Do you know of a historic structure in Kuna?

In 2009, the Ada County Historic Preservation Council honored six Kuna houses as Ada County Treasures.
The time has come again to make nominations for this year's awards.
The Ada County Historic Preservation Council is now accepting nominations for this year’s Ada County Treasure Awards.
The Ada County Treasure Award program first began in 2003. The Ada County Historic Preservation Council honors up to six historic sites on an annual basis through this program, by placing a special County Treasure sign on the selected properties for two months. Last year’s County Treasure award winners include the Eagle Hotel, a rectangular, two-story molded concrete block structure, representative of the development of a small commercial center development to serve the rural settlement of Eagle during the period 1902 to 1910. Two Johnson Barns on or near Joplin Road were also honored with the award, as well as two homes near Eagle – The Simonson House built in 1910, and the Ross House built around 1905.
The Historic Preservation Council aims to raise awareness about historic buildings and landmarks, so they can be preserved as a part of Ada County’s history for future generations to enjoy. Anyone who knows of an old property or structure is encouraged to nominate it for award consideration. These awards help educate the public about the importance of historic preservation in Ada County.
Properties may be nominated for consideration by their owner, a local government entity, or local special interest group. Nominated property/structures must meet the following criteria:
1. Must be located in unincorporated Ada County, or must be related to the County’s rural history, government history or early infrastructure
2. Structures must be more than 50 years old
3. Must have historic significance. Properties which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or listed on Ada County historic resource inventories will likely qualify. To see the historic resource inventories, visit the Historic Preservation Council website at: http://www.adaweb.net/HistoricPreservationCouncil/Programs/CountyTreasures.aspx and click on Historic Site Inventories. The gallery of previous award winners is also available at this website.
4. Uniqueness
5. Visible from public right-of-way
6. Still serviceable or at least in reasonably well preserved condition
7. Cooperation of owner in participating is essential
Nominations should be submitted to Ada County Treasure program chairman, Al Bolin by email at: balein@msn.com or by mail at: 918 Ranch Road, Boise, Idaho 83702. Call 342-1298 with any questions. The deadline to nominate an Ada County property for the Treasure Award is March 1, 2011. Winners will be announced during the Idaho Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month in May.

Ada County Assessor's Office will be in Kuna to help with tax preparation

The Ada County Assessor’s Office will provide free property tax application assistance from 10 a.m. to noon at the Kuna Senior Center, 299 Avenue B, on the following Mondays: Feb. 7, 14, March 7, 21 and April 4. Ada County property owners may now apply for the State of Idaho’s Property Tax Reduction and Property Tax Deferral programs for 2011. Eligible residents are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible before the April 15 deadline.
Qualified property owners can reduce their annual property tax bill by up to $1,320. The State of Idaho reimburses Ada County for the reduction in property taxes, up to the claimant’s qualifying benefit amount.

Kuna High science program rocks at BSU Discover Engineering Day

The Kuna High School science program was a definite star at Saturday’s Discover Engineering Day at Boise State University.
Kuna science teachers and students put on several demonstrations throughout the day at the annual free event intended to expose children and families to engineering and science concepts.
One of the more popular stations put on by the Kuna Science Club allowed participants to build their own wind turbines out of PVC pipe and paper plates or cups and have the electricity generated by their designs measured. Above, Max Blitman helps test a wind turbine.
In another demonstration, Kuna showed participants how to make their own rubber band-powered spool car, which kids could decorate and keep.
Perhaps the coolest program that Kuna put on was the Bristle Bot station, in which students used a toothbrush end, some pipe cleaners, a batter pack and a motor to create a Hexbug-like invention that vibrates, moves and spins and which students could take home with them.

