City of Meridian Blogs

by Mayor Tammy de Weerd

We have seen a number of ribbon cuttings recently as more and more businesses are moving to or expanding in our community.  It’s not only a promising sign of economic recovery, it certainly shows that the energy is in Meridian!  This week, I wanted to share some brief information about some of these businesses.

First, the Village at Meridian (formerly known as Meridian Town Center), the large lifestyle development near the Eagle & Fairview intersection, is really beginning to take shape. Upon completion, it will represent one of the most significant commercial projects ever developed in the state of Idaho. Tenants – Gordman’s and Big Al’s – are already beginning to open in the project’s initial phase, which includes 500,000 square feet of retail, entertainment, restaurant, and office space. [Along with this development was the expansion of Eagle Road from their property to I-84.]

The enthusiasm of the Gordman’s staff was positively contagious at the July 26th ribbon cutting of their 50,000 square foot store. Sharply dressed in coordinating purple and black, they were beaming with pride as they welcomed guests into their new store.  At this event, we learned more about Gordman’s commitment to local education as CEO Jeff Gordman presented Joint School District No. 2 Superintendent Linda Clark with a donation of $2,500. He also announced that Gordmans will become Partners in Education with nearby River Valley Elementary School, supporting its activities and serving as mentors to its students.

Big Al’s plans to cut the ribbon on its newest entertainment center nearby on August 6.  Visitors will be dazzled by its full-service 42-lane Bowling center, 200-player video and redemption game Arcade, sports bar and grill with one of the Northwest's biggest TV screen. There's also the Skybox Lounge and CaddyShack, golf simulator, pool tables, shuffleboard and darts games. More importantly, the 66,000 square-foot, $10 million enterprise created new jobs for approximately 175 employees.

We have also seen a host of smaller enterprises have also been opening shop in Meridian this summer. MoMo Dumplings recently opened next door to Buffalo Wild Wings at Franklin and Eagle Road. This new eatery which features food of the Himalayas will soon become a community favorite.  Stop by and try one of their truly unique dishes!

Epic Exchange – Fashion Recycler also recently opened on Fairview.  At Epic they buy/trade/sell clothing, so as you get ready to do your school shopping, stop by and see all the amazing fashions they have on hand or pick up something special for a night out.

And just a few days ago I was honored to be part of the grand opening for the new home of Molly Maid, a residential and business housekeeping company, which is located in our downtown at 1519 N. Main Street. This Meridian company continues to grow