Kuna mayoral candidates get their say

This week in the Kuna Melba News, you may notice that we’re publishing three stories on the three candidates for Kuna mayor. Just a few quick notes on the interviews and stories. Each interview took two hours and 11 minutes. This was completely coincidental, and I was surprised that the length of the interviews came out exactly the same for each candidate. Each article is about 2,100 words, or about three-and-a-half times the length of a typical Editor’s Notebook. Some of what was said in the interviews didn’t make it into the stories, primarily because of space.

Fundraiser in Kuna for family who lost home to fire

A fundraiser dinner and concert will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22, to benefit the Hays/Lowe family of Kuna, who lost their home to a fire in September. All dollars received that night will go directly to the family that includes a single mother of a 10- and a 17-year-old.
The event will be 6 p.m. to midnight on Oct. 22 at the Kuna Community Hall, 360 W. Main St.
Running for Cover from Oreana will be providing the music from 9 p.m. to midnight.
A chili and potato feed costs $5 per person or $20 per family, which gets you dinner and into the dance.
A silent auction will also be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Auction items include a football by Coach Akey, woodwork items, photographs from David Stoecklein of Ketchum, two tickets to Thunder Mountain Railroad, 2 one-day passes to Silverwood Amusement Park and four tickets to Linder Farms’ corn maze. Taking other donations until Oct. 20.

Which Kuna City Council candidates were at last week's City Council meeting?

In the audience at Tuesday night’s Kuna City Council meeting were City Council candidates Briana Buban-Vonder Haar and Joe Stear.

Why does the new Kuna school have Meridian address?

A reader asked me the other day why Kuna’s newest school, Silver Trail Elementary has a Meridian address.
It all has to do with ZIP code. For the most part, the Kuna ZIP code ends at Hubbard Road, so anything north of Hubbard has a Meridian ZIP code, thus a Meridian mailing address. The postal service attempted to change the ZIP codes a couple of years ago, but the outcry was so huge from people living in that area, that the Postal Service left the ZIP code alone. Residents north of Hubbard complained that changing their ZIP code to 83634 — thus giving them a Kuna address — would harm their property values. We’re going to see a lot more of this in the future, as the city has annexed a lot of land north of Hubbard Road. We’re going to have more and more people living within the city limits of the city of Kuna with a Meridian mailing address. In fact, the city’s own wastewater treatment plant has a Meridian mailing address.
It’s not terribly uncommon. In fact, some ZIP codes even straddle state lines. There is a Wyoming ZIP code that goes over into Idaho, for example.

Seniors are out of the Kuna Senior Center again

The polished concrete floors in the Kuna Senior Center are being redone because of issues with the first go-around.
Deputy city clerk Chris Engels updated council members Tuesday night on the issues they’ve had with the floors.
Engels said that the seniors were justifiably unhappy with the finished floor because of “hazing” in the floor caused by trapped moisture rising from the concrete. During asbestos abatement, soap and water was used on the concrete underneath, trapping moisture in the concrete and inhibiting the adhesion of a wax sealant.
Engels said that a test area with an opening of the floor’s pores showed that the hazing was being corrected.
The center will be closed from Oct. 10 through Oct. 20 to allow chemical smells to dissipate and to allow the floor to cure properly. Chairs were brought back into the center too soon before the floor properly cured the first time around, causing scuff and scratch marks.
Whether the seniors will be happy with the final product remains to be seen. It was not clear Tuesday night from senior center service coordinator Sheri Hunsaker whether the seniors will be happy with any kind of polished concrete floor, even if done properly.

Kuna continues to discuss city park use ordinance

It looks like lighting at the Indian Creek BMX track has hit a bump in the road.
Kuna city engineer Gordon Law told City Council members Tuesday night that lighting the track properly would cost about $19,500. Further, because the proper lights would need to be 1,000 watts for safety purposes, they would likely cause a negative impact on neighboring businesses and houses.
The issue is being discussed as part of a proposal to change the city ordinance regarding use of the city park.
The current ordinance restricts use of the park after midnight, but the city’s police chief, Lt. Kody Aldrich, has requested that use be limited to dawn to dusk and that police officers have ticketing authority to people who are refuse to leave the park after dark. A first offense would be a fine of $50, and $100 for each additional offense. Groups or individuals can purchase a city permit of $50 for up to 100 people or $100 for more than 100 people to be in the city park after dark.
But City Council president Lisa Bachman has expressed concern that if a sanctioned event at the BMX track were to go a little late into the after-dusk hours, the police would start showing up handing out tickets.
Bachman had asked Law to research the cost of putting up lights at the BMX track, which is on the south end of Avenue E, just south of the big American flag in Sandstone Plaza.

