip Langerak, Jill Hansen, Brandi Newton, Greg Crockett, Matt Jacobson, Michelle Ziel-Dingman IFDDC | Staff: Kerry Hammon | Guests: Terri Ireland, Cindy Keller, and Georginia Goodlander. Topics Discussed: • Chip Langerak: Welcome & introductions • Chip Langerak: Reviewed Sept 9, 2025, minutes. Jill motioned to approve. Matt seconded. No opposition. • Brandi Newton: Reviewed Aug 31, 2025 financials. Positive cash balance. Brandi made a motion to approve, and Greg seconded. No opposition. Director’s report: • Project update: o Website is ready to go live once staff are trained on the backend. o Broadway Plaza shade sails contractor expressed concerns about moving forward on this project due to the complexity of the structure. Kerry will schedule a meeting with Lisa Farris to discuss other options for the CBDG funds. Everyone agreed. o Events: Water Tower event was successful. Very well attended. o Ladies Shopping Day was great. Over 150 shopping bags/coupon books handed out. o State of downtown, Oct 21st @ the ARTitorium on Broadway, 6-8pm. Invites have been sent out to all the property and business owners downtown. o Octoberfest was well attended and turned out great with the new format. o Find the Tricky Skeleton, noon-3pm on Oct. 25. Crawloween pub crawl, starting at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 25. Both events start and stop at Civitan Plaza. o Tree Lighting Ceremony and Holiday Market Nov. 22, 4-8pm, ceremony 6pm. Trolley rides begin Nov. 22 and go until Christmas. Holiday decorations start on Nov 15th. o Due to event expenses rising, we’re eliminating Winter Brew, Spring Brew, and Summer Brew and replacing them with pub crawls. We will continue to hold St. Paddy’s Day on Park and Oktoberfest on Park Ave and focus on optimizing our current events instead of adding more. o Budget review: Kerry presented the proposed budget for 2025-2026, Greg made a motion to approve, Brandi seconded. No opposition. o Merchant Association Board Representation: Kerry presented an opportunity for the Merchant Association to appoint a representative to be a board member. Terri Ireland volunteered to take that position. Matt motioned to add Terri as a board member for IFDDC. Brandi seconded. No opposition. The meeting was adjourned at 10:10 a.m. The next board meeting will be on Tuesday November 4th, 2025, at 9am.  PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING October 6th, 2025 Recreation Center 12:00 Noon Members in Attendance: M. Hill, N. Birch, T. Hobson, C. White, B. Combo, B. Nitschke, P. Holm, B. Stevens, J. Beck, L. Harker, C. Casperson, L. Burtenshaw, J. Francis Members Not in Attendance: B. Lee, T. Hersh, J. Walker Call to Order B. Combo called the meeting to order at 12:02pm. Approval of Minutes B. Nitschke moved to approve the September 8th minutes. C. White seconded. All were in favor. Director’s Report – P. Holm P. Holm reported the following. P. Holm addressed the following topics from his director’s report that the commissioners had questions about. • Naming rights analysis for Melaleuca Field. P. Holm said that Melaleuca’s 20- year contract ends in two months and that Melaleuca has right of first refusal. He discussed that any revenue gained from the naming rights sponsorship will be directed back into the facility for new seats, basic renovations, overhauling of restrooms, clubhouse improvements, etc. P. Holm explained the current lease agreement and the terms regarding the maintenance being done by Parks and Recreation. • Gateway to Kelly Canyon Tubing Hill – The tubing hill will be allowed to open if they fulfil their landscaping requirements. They will also be lowering their prices this year and reducing the steepness of the hill. • Parks and Recreation Financial Report – P. Holm summarized the Parks and Recreation financial position at the end of the 2025 Fiscal Year. He also discussed the 2026 budget. • The MOU between the city and county regarding a development buffer along the Snake River from the upper dam to the lower dam. This MOU will ensure that future development is planned in a way that will allow for Riverwalk expansion to the north and south of Idaho Falls. • P. Holm met with Greg Smith, who leads the local Submarine Veterans Association. The association would like to erect a monument in Freeman Park, honoring all Idaho veterans who have perished on submarines. P. Holm  discussed needing to work with parks staff and various Veteran’s groups on possible placement locations of the monument. • P. Holm reported that the UTV parade route has changed. The parade will start and end at Freeman Park and the only road closure will be on Broadway. • P. Holm discussed some ice rink concerns with user groups, and a policy being worked on to establish the process for scheduling rink time. • He reported that the pathway