On the behalf of Eagle Public Library’s Teen Volunteers I would like to nominate Gunnar Dietsch as volunteer of the month. Gunnar has been a teen volunteer since November 2013. Since then he has become a leader in the Teen Advisory Board (TAB) and is currently serving as president.
          Since Gunnar has been a teen volunteer he has dedicated his time to making the teen program a success. He is consistently at TAB meetings and makes himself available for the set-up, execution, and tear-down of events.
          During the summer months, while the library is hosting a large number of events for children, Gunnar has stepped in to help in any capacity necessary. He can be found with his hands covered in tie-die ink, scooping ice for a snow cone, or helping a child make a US flag on a paper plate.
          In addition to summer events, there are a large variety of children’s events during the rest of the year. Gunnar will see a children’s event in the calendar and ask if he can be a part of it. His favorite event to help with is the building day. The teens are given the opportunity to sign-up for hour long shifts. Gunnar will volunteer for all the available hours.
          Perhaps the most noteworthy example of Gunnar’s giving heart is demonstrated during the quarterly Red Cross Blood drive. He eagerly takes part in greeting the donors and helping the Red Cross staff, but the most giving thing that Gunnar does is donate blood himself. A donor must be 16-years-old in order to give. I can recall how excited Gunnar was the first time he was going to donate. He had forgotten his permission slip to donate, but he went out of his way to assure that he could take part. Just like every other way that Gunnar gives, his enthusiasm was clear. During the last two blood drives, Gunnar has also stepped up to be a Double Red Cell donor.
          Gunnar is an exemplary example of the type of volunteers that Eagle Public Library wants. It is common for a staff member to mention to me how eager Gunnar is to help, the growth that he has shown since he began volunteering, and positive impact that he has had on the success of the library.
          In consideration of his exemplary and model characteristics in mind, I would like to nominate Gunnar Dietsch for Volunteer of the Month.
 

At the March 8 city council meeting, Planner III Nichoel Baird Spencer presented transportation recommendations on the city’s future roadway and intersection projects, economic development projects and community projects. The recommendations, driven by the Transportation Committee with input from citizens, the police chief and city staff, were green-lighted by the city council and routed to the Ada County Highway District (ACHD).
The roadway and intersection projects include signalizing the Beacon Light Road/State Highway 16 (SH-16) intersection (scheduled for 2017); extending Palmetto Avenue from Plaza Drive to SH-44, with a right-in/right-out access at SH-44; implementing the quadrant alternative at the Eagle Road/State Street intersection to improve traffic flow; adding bike lanes on both sides of Eagle Road from Floating Feather Road to Beacon Light Road, with curbs, gutters and sidewalks as feasible; evaluating the Floating Feather Road corridor from Eagle Middle School to Linder Road with emphasis on expansion to three travel lanes, bike lakes, detached sidewalks and intersection improvements; widening Linder Road to a five-lane road section with curbs, gutters, sidewalks and bike facilities between SH-44 and Floating Feather Road; preserving right-of-way on Beacon Light Road between SH-16 and SH-55 for up to three lanes; aligning Floating Feather Road by removing the Palmer Lane offset and installing curbs, gutters and sidewalks since this road serves as a connecting route for multiple-area schools; and preserving right-of-way for and pursuing construction of the Three Cities River Crossing Project.
The economic development projects include extending Plaza Drive east from 2nd Street to the Rocky Mountain Business Park (scheduled for 2017); and extending Aikens Street (from its current terminus) east to 2nd Street to enhance downtown traffic circulation.
The community projects include adding a pedestrian signal and lighting at the existing pedestrian crossing for Eagle High School at Park Lane and Cardon Street; adding a pedestrian crossing and warning signs at the Horseshoe Bend Road/Floating Feather Road intersection; constructing pedestrian and bike facilities on Horseshoe Bend Road from SH-44 north to Hill Road and on Hill Road from Horsehoe Bend Road west to SH-55; constructing pedestrian improvements on SH-44 from Edgewood Lane to Horseshoe Bend Road; adding sidewalks and bike facilities on Beacon Light Road from SH-55 to SH-16; constructing a pedestrian signal on Eagle Road at Ranch Drive to improve safety for students walking or biking to the Eagle Elementary School of the Arts; implementing the two phases of the Dry Creek pedestrian underpass; designing and constructing a grade-separated pedestrian/bike crossing of the SH-44 bypass between Eagle Road and the Palmetto Avenue extension; and installing a HAWK signal (similar to the one at Iron Eagle Way and Edgewood Lane) at State Street and Stierman Way to increase pedestrian visibility at this crossing.
The ACHD Commission will meet on May 11 and August 10 to merge and prioritize each city’s transportation recommendations into the 2017-2021 Integrated Five-Year Work Plan (IFYWP). An initial draft plan will be released on August 10. Comments on the draft plan will be due by September 9. A public hearing on the draft plan will tentatively be held on October 26.