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Downey Happenings 4/29/02 by Penny Greaves

Downey– Bannock County Commissioner Jim Guthrie has cleared up a major source of irritation and confusion between Downey City and the Bannock County Fair Board.

For several years, there has been an ongoing fuss about building a restroom shower complex near the RV Park north of the Bannock County Fairgrounds in Downey. The project was begun many years ago after County Commissioners approached the Downey City Council and offered to work with them on a facility that would be an enhancement to the city and useful to the county at fair time.

The commissioners co-signed the grant application, pledging the ground as their match on several grants through the next ten years. The city pledged equipment and manpower as their match, and the original park was built with a dumpsite, ten concrete pads, a sprinkler system and sod, trees and other amenities. Each grant provided another phase, and the next phase was to have been the restrooms.

However, Bannock County Fair Board representative Alvin Allen objected to the project, saying it would take away parking space for the Marsh Valley Stallion Incentive Association Horse Show, held during the Bannock County Fair at Downey Saturday each year.

The show, the biggest in Idaho, draws many participants and spectators, and the RV park is near Davis Arena where they show their horses, he said. Parking in the area is necessary so participants can hear the announcements from the arena.

Although a foundation hole had been dug by city workers, it was decided to fill it in for safety during the upcoming fair in 1999, and until the questions could be ironed out. The project has been pending ever since.

Former mayor Ila Mae Cunningham said when it came down to bids finally, there wasn’t enough grant money to do the project as originally outlined. Additional grant money was procured, but the question of location continued to plague the two governing entities, and the work kept being put off.

Now costs are up again, and again the project is too costly for the grant. Downey City had asked the Fair Board to come up with funds to have the complex built by a builder, but they had not yet acted on the matter.

Then Guthrie took matters in hand and went to the courthouse to search through old deeds to see where the truth lay. His findings have caused consternation, surprise, and more than a few chuckles.

The entire block of land belongs to the City of Downey, Guthrie says, not to Bannock County. The city can build the complex where they wish, how they wish and if they wish, he said.

Guthrie, in a telephone conversation, said there was no fault in the matter–it was simply a case of lack of investigation and communication. Apparently, according to deeds, the land was deeded to the county by the city in 1960, then deeded back to the city by the county in 1971.

He blamed the mix-up on the fact that elected officials change, and the new guys simply don’t know all that has gone on before. Acting mayor Ralph Riser says the Downey Council will take the matter under advisement. He has made arrangements for the grant to be extended until things can be sorted out, he said.

The late Willis Barfuss was mayor in 1960, and the late Clarence Brown was mayor in 1971, making things even more difficult to trace. Many who were serving as councilmen and commissioners are also deceased.

However, the first order of business will be to name a permanent mayor and possibly a new city councilman if Riser decides to go for the position. He was Council President at the time of Eugene Webb’s resignation last month. A decision will be made this week.

In the meantime, Riser opened the city’s safety deposit box at Ireland Bank’s Downey Branch last week and found original and copies of most of the deeds that Guthrie had found at the courthouse. Both city and county officials have spent some time the past couple of weeks simply shaking their heads in wonder that such an oversight could occur.

Marsh Valley High School’s Music Department will have their annual Spring Extravaganza Friday and Saturday evening, May 10 and 11 in the MVHS Auditorium.

The program will begin each night a 7 p.m. Admission is $5 per person. This is the biggest music event of the year at the school and will feature performances by the MarVals, Women’s Select Choir, the Marsh Valley Jazz Band, and other musical talents.

Vocal music teacher and instrumental music teacher Don McGuire will lead the groups. The public is invited to attend the program.

Woodland Park was a hot topic of discussion at the Downey Area Chamber of Commerce meeting last week. Acting mayor Ralph Riser and Chamber President Karen Bloxham led a discussion on work needed at the site, which has been an ongoing improvement project of the Chamber.

Downey City will purchase Potentilla to plant at the park, but it is the Chamber who originally set the money aside for the project, as well as for the sprinkler system on the west end of the park.

The Chamber was inadvertently billed the entire amount for the sprinkler system and the bill was paid, using grant money that was earmarked for the Potentilla. The city will now buy the flowers to make the grant complete.

The city was to remove wood chips from the site, and the Sheriff’s Inmate Detail did part of the work last year, and the new Girl Scouts of America troop under leadership of Gina Criddle and Kayleen Parke, worked some more on it this year. The city is also to dig up the flower beds, since there is a sprinkler system in it.

Once the beds are ready, the Chamber will schedule a planting day and arrange a work schedule. Jim Parke, owner of Downey Food Center, says there are several Boy Scouts in town looking for Eagle projects, and this will be pursued.

Althea Christensen, owner of Keepsake Kottage, a business to be opened by the first week in June, presented ideas she had come up with for a Thank You card to be used by the Chamber to recognize volunteers in the community.

One card featured a picture of the downtown area, and another featured an American flag. It was decided to have her make up several of each to have on hand for use by the Chamber. Envelopes and card stock are donated by Pennysworth.

It was also suggested that Chamber members once again be given membership certificates when they pay their dues. This was done until two years ago, and is a source of pride to those who are members.

President Bloxham reported that Downata manager Darlene Downs has received a large packet of free "Welcome" sacks which she will donate to the Chamber to be used for the Welcome Wagon Committee.

Members were asked to provide items for the sack. Ann Yearsley, Chamber webmaster and owner of Homeland, said she would gather materials as she visits businesses to tell them about their opportunities on the website.

The Chamber booth at the Mother’s Day Boutique was scheduled to sell homemade candy and two different post card designs, created by Yearsley. Volunteers were solicited to bag candy and price it for the sale. Yearsley was in charge of the booth, and will be in charge of the booth at Race Day on May 18.

Among items suggested for the Race Day sale were candy apples, popcorn and cotton candy. The Downey Lions have offered use of their little trailer for the booth. They will be using their fair booth to sell hamburgers and other sandwiches and drinks.

The Chamber will work with the Bear River phone book company to try to get some information on Downey. Member Joe Bloxham mentioned in March that the company had not used anything from the city, so the Chamber will try to rectify the mistake.

Bloxham suggested having a Chamber newsletter similar to that put out by Lava Hot Springs through the Senior Citizens. The publication is small, but sells for fifty cents a copy and has news from town.

City Arborist Wendy Anderson reported that she had learned that Three Rivers Resource, Conservation and Development, has donated a Pentium computer to the city for their Internet hookup. It will arrive in May, and the City’s e-mail address will be announced.

Gail Hancock announced plans for Race Day, which include an extensive car show, lawnmower races, and children’s electric car races. The event will be held at Davis Arena on the Bannock County Fairgrounds in Downey.

Jim Parke said he is working with acting mayor Riser to come up with an addition to the Downey sign north of town which will advertise the new city website. The site will be officially launched in the next month.

Parke said his Associated Food ad coordinator has offered to come to Downey and do a sidewalk barbecue for a Chamber fundraiser. This would cost the Chamber nothing, he said. Parke will spearhead the project and go ahead wih it. Yearsley suggested it could be done when the war memorial is dedicated, but no date has been set for that project yet.

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