from Sunnyside to Frontier Fields has been approved. • P. Holm reported that Recreation Superintendent Chris Horsley has taken a job in Utah, and his last day will be October 24th. Lynn Harker (Citizen Guest) – Scooters on the Riverwalk • Lynn Harker attended the commission meeting to voice his frustration with the scooters on the riverwalk that he feels are a safety hazard and a possible liability to the city. Lynn brought photos showing scooters left randomly in the pathways. He would like to see the scooter placement better managed. • Following his report, the commissioners discussed the matter. P. Holm will provide an update at the next meeting, after he contacts the scooter company. Commission Reports Golf Advisory – T. Hersh (absent – but sent report) T. Hersh reported the following: • The golf staff are shopping for a new point of sale system to help with everything from scheduling tee times to controlling inventory. • The golf courses are finishing this season in a strong financial position and remain very busy. Shade Tree - M. Hill M. Hill reported the following: • The Shade Tree Committee reconvened after a summer break. • They are planning the 2026 Arbor Day Celebration, and it will be dedicated to a replanting project on the riverwalk that will be funded by a grant. • The Forestry Department is busy replanting trees in parks and along pathways. They’ve already planted 100 trees and have about 20 more left to plant. • The next Shade Tree Committee meeting was scheduled for October 28th, but in lieu of the meeting, they will have a memorial tree planting for two former committee members who have passed away. Bonneville County – J. Walker (absent) School District 91 – N. Birch N. Birch reported the following:  • It’s district tournament time, and the state golf tournament begins this coming weekend, October 10th in Boise. • He would like to get the state golf tournament held at Pinecrest during the course’s 100th anniversary. • Fall sports are ending. It was a great season. School District 93 – T. Hobson T. Hobson reported the following: • The Idaho Falls High School Activities Association hosted the annual Districts 5 and 6 meeting which was held at the Mountain American Center. Sixty-five schools were represented • The Thunder Ridge golf team won the district tournament and set a team record at the Falls Classic at Sand Creek Golf Course. The boys’ golf team won the district tournament by 29 strokes. • Cross-country running has their last local meet next week. • The Hillcrest girls’ soccer team is going to their conference tournament as the number one seed, as is Thunder Ridge’s team. National Trends on Aging – C. White C. White reported on the following trends among older adults: Increasing Participation among Seniors • The rate of outdoor recreation among seniors (55+) has been rising. In 2022, about 35% of seniors participated in outdoor recreation, which was up from 28% just a few years ago. • The 65+ age group also shows strong growth, with one of the fastest growth rates of any group. Shift Toward “Gateway” Activities & Casual Participation • Many seniors are gravitating toward more accessible activities (sometimes called gateway activities), such as hiking, walking, biking, fishing, and camping. These activities tend to have lower barriers to entry (cost, skill, equipment). Sports Tourism – B. Combo/B. Lee No report Park Conditions and Needs – B. Nitschke B. Nitschke reported the following: • B. Nitschke encouraged all board members to enjoy the parks this month. The deciduous trees have their fall party dresses on and along with the goldilocks temperatures (not too hot, not too cold, but just right) it is the very best time of all. Adjournment at 1:17pm. Next meeting – November 3, 2025 Recorded by: Tracy Sessions, Executive Assistant Parks & Recreation Dept.  PARKS & RECREATION SHADE TREE COMMITTEE MINUTES Tuesday, March 25, 2025 Activity Center 12:00 P.M. MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Matt Hill, Mara Hill, Brandon Lerwill, Lee Washburn, Duston Edwards, Brian Stevens, Ed Phillips, Sam Ellsworth (via phone) CALL TO ORDER – Matt Hill Matt Hill called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m. CITY REPORT • Next meeting is scheduled for April 29, 2025. • New Members – The Shade Tree Committee has two new members joining it, Mara Hill and Ed Phillips. Mara is a student at CTEC studying horticulture and agriculture. She is also a member of the schools FFA. Ed Phillips is a member of the community gardens and is excited to be a part of this committee. • Chair and Vice Chair Election – Matt Hill was nominated to remain Chairman by Sam Ellsworth and seconded by Mara Hill. It was by unanimous decision that Matt was elected. Sam Ellsworth was nominated by Matt Hill and seconded by Mara Hill to be Vice Chairman. It was by unanimous decision that Sam was elected Vice Chairman. APPROVAL OF MINTUES October minutes approved by Matt Hill 2nd Sam Ellsworth. CURRENT CITY FORESTRY STATUS • Winter Projects – It has been a busy winter with unplanned projects. Due to construction at Community and Tautphaus Park, 42 trees had to be removed. 