North Nampa Residents Association PO Box 233 Nampa, Id 83653

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Idaho Press Tribune
  7 Jan 2000, page 4a

Tuesday meeting The North Nampa Residents Association is holding a public meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday to set priorities for projects. The meeting will be held at Snake River Elementary, 500 Stampede Dr. Residents urge urban renewal agency to keep funds in neighborhood NAMPA -- North Nampa residents will present at a public meeting Tuesday a list of projects they would like prioritized for urban renewal funds.      The meeting is in response to concerns from residents that not enough money is being funneled from the North Nampa Urban Renewal Agency to make neighborhood improvements.      "There is a lot of infrastructure work that needs to be done on the north side of town, but the Urban Renewal Agency seems to focus on the Idaho Center and other projects," North Nampa Residents Association representative Shirley Dean said.      Association members have collected input from residents and completed drive-by assessments to identify which areas need to be addressed immediately.      Steve Tester, the agency's chairman, admits a large portion of the agency's money was put toward the center during the agency's first five years, but since hearing concerns from residents the agency's focus is returning to north Nampa.

"It became a big milestone when we became aware of their needs and pulled our heads out of the sand," Tester said.      Last fall the agency appointed a subcommittee of agency board members Elvin Fogleman, Martin Thorne and Ray Veloz. That committee has been attending North Nampa Residents Association meetings and listening to residents' concerns.      Nampa Mayor Maxine Horn also plans to appoint another north Nampa resident to the agency board to give residents more of a voice in the decisions of the renewal agency, she said.      In this budget year the agency has designated more than half of its $7.5 million budget to north side projects, including $1.5 million to infrastructure needs and $2.5 million toward the reconstruction of the 11th Avenue North underpass.      Despite concerns about where the money is spent, Dean said residents have no animosity toward the agency.      "Our opinion of the agency is that they will work with us," Dean said. "They just don't always share the same point of view as we have."      Tester said the agency welcomes community input and although it won't be able to address all the needs this year those concerns will be examined during budget planing for next year.

Reprinted by permission of Idaho Press Tribune
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