Kuna Cub Scouts Pack 106 is selling popcorn this month

Cub Scouts from Pack 106 in Kuna are conducting their annual fundraiser selling Trail’s End popcorn. Watch for the Scouts at Paul’s Market in Kuna on Oct. 8 & 9 and Oct. 15 & 16. If you don’t want to buy popcorn, donations are welcome. You may also have Scouts in your neighborhood selling items door to door.
Items range from microwave popcorn and caramel popcorn for $10 on up. Makes a great Christmas gift for individuals or businesses. All of the money raised supports scouting and the local Pack, which allows us to send the boys to camp and make purchases of derby items, awards and badges.

Kuna Chamber of Commerce First Tuesday event is at Fiesta Guadalajara

Kuna Chamber of Commerce “First Tuesday” will start at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 at Fiesta Guadalajara, 780 E. Avalon, Kuna. Enjoy delicious refreshments while promoting your business, meeting new contacts and networking with other businesspeople. The public is invited to attend! For information, visit www.kunachamber.com, email information@kunachamber.com or call 922-9254.

Watoto Children's Choir is coming to Anchor Baptist Church in Kuna

The Watoto Children’s Choir will be at Anchor Baptist Church, 7910 S. Meridian Road, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13.
“Beautiful Africa: A New Generation” will include vibrant, original African music, dance routines and life-transforming stories.
“Through the choir’s Concert of Hope, we share a message of transformation by telling the story of Africa’s rescued orphans and women,” said Gary Skinner, Watoto founder. “We hope to reach out to audiences with the message of Christ’s healing power.”
The production debuted in the U.S. this month and will travel through Canada, the UK, Australia and South Africa starting in January. The six-month U.S. tour visits Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and New Mexico, concluding in Denver.
With its genuine appeal, accompanied by music and dance — an energetic fusion of contemporary gospel and traditional African rhythm — the globally acclaimed Watoto Children’s Choir has traveled internationally since 1994 as ambassadors for the millions of children in Africa, orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, war and poverty.
Each of the children in the choir has suffered the loss of one or both parents. They live in Watoto Children’s Villages where they receive the care and nurture they need to grow up as productive citizens of their country.
Since its inception, 49 choirs have traveled globally, providing the children with a bigger worldview, an unusual opportunity they would otherwise never get. The choirs have been to Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and the U.S., among others. Their audiences have included royalty, presidents, ministers and the common people alike, capturing many hearts wherever they go. Visit http://watotochoirs.wordpress.com for regular updates on choirs on the road. Go to www.watoto.com/choir for the full itinerary.

Kuna United Methodist Church will have a blessing of the animals service on Sunday

St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals and ecology who is honored in early October. As we enjoy the beauty of changing seasons, Living Hope~Kuna United Methodist Church is taking the opportunity to join in a long-standing Christian tradition of giving thanks for creation. The community is invited to join us for a casual time of worship as we pause to give God thanks for animals—for all that they teach and provide, for pets and their gifts of companionship and love, for the wonders of all God’s creatures.
To honor the attention spans of our four-legged, feathered, and scaly friends, we will have a very brief outdoor service of music and prayer, followed by individual blessings for each critter in attendance. Children are absolutely welcome at this informal, joyful service! Please bring the animal(s) you would like to have blessed. (If you have a pet who doesn’t play well with others, a poisonous animal, or a dangerous breed, please bring a photo instead. Private blessings can be scheduled at a later date.) Children’s teddy bears and the like are also invited so we can celebrate the comfort they bring.
Join us at Living Hope~Kuna United Methodist Church (260 West 4th Street, on the corner of 4th & Franklin) at 5 p.m. Sunday, October 2. Questions? Call 922-4745.