1 quake tree was saved at Community and transplanted somewhere else in the quake Memorial Grove. 1 maple was moved elsewhere on 25th street islands to provide better visibility when turning. Roadway clearance was done at Rose Hill Cemetery for a summer 1  construction project. Clearance was done around the river for the Christmas UTV Parade. Trees were trimmed at Water Department building, Noise Park, and Sandy Downs. Finally, a ton of progress was made on the Tree Ordinance revision and the Tree Maintenance Plan. • End of Year Report –The last year was a busy one for staff members of Forestry and Horticulture. Work accomplished: o Sprayed 2500 tree rings in various parks o Mulched 763 trees o Planted 79 trees o Pruned 473 trees o Removed 49 trees o Injected 50 trees o Sprayed insecticide or applied chemicals for tree health on 554 trees. This does not include all of the normal Horticulture-related duties. GENERAL TREE DISCUSSION • Shade Tree Committee Projects – The Shade Tree Committee has been working on a bunch of projects and some of those include: ordinance revision, the creation of a tree management plan, editing the tree protection plan, reviewing and editing the states EAB plan, and finally planning a Memorial Tree for Randy Westergard. The ordinance is with the City’s attorney who is editing it and getting ready to present it to the Mayor and City Council. The tree management plan has been a main priority because of its tie with the UCF grant the city was awarded. It is close to being completed and moving on to the next round of review. The tree protection plan was sent to the City’s attorney a few years back and needed some edits. It needs to be looked at again and edited so that it can get moving. There have been a few parks mentioned for Randy’s memorial tree, but someone from the City still needs to reach out to his wife and see what she would like. Lee hopes to have the tree planted by late spring early summer. Lee and Duston are getting ready to go to Boise in April to learn more about strategies for controlling EAB so that it can be included into the EAB plan. • Arbor Day – Arbor day is quickly approaching and because of the lack of Shade Tree meetings, Josh and Lee met and brainstormed some ideas. They had a meeting earlier in the month about past mayor memorial trees. It was decided that Arbor Day will be held at Heritage Park to plant some of those memorial trees and to plant some parking lot trees. Two schools will join the city, one consisting of 5th and 6th grade students from Sunnyside elementary and the other one will hopefully be CTEC again. Lee has reached out to CTEC but because of spring break has not heard back. Mara volunteered to help Lee reach out to one of her teachers there. The date for Arbor Day will be May 9th at 10:30 A.M. A total of 18-22 trees will be planted that day. 2  • Power Update – IF Power has had no tree related incidents and Brandon attributes that to the great job Davey has done with power line clearance. Even through the high winds the area has seen, there has been no tree damage. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ADJOURNMENT • Park Tour was mentioned and if Lee still planned on having one. He is planning on it but it also depends on if he can find 2 more members. • Shade Tree is still looking for 2 new members. Meeting adjourned Ed Phillips motioned and Matt Hill 2nd all in favor. Next meeting will be April 29, 2025. Meeting recorded by Duston Edwards 3  PARKS & RECREATION SHADE TREE COMMITTEE MINUTES Tuesday, April 29, 2025 Activity Center 12:00 P.M. MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Matt Hill, Mara Hill, Lee Washburn, Duston Edwards, Ed Phillips, Sam Ellsworth, Josh Stephens CALL TO ORDER – Matt Hill Matt Hill called the meeting to order at 12:01 p.m. CITY REPORT • Next meeting is scheduled for May 27, 2025. APPROVAL OF MINTUES March minutes approved by Sam Ellsworth 2nd Ed Phillips. CURRENT CITY FORESTRY STATUS • Earnest Tree Spading Project – Earnest Drive over by the newer section of Old Butte Soccer Complex needs to be moved. The reason for the move is because it is on airport property and whenever the airport decides to expand into Old Butte it would be in violation of FAA rules. With the new housing project going in West of Earnest, now would be the best time to move the road. There is a total of 32 trees needing moved from the new road location before it can be built. Lee and staff will try and move as many trees as they can to reduce the