The Courier
NEWS
Lincoln County Welcomes Americorps Team
Lincoln County’s Youth Center will host a welcome BBQ and potluck for a 9-member Americorp team on April 14th. The public is invited to the celebration at the Center (410 S. Main in Richfield) starting at 6 p.m. The Americorp team will help get the new center ready for the arrival of students for the county’s afterschool program in August. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with these young people have proven their dedication to serve in American communities like ours,” said Lincoln County Youth Commission President, Karma Metzler Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald said the Americorp volunteers will be painting the building, located in Richfield, both inside and out as well as getting the landscaping ready. “It’s no small task. The building sat empty for 6 years. There’s a lot of work that needs done and the help they bring is essential to our success.” Fitzgerald said the team will also be working throughout Lincoln County on several projects from trail building at a new park to helping to install new address poles for emergency medical services. “As a team, we are so excited to be part of this project. After school activities play a huge role in social and educational development and we can’t wait to get started!” said Mary Gill, team leader Americorps NCCC. The Lincoln County Youth Commission was also awarded the prestigious 21st Century Learning Center Grant from the Department of Education. The grant funding totals just over $700,000 to cover the costs of providing after school and summer programming for the next five years. “This is great news for the people of Lincoln County. We’ll be able to serve our children from pre-school to graduation, we’ll create 7 to 10 jobs within the county and the taxpayers here will be able to see a direct return on their investment in the Lincoln County Youth Center.”
April Water Supply Outlook Report
The Natural Resources Conservation Service in Idaho has released the April Water Supply Outlook Report for the 2021 water year. This La Niña winter proved to be drier than hoped for across much of Idaho. Except for the Clearwater Basin, the lack of precipitation during March resulted in near to below normal snowpack across Idaho as of April 1. Across the state, current reservoir storage is on pace with the historical 30-year average storage level, indicating normal winter baseflow into reservoirs. “Dry conditions in the Wood and Lost basin indicate water supply concerns for irrigators, dryland grazing operations and folks relying on natural streamflow,” said Erin Whorton, Hydrologist-Water Supply Specialist for NRCS Snow Survey in Idaho. continued on page 3...
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
April 14, 2021
Vol 45 Num 15
Open House For Lava Ridge Wind Project
Magic Valley Energy, an affiliate of LS Power, is hosting two open house events for Southern Idaho communities to learn more about the Lava Ridge Wind Project. The 1000+ megawatt wind project, planned for Jerome, Lincoln, and Minidoka Counties, will require more than 700 workers during the construction phase, which will have an $80 million positive tax impact for Idaho and an economic output of more than $500 million according to an economic impact assessment. Once in operation, the wind project will provide an estimated $4 million annually to Idaho's tax base, largely impacting the three counties' schools, highway districts, fire, and ambulance services. Community members are invited to attend one of two open houses to learn more about the project and talk with representatives from MVE on April 23rd from 4-7 PM at the CSI Applied Technology and Innovation Center (ATIC) or on April 24th from 3-6 PM Lincoln County Community Center in Shoshone. On April 23rd, Magic Valley Energy along with the College of Southern Idaho's Renewable Energy program, will host interested high school juniors and seniors to learn about the project and CSI's renewable energy degree program. CSI instructors and experienced wind technicians will be on-site to answer questions and demonstrate their climbing and repelling skills at CSI’s state of the art training facility. Interested students should contact their career counselors or Melissa Chantry at mchantry@csi.edu by April 19th. MVE is in the development phase of the project. This period includes interactions with federal, state, and local agencies, environmental and engineering studies, and outreach to local stakeholders. Construction of the project could begin as early as 2022. More information on the project scope, economic impact, and project timeline can be found at www.magicvalleyenergy. com. Public feedback on the proposal is welcome and appreciated and may be submitted to info@magicvalleyenergy.com For more information, please contact Amy Schutte at amy@ hudsonandco.co.