Head over to the Kuna Performing Arts Center today

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs performances are today at 2 and 7 p.m. in the Kuna Performing Arts Center.
Venture into the terrifying Black Forest with Snow White and her friends when the Missoula Children’s Theatre and more than 60 Kuna and Melba students perform “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” An original musical adaptation of this classic tale, the performance is sure to entertain audiences of all ages.
In all, 219 students from Kuna and Melba auditioned for roles in the performance.
In addition to “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the audience will be treated to the opening show, a song and dance medley from the Disney movie “Newsies.”
The production is sponsored by Crimson Point Elementary PTA. The Opening Show performance is choreographed by Madelyn Reid of Tavaci School of Performing Arts.
Show times are 2 and 7 p.m. at the Kuna Performing Arts Center, at Kuna High School. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and free for children 4 and under. Tickets are available at the door.
For more information, contact Lori Kelly, 891-1549, or MCTcoordinator@crimsonpointpta.org.

Kuna and Melba drivers: Emissions testing deadline is Monday

Like it or not, for those of you living in Kuna and Melba, the deadline to get your car emission-tested is Monday.
Owners of vehicles in Canyon County and Kuna with an October 2010 emissions testing deadline are reminded by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality that they will have their vehicle registrations revoked by the Idaho Transportation Department unless they complete a passing test or receive a waiver by Monday, Jan. 31.
Vehicle owners who are unsure when their testing deadline is can find out online at www.IdahoVIP.org. Click on the Test Due Date link and enter the vehicle’s identification or license plate number.
When a vehicle’s registration is revoked as a result of failure to obtain a passing emissions test, the owner must get the vehicle tested and purchase a new registration.
Owners of vehicles with an October 2010 test deadline have been sent up to three notices advising them of the vehicle emissions testing requirement.
Emissions testing is available at more than 20 locations in Canyon County and Kuna at a cost of $10 per vehicle.
Motorists without Internet access can call the Vehicle Emissions Testing toll-free hotline at 1-866-623-8378 to speak with an emissions testing program representative.

Kuna's Crimson Point to hold spelling bee next week

Remember that breakout sleeper movie that came out of nowhere, "Akeelah and the Bee," about an inner-city girl competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee?
Well, go rent it or take it out from the library and prepare for next week's Crimson Point Spelling Bee.
Crimson Point Elementary is holding its first spelling bee on Wednesday, Feb. 2, and Thursday, Feb. 3.
Students in grades 1 through 3 will compete on Feb. 2, and students in grades 4 through 6 on Feb. 3. The spelling bee will take place at 6 p.m. on both nights.
Teachers will be holding in-class spelling bees, and the top three spellers from each class will move on to the school spelling bee.
Kuna Mayor Scott Dowdy will be the spelling bee master both nights with Kuna Superintendent Jay Hummel, assistant superintendent Wendy Johnson and Crimson Point Principal Kim Cammack serving as judges.
The top two students and one alternate from each grade from the school spelling bee will then move on to a multi-school bee which will include Siena, Lake Hazel, Mary Mac, Christine Donnell and Crimson Point.
That bee will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 10 and 11, at Siena Elementary School.
Students in grades 6 through 8 will compete on Feb. 10, and students in grades 1 through 5 on Feb. 11.

How would Luna's education reforms affect Kuna?

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna should be commended for seeking ways to improve public education in Idaho.
But I have some misgivings not only about the end proposals he’s come up with but also his methodology for coming up with solutions.
And I hope that our state legislators look very closely at Luna’s proposals and hold them with great skepticism.
Luna has proposed raising the state’s student-teacher ratio from 18.2 students per teacher to 19.1 in order to reduce spending by about $63 million.
If approved, it appears that the money would be used in the first year to offset past cuts and replace lost one-time revenue. I’m not sure this is avoidable in the first year.
Luna, however, is proposing to continue these cost savings on teacher salaries in order to buy laptops for every student and maintain them. More on that later, but that part of the proposal should really smack conservative lawmakers in the face.
But back to what I see as inevitable teacher cuts in the 2011-12 school year. What impact will that have in Kuna?
Class sizes in Kuna elementary schools are anywhere from 19.75 as the average of four first-grade classes at Indian Creek, all the way up to 33 students per 5th-grade class at Teed. In general, the class sizes at all Kuna elementary schools range from about 22 students per classroom to 29. At the middle school, the class size is about 30. At the high school, about 22. At Initial Point, Kuna’s alternative high school, the ratio is 17.56.
But this counts the regular classroom teachers and doesn’t include such positions as nurses, counselors, special education teachers and psychologists, whose numbers are also factored in when the state calculates the student-teacher ratio.
In all, Kuna has 196 classroom teachers for 4,909 students, for a ratio of about 25 students per teacher. In addition, Kuna has another 30 employees who are nurses, counselors, special education teachers or psychologists, bringing Kuna’s student-teacher ratio closer to the 21.7 number that’s been reported by the state, the highest ratio in Idaho.