number cut down; however, most of the trees are on the verge of being too large to move without a bander. The trees that are able to be moved will go to Troy pond, Poitevin Park, Heritage, Ryder, and possibly Tautphaus. GENERAL TREE DISCUSSION • Emerald Ash Borer – The Emerald Ash Borer, EAB, is an invasive pest from Asia. It was brought over to the United States and the first outbreaks started in Michigan. The bug moves naturally by flying or through human transport via firewood. It has been found as 1  close to Idaho as Oregon and Colorado but no known sightings have been reported in Idaho. EAB attacks all Frxinus species but does not include Mountain Ash, sorbus species. The most common tree that Idahoans have to worry about is the Green Ash. Twenty five percent of Idaho Falls’ tree inventory is Green Ash as of right now, and Lee believes that it is a larger percentage than that once everything gets inventoried. This means that as of now Idaho Falls is over the recommended average of ash by ten percent. Once a tree gets EAB, the larvae feed under the bark interrupting nutrient flow. Once a population is big enough the tree will eventually die. It takes 3-5 years before signs of EAB infestations start to show. Signs of Emerald Ash Borer include: D-shape exit holes, flagging, bark blonding, suckering, and bark cracks. Inspections and treatment can become very time consuming and costly. This kind of infestation has been unprecedented and is often referred to as a natural disaster in slow motion. Once the tree dies, it becomes a safety hazard because the tree becomes very brittle. It is more cost effective to treat a tree for 20 years than to remove them immediately. There is no need to treat the tree before EAB is in Idaho but a lot of the same treatment options also treat for Lilac Ash Borer which is a current pest in Idaho. The first thing that the City should do is spread the word about this pest to community members, nurseries, and other arborist companies. The second thing that needs to happen is branch sampling. In order to do this, you need to collect a couple of branches off of the tree and tag them with the location they were obtained from. The branches need to be 2-3 inches in diameter and be at least 30 inches long. You then take a draw knife and peel back the layers of the branch a little at a time inspecting for EAB. The third thing the City needs to do is stop planting Ash trees. Parks has not planted an Ash tree in 7-8 years to try and get ahead of this goal. It is not a matter of if we get this but when we will get this. • Power Update – Brandon was unable to attend the meeting so there was no power update. • Open Discussion – Lee opened up the meeting to try and get topics for future shade tree meeting ideas. Sam asked about spading and selling trees out at Old Butte. Lee replied with now that the airport has backed off on plans to take Old Butte over that the trees need to stay. Josh added that it is a good idea but unlikely because of potential legal hurdles that would need to be addressed first. Mara asked about getting kids more involved in horticulture. Lee mentioned that there are programs such as the adopt a flowerbed that could generate some interest. There used to be a program put on by the Community Gardens that allowed children to participate and grow a garden but because of logistics became to hard to continue. Matt suggested some sort of tree walk. This would allow children to tour our parks and learn about the trees in them. It was a memorable experience in both Matt and Lee’s youth. This then brought up discussions about an arboretum. Idaho Falls does not have an arboretum and could allow people to learn about the different kinds of trees. One suggestion is to have multiple dedicated to certain types of trees. No further discussion or decisions were made about this though. 2 ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ADJOURNMENT • Arbor Day is May 9th at 10:30 A.M. students from both Sunnyside Elementary and CTEC will be helping plant 17 trees. • Shade Tree is still looking for 2 new members. Meeting adjourned Sam Ellsworth motioned and Mara Hill 2nd all in favor. Next meeting will be May 27, 2025. Meeting recorded by Duston Edwards 3  PARKS & RECREATION SHADE TREE COMMITTEE MINUTES Tuesday, May 27, 2025 Activity Center 12:00 P.M. MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Matt Hill, Mara Hill, Duston Edwards, Ed Phillips, Sam Ellsworth, Brandon Lerwill, Rich Potter, Brian Stevens CALL TO ORDER Matt Hill called the meeting to order at 12:02 p.m. CITY REPORT • Power Update: o Trees on Genevieve Way are being trimmed because they are causing power outages. Mostly poplars causing the issues. o Issues with Cavan Circle poplars tripping the 15th street substation even started a fire. o 10 tree guys out trimming trees every day. • Community Development Update: o Updating zoning ordinance. o Apartments are the main housing type going up. o There are site plans for these new apartments so that greenspace requirements can be maintained. o Auxiliary dwelling units (ADU) have no greenspace requirements. o The City could require some greenspace rules for the ADUs or at least the removal of trees to develop one. • Next meeting is scheduled for September 30, 2025. APPROVAL OF MINTUES Ed Phillips moved to approve April minutes. Sam Ellsworth seconded. All were in favor. 