Idaho Congressman tours Pocatello with mayor, city officials
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POCATELLO — Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad and other city officials took Representative Mike Simpson on a tour through Pocatello’s Historic Downtown and up to the Johnny Creek neighborhood Tuesday. Both places are expected to benefit from Simpson’s work in community project funding in the future.
The tour began by driving through the Center Street Underpass, which has had $5.7 million appropriated to it for rehabilitation. The project is expected to begin construction next spring. The tour then traveled up Bannock Highway to learn about the Johnny Creek Sewer Appropriations project, which is one of Simpson’s most recent community projects he’s looking to fund.
“It sure is nice to have somebody in D.C. that listens and actually does (the work),” Blad said along the way.
“I look at this as just doing what you elected us to do,” Simpson responded to the Mayor.
Community Project Funding is when a representative provides input on how funding will be directed to state and local governments, allowing them to put that funding toward community needs.
“It’s our honor and our privilege to have you here with us congressman,” said Jeffrey Mansfield, Director of Public Works. “Our staff and we appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”
As they drove under it, Blad and Mansfield pointed out the deterioration of the underpass to Simpson, who said he could tell it was deteriorating when he took his wife to the Chief Theatre.
“It’s critical to commerce, it’s critical to EMS response times and just really a critical corridor for transportation (in) our community,” Mansfield explained to EastIdahoNews.com.
Mansfield said the City Council will have the state-local agreement for the Center Street Underpass on the agenda for their first meeting in September. The agreement lays out the terms and conditions between the city and the Local Highway Transportation Assistance Council.
As the tour left Historic Downtown Pocatello, Blad talked to Simpson about the Johnny Creek Sewer Appropriations Project and how much the city appreciates the assistance he’s offering.
“This is something that has been on the top of our mind, sewer in Johnny Creek,” Blad said.
The goal of the project is to bring sewer services to the residents of Johnny Creek, which are currently on a septic system because they were on that system when the neighborhood was annexed into the city.
Mansfield estimates the total cost to bring sewer services to the whole neighborhood will be between $13 and $15 million. Simpson has requested $1.75 million, but this funding is still making its way through the halls of Congress.
Blad addressed those on the tour, speaking to how hard Simpson has worked to bring sewer services to the Johnny Creek neighborhood.
“He worked on it for 10 years,” Blad said. “He’s always had an answer for me as we’ve done that and we would not have the opportunity to get this started or done, but for Congressman Simpson.”
Simpson praised the city of Pocatello for all of the work they do for the community, saying that they’re the ones that people call and go to when they have concerns.
“Thanks for all the hard work you guys can put in,” Simpson said. “You guys are the ones implementing all this. That’s the hard work.”