You can read the rest of this in this week's Kuna Melba News.

Joe Luppens is a 'gem for this community'

Kuna Mayor Scott Dowdy calls Joe Luppens a "gem for this community."
I couldn't agree more. I've had the pleasure of knowing Joe for the past couple of years and worked with him on the Kuna Census Complete Count Committee.
If you happen to show up at any local event or meeting that is intended to benefit Kuna, chances are you’re going to bump into Joe Luppens.
For his volunteer efforts, Luppens has received a Leadership in Motion award from the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho.
“It just seems like every time you turn around, Joe’s been there,” said Kuna Mayor Scott Dowdy, who last year asked Luppens to head up the Kuna Census Complete Count Committee. “And he always does it with a smile and a cheerful heart.”
Luppens received the Leadership by Example, Individual, award from COMPASS last month.
Luppens received the award specifically for his involvement as chairman of the local Census Committee,
“Joe Luppens worked diligently on efforts to improve the accuracy of the 2010 census,” according to COMPASS’s press release about Luppens. “Joe dedicated his time organizing and encouraging participation of individuals and businesses in the Kuna area to promote the census, even spending his own money on creating T-shirts for the outreach. Kuna had an 82 percent census return rate, well above the Ada County’s average, the national average, and Kuna’s 2000 rate. The additional participation is estimated to bring in almost $400,000 per year to the community from federal government appropriations.”
But Luppens’ work on the Census committee just scratches the surface.
Congratulations, Joe. You deserve it.

Here's a great spring break idea in Kuna: theater camp

Starlight Mountain Theatre will host a Spring Break Camp at the Kuna Performing Arts Center Monday, March 28th through Friday, April 1st. During the course of the week students will learn a complete show from start to finish; the lines, music, and choreography. The culmination of the week-long camp is a performance by camp attendees on Saturday April 2nd and the following Monday, April 4th. In turn with putting the show up, Starlight directors find time to educate the youth in Theatre thru games, activities, and team building projects. Grades 1-5 are scheduled from 9:00 am until noon and grades 6-12 from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Students attending the camp are required to bring sack lunches with them each day. To register your child call 208-462-5523. Multiple sibling discounts are available. and there are scholarship opportunities that can be applied for. Over the years, Starlight's Spring Break Camp has averaged between 75 and 100 attendees. They are looking forward to meeting the youth that take part in this year's camp.

Work on the Ten Mile interchange is chugging along

Work continues on the new Interstate 84 interchange with on- and off-ramps at Ten Mile Road.
Westbound I-84 will be reduced to one lane from 10 p.m., today, Jan. 23, to 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 24, while sign poles are installed on the interstate. Restrictions will continue at night the week of Jan. 23.
All lanes on Ten Mile Road are closed between Franklin and Overland roads. The Meridian Police and Ada County Sheriff’s offices are enforcing the area. Violators will be ticketed for reckless driving.
Meanwhile, the Ada County Highway District will begin to widen Ten Mile Road between the Ridenbaugh Canal and Overland Road this month. Updates and traffic impacts from the ACHD project will be posted at www.achdidaho.org under Projects and Studies.
The speed limit is 55 mph on I-84.
Idaho Sand & Gravel is the contractor on this $33.8 million project, which is expected to be complete in summer 2011.
The landscaping, under a separate $580,000 contract to Franz Witte Landscape Contracting, is set to begin this spring when the ground thaws.