1 CURRENT CITY FORESTRY STATUS • Summer Projects: o Tree injections for IPS Beetle at Tautphaus Park on Spruce. o Spray tree rings to protect from mechanical damage. o Sucker control. o Clean up hangers from winter damage. o Replace dead trees throughout town. o Trim clearance for street department. o Normal horticulture jobs. GENERAL TREE DISCUSSION • North Park Road: o Removed some trees from the sides of the road so that it could be aligned with 25th. o Looking for some tree species ideas so that some trees could be replanted. o Powerlines above so height restrictions are set to 30 feet. • Arbor Day Recap: o Nice to divide younger kids with older kids. o City received the Arbor Day Grant and potentially getting nominated for the Silver Leaf Award. o A bench was dedicated to previous mayors. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ADJOURNMENT • Items for upcoming Agendas: o Planting requirements and tree replacements for ADUs. o Dead trees on private properties and what can be done. o Public outreach for the youth. o Memorial Tree for Randy Westergard, and Lee’s mom. • Still looking for 2 members for Shade Tree Committee. Sam Ellsworth moved to adjourn meeting. Mara Hill seconded. All were in favor. Next meeting will be September 30, 2025. Meeting recorded by Duston Edwards 2  Board of Directors Meeting Minutes September 9, 2025 | 9:00 a.m. | Willard Arts Center Board of Directors Attendees: Chip Langerak, Lisa Farris, Jill Hansen, Kevin Cutler, Brandi Newton, Sid Page, Matt Jacobson | IFDDC Staff: Kerry Hammon, Juan Hernandez, Geetika Gupta and Lacey Marie | Guests: Terri Ireland, Mosy Moran, and Georgina Goodlander Topics Discussed: • Chip Langerak: Welcome & introductions • Chip Langerak: Reviewed Aug. 12, 2025, minutes. Jill motion to approve. Brandi seconded. No one apposed. • Brandi Newton: Reviewed July 31, 2025, financials. Going forward we will be breaking out the two separate incomes from parking. One for the street parking and one for the parking lots. We have a surplus of funds for new projects. Brandi made a motion to approve, and Kevin seconded. No one apposed. • Director’s report: o Kerry is working with the contractor to complete the scope of work to include all phases of the shade sail project to be submitted for environmental review, which is good for five years. o The new website is on schedule, to be completed by early October. o It was decided to hold the annual State of Downtown meeting in the fall rather than waiting until spring. Invitations will be sent to all property owners. October 21, 6-8pm at the ARTitorium. o Events: Octoberfest Sept. 27, 3pm to 7pm. New Bingo game presented by Lacey. o Ladies Shopping days, Oct 4-11, 11am to 8pm. o Find the Tricky Skeleton/Crawloween Oct. 25, 2025, 12pm to 3pm and 4:30pm for the later. o City of Idaho Falls Water Tower Celebration, Oct. 10, 2025, 5pm to 9pm o Decorate Downtown/Tree Lighting Ceremony and Holiday Market Nov. 22, 2025, 4-8pm, ceremony 6pm. o Eliminate the free ice-skating rink due to low attendance, expenses and challenges of staffing and moving the shed outweigh the benefits. The shed will be given back to the Civitans. The skates and flooring for the ice rink to the ARTitorium, and we will keep the white vinyl fencing. o Parking: We’ve increased communications with property/business owners. The on-street paid parking proposal has been placed on hold. We will continue to investigate options and focus on improving the permitting process. The parking lot south of Broadway, between Park and Shoup, will be changed from 2-hour parking (library overflow) back to all-day parking/no overnight parking now that water tower construction is complete and the Board agrees. • Community Development Block Grants  o Lisa Farris: 2023 and 2024 funds have pretty much been obligated to the shade sail project. There’s a couple of applications out there, one with High Desert Realty. We have $35K pending for 2025 depending on HUD and what they decide. The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 a.m. The next board meeting will be Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. at the Colonial Arts Theater. Reviewed & approved by Executive Director, Kerry Hammon and the IFDDC Board of Directors on October 14, 2025