Grant helping city create industrial center

A federally funded grant awarded by the state last month will pave the way for developing a new industrial center in Mountain Home.

The city received the $344,000 Idaho Community Development Block Grant to improve public infrastructure next to a new animal feed processing plant that started full operations in July.

The city will use the grant to repair roads north of West 5th North Street, including North Haskett Street and Northwest Turner and Northwest Sawmill roads.

These existing access roads are in poor condition, city officials said. Without these repairs, the road would quickly deteriorate with the anticipated number of trucks traveling to and from the new Wolfe Pac Pellets processing plant.

These repairs would also remove several sharp corners along this stretch of road, making it safer for trucks to drive through this area, said Mayor Tom Rist.

In addition, the block grant will allow the city to extend existing sewer lines beneath this part of town. The project also calls for installing water pipes in an irrigation ditch that runs parallel to North Haskett to keep water in the culvert from saturating the road.

Construction on the road is set to begin in May 2014 with the sewer extension set to follow in October.

The mayor emphasized that without the grant, it would've been extremely tough for the city to make the improvements with existing funds.

According to city officials, this project will tie into $1.8 million of infrastructure improvements added in 2006 to support the development of the Marathon Cheese packaging facility here.

According to Paula Riggs, who heads the city's economic development office, this latest project gives the city the tools it needed to spur additional industrial development in this part of town. The plan calls for opening up 1,700 acres of public and private land near the city's former landfill.

Riggs emphasized that the grant isn't geared to benefit a specific company but a plan to move the city toward future expansion. It represents "the first little push" it needed to start work on building this new industrial area, she added.

"This is a job creation grant," said Susie Colthorp, who serves as the city's grant writer.

"This project will have a tremendous impact on our community by creating needed jobs and encouraging and supporting industrial growth in Mountain Home," Rist said. "Our community has an opportunity to accelerate economic growth by providing infrastructure for new development."

"It's amazing to see all of the growth and development that Mountain Home is pursuing," said Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter.

"The state of Idaho is pleased to be a partner in helping local leaders improve the infrastructure necessary to attract new businesses and serve our citizens."

Mountain Home was one of 20 communities hoping to secure these block grants this year. City leaders and business representatives briefed the initiative during a meeting before the Idaho State Department of Commerce advisory council in early July in Burley.

All grant awards are reviewed and recommended by the state's economic advisory council with final approval granted by the governor.

In addition to its proximity to "strong agricultural areas" in this part of the state, Mountain Home has other attributes that make it an ideal location for this type of development, Riggs said.

Its location next to the interstate serves as a prime stopping and transfer point for trucks.

Showing a map of the proposed industrial site, she said existing roads here would allow trucks to enter and exit the site off Bypass Road and either use Simco Road or Exit 90 to enter the interstate.

Meanwhile, Mountain Home has active railroad lines running through town with a number of access points in and around the city. It also has its own municipal airport with a 5,000-foot runway.

"This is a perfect area for industrial growth," Riggs said. "It just makes sense to move in that direction."

Simply put, there's no place in Mountain Home that can successfully support this type of development, she added.

The city is already seeing signs that efforts like this will yield a number of jobs, according to Riggs.

For example, Wolfe Pac Pellets is expected to create 16 additional jobs in the Mountain Home area within the next two years.

The mayor credited people like Colthorp for making this project possible.

Normally taking months to write a grant of this size, she was able to complete it within three weeks, which allowed Mountain Home to meet the application deadline, he added.

The Idaho Community Development Block Grant program supports cities and counties across the state with the development of necessary public infrastructure.

The grant program, funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is used to construct projects that benefit low- and moderate-income persons, help prevent or eliminate slum and blight conditions, or solve catastrophic health and safety threats in local areas, state officials said.