Main Street Project Update

The Main Street Project is now in week two. The project will give Main Street a complete face lift and is expected to take three months to complete. Everything including the asphalt, curb, sidewalk, and gutter will be replaced. New lighting will be added. A new drainage system will be installed to help reduce ice buildup and standing surface water during winter melt off and heavy rainfall. The water and sewer lines, originally laid in 1952 - making them 70+ years old, will also be replaced.  

This project has become a “heated topic” on social media and among business owners and members of the community. Misinformation and rumors contribute to much of the talk. I have been attending city council meetings regularly and working with city employees on several issues. I am the Chamber of Commerce President and on the Community Development Foundation as well as the city’s Greater Soda Springs Community Development Committee. I also am a board member of the Southeast Idaho High Country Tourism Council. I felt it might be helpful to share the details of the project, which are available to the public, to clarify the misunderstandings. I do not favor the city, the contractor or the business owners in writing this article, rather I just want to share information with the community.   

WHAT DOES THE CITY PAY FOR? The city pays for water main line maintenance and repairs, the water treatment plant, sewer main lines maintenance and repair, and garbage pickup. They purchase power at a reduced rate and provide it to residents. They pay for law enforcement and protection, including vehicle leases and radios and cameras for each vehicle. They pay for fire and prevention, animal control and shelter, weed control, snow removal, road repair/maintenance, parks and recreation, the library, the airport, all city employees’ wages and their benefits, equipment (dump trucks, plows, 4 wheelers, vehicles, etc.), capital projects and of course any city property maintenance and repairs.  

HOW IS THE CITY FUNDED? The city’s main source of funding comes from property taxes. The city also applies for various grants to fund specific projects. The monthly utility bill that residents receive from the city is for power, water, sewer and garbage. The revenue from water and sewer has to stay in the water fund and the sewer fund. Per Idaho Code, it cannot be used for other purposes. Included in the monthly sewer bill, residents and businesses are also paying $13 per month on a sewer bond. The city contracts with MR&E to do city garbage pickup and the city collects the monthly fee from the residents on their utility bill. The benefit of this is that the city is able to negotiate the amount the residents are charged for garbage pickup. The city both produces and purchases power to provide to the residents and businesses in Soda Springs. The money collected for power bills goes into the power fund. It can be transferred to the general fund to pay for other projects, but it must be in the budget to do so. The city budget is roughly between $23 and $24 million annually, but half of that is grant money that the city expects to receive and then pay out for the specific projects, purchases and expenses. 

FUNDING THE MAIN SREET PROJECT. The city holds its money in “funds” and the money in each fund is used to pay for the city’s expenses. The city plans and budgets for necessary capital projects and pays for them out of the Capital Project Fund. During the budgeting process every year, the city budgets the anticipated amounts across all funds of the city, including the Capital Projects Fund. If the city needs to complete a project but does not have enough funds to cover the cost of the project, they apply for various grants to help pay for the project. For the Main Street Project, the estimated the cost of the project is $2 million, and they applied for grants to help cover the cost of the project.  

THE GRANT. In early 2023, the Governor signed House Bill 132, which created a Strategic Initiatives Grant Program, and Senate Bill 1189, which appropriated $100 Million for Idaho governments for 2024. These bills became Idaho Code 40-719. $50 million was designated for urban areas with a population greater than 50,000 people and $50 million for small urban/rural areas with a population less than 50,000 people. The funds were to be used in 2024 and the Idaho Transportation Board was to determine the application process and select the recipients. They received 20 applications totaling $123,721,199 from large urban areas and 107 applications totaling $169,552,047 from small urban/rural areas. This past January, the City of Soda Springs was selected and awarded $1.5 million for the Main Street Project. Since the project was expected to cost approximately $2 million, the city budgeted and will pay for the additional cost of the project from the Capital Projects Fund. The grant stipulates that the grant money can only be used for sidewalks, curbs, gutters and roadways. It cannot be used to upgrade water or sewer lines, for lighting or any other portion of the project. The grant also stipulates that it can only be used on public property. 

It is noteworthy to mention that 48 total grants were awarded statewide, 11 to large urban areas and 37 to small urban/rural areas. 8 of those were awarded in District 6 (Southeast Idaho). In addition to the grant the City of Soda Springs received, Caribou County was awarded $1,635,000 for the Blackfoot River Road Project. Grace was awarded $1,003,000 for Center Street Culvert Replacement. That means a total of $4,138,000 or 8.3% of the $50,000,000 available to small urban/rural areas will be invested in projects in Caribou County. Georgetown, Lava Hot Springs, Malad, Pocatello and Shelley also were awarded grants in our district. 

SELECTING A CONTRACTOR. Idaho Code dictates how city governments go about selecting a contractor for capital projects. The city is required to publicly announce a project for bid and for what period of time they will accept bids. Any contractor can submit a written bid. The city council then reviews and selects a contractor. 

