The Courier
NEWS RT Automotive in Wendell
After spending several years in Mountain Home with the Air Force, Rick Parker spent nearly 30 years with Lithia Dodge Chrysler in Twin Falls. While working his way up the ladder of the repair shop and learning all the ins and outs of being a dealer mechanic, he gathered a close-knit group of friends that shared his passion for automobiles. Along with making friends, the desire to move away from dealership repairs and step out on his own opened the doors to a new repair shop in Kimberly. In the summer of 2021, RT Automotive was born. Work poured in and they soon discovered the Kimberly space was too small. A year later they found the old Harbaugh Motor building in Wendell and made the move to smaller town and bigger building. Between three guys, they have over 60 years of combined experience in the automotive service and repair industry - including domestic, import, and exotics such as Porsche and Lamborghini. A recent addition to the team has increased their combined experience to nearly 80 years. More importantly, their reputation for honest reliable work has kept customers coming in from far and wide. The Wendell shop is located at 465 North Idaho Street (across from the Napa store). While the front lobby is full of old trucks, they don't do restoration work (unless it's their own), nor do they do body work. But... everything else they can handle - from little cars to your big pickup - the RT Automotive team is ready to make sure your vehicle can go the extra mile. (Top Photo: William Graham, Trini Mayo, Rick Parker, David McClure)
CSI Board Seeks Applicants for Open Position
The College of Southern Idaho (CSI) Board of Trustees is seeking applicants to fill a seat on its Board following the resignation of Trustee Jack Nelsen. Nelsen was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives in November, where he will fill Seat B in Idaho District 26. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve on the Board of the College of Southern Idaho,” said Nelsen. Nelsen’s seat will be filled by appointment of the four remaining Trustees. Applicants for the open position must be qualified electors in the community college district and must reside within the zone of the vacant position. Details outlining how to submit an application can be found at: www.csi.edu/trustee-search
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
January 4, 2023
Vol 47 Num 1
Fairfield Planning & Zoning Drafting New Comprehensive Plan
It has been nearly 20 years since the City of Fairfield has officially updated their Comprehensive Plan. Next Tuesday, January 10, the Fairfield P&Z Commission will hold a public hearing to consider changes and to hear public comments on the document. Over the last ten years, Idaho has experienced tremendous growth in it's urban areas. Our smaller Idaho communities have been affected by that growth as well, but the challenge of providing services is harder in small towns. Even a small subdivision can create difficult problems if there is no Comprehensive Plan in place for community development. Unfortunately, planning documents are often set on the shelf to gather dust until someone walks in with a big idea. That's when we discover those documents are out-of-date and inadequate for the community's needs. Fairfield's Comprehensive Plan is not totally inadequate, but it needs updating. The Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan for short) is not law, but is a required planning document under Idaho Code 67-6508. Idaho Code outlines 17 areas of local land use planning that need to addressed, although, not all of these components are applicable to cities the size of Fairfield. Some of the components include: Private Property Rights, School Facilities, Economic Development, Public Services, Hazardous Areas, Community Design, and the big one... Land Use. Comp Plans are designed to be a snap-shot of where things are today along with ideas on how to maintain the good things in a community, as well as addressing the needs of the future (i.e. planning). A Comp Plan is often looked at as a roadmap to community growth, and frustratingly, growth that may or may not happen. This sometimes leads to the belief that growth will never happen. However, the downside of not having a good "roadmap" is that growth is often dictated by developers rather than the people living in the community. Residents of Fairfield can view a copy of the Draft Comp Plan at the Fairfield City Office (407 Soldier Road), or online at: www.cityoffairfieldidaho.com. Goto the "Planning & Zoning Department" tab under departments and click on the words "Click Here to View". Written comments can be sent to the P&Z Administrator at pandzfairfield@frontier.com or mailed to: PO Box 336 - Fairfield, Idaho 83327.