On the Main Street Project, the city only received 2 bids. One from A+ Contractors, locally owned by Cody Thompson, and one from RS Jobber, a Utah based company that is currently working on the new Maverik in Soda Springs. A+ Contractors bid the job at $2,177,182.50 and RS Jobber bid the job at $2,420,139. The city council reviewed and discussed the bid at a city council meeting in Early April. Councilman Ryan Carpenter respectfully removed himself from the vote, as he is an employee of A+ Contractors. The remaining 3 councilman unanimously selected A+ Contractors.

 DETERMINING THE COST TO BUSINESS OWNER’S. For the Main Street Project, the city believes that it makes the most sense to replace the 70+ year old water and sewer lines while they are exposed. The sewer main line runs down the middle of Main Street. There are no valves, the line is gravity-run from the buildings on main street to the main line and then down Main Street. The water main line runs down main street just past the edge of the sidewalk on the east side of the road. There is a pressure control valve where the building owner’s lines connect to the main line. City Code 13.08.160 (water) and City Code 13.12.060  (sewer) says that the residents own the lines up to where they hook into the mainline and that residents are responsible for the cost to replace/repair the line and any roadway and/or sidewalk that is removed to repair/replace the lines. 

 A+ Contractor’s bid included the cost for replacing the building owner’s portion of water and sewer lines and connections; $2760 for water and $3165 for sewer, for a total of $5925. The city has decided to pay the contractor for the building owner’s upgrades and then bill the individual building owners. The City Council decided to offer the building owners a 3-year payment plan at zero percent interest. This breaks down to $167 per month, which will be billed as a separate line item on their monthly utility bill. 

THE CONTROVERSY. Business Owners are upset because the cost, initially rumored to be $1000 - $1500, turned out to be $6000 and is being REQUIRED of the businesses. Business owners have expressed concern that this cost is unreasonably high. The Till Then Boutique just replaced their water line earlier this spring, and they are being required to replace it again. Cody Thompson, owner of A+ Construction, stated at the city council meeting where his bid was accepted that it would easily cost $20,000 to replace the building owners’ lines if the lines weren’t already exposed and the owner had to pay to replace the sidewalk, curb and road themselves. Several business owners have expressed that they will not pay the $6000 bill, and a few have sought legal counsel. 

For comparison purposes only, RS Jobber bid the cost of replacing the building owners portion of the lines at $2205 for water and $4510 for sewer, a total of $6715. This is $790 more than A+ Contractors bid of $5925. 

The project has been planned so that the new sewer lines, both the main line and the building owners’ line, will be replaced as the construction works its way down Main Street. They will pump out the old sewer lines as they go to prevent backup into the buildings. The new water lines will be laid next to the old ones and a “switchover” will take place after all line have been laid in place, pressurized and sanitized. The contractor does not anticipate any businesses to have to close, even for a day, and they estimate the “switchover” to take less than an hour, which they plan to do after normal business hours. The sidewalks will remain intact until later in the project, allowing patrons to use the sidewalk to get to and from the businesses. The city plans to send an email each week to the business owners updating them on the progress of the project and informing them of the schedule for the upcoming week. 

Typically, people tend to avoid high construction areas, leading to less business for business owners in the construction area. Business owners on Main Street are concerned that the project will affect their business so severely that they may be forced to close their doors permanently. The businesses on the west side of the street have rear entrances and parking available for patrons. The businesses on the east side of the street, including Idan-Ha Theatre, Main Street Diner, Cris James Attorney, and Tilly’s Chop Shop, do not have rear entrances or rear parking available for patrons. 

PARKING. Last week no parking was allowed on Main Street and this week they have allowed parallel parking along the eastside sidewalk, but it caused some risky situations, so expect ‘no parking’ to be implemented and enforced again soon. City Councilman Paul Gritton has provided a map of the downtown area, where parking is available. Patrons can park on Center Street and East First South, anywhere around City Park, and on Highway 30. The Ender’s Parking Lot and Eastman Drug parking lot are also available for parking. Caribou County has offered the parking lot at the County Building on the North side of the tracks for additional parking as well. Fire Chief Dan Squires would like to remind the public not to park in front of the Fire Station, as they need to be able to get their firetrucks out in the event of an emergency. 

There is no doubt that this project will create a burden on the businesses on Main Street and that it will be difficult for customers to access the businesses, especially those on the east side of Main Street. It is especially important to support our Main Street Businesses during the project. They are an integral part of our community, and it would be a shame if any of them were forced to close their doors for good. The city is trying to breathe some life into Main Street, which has numerous vacant buildings, crumbling sidewalks and curbs and 70+ year old infrastructure. Main Street will be fresh and new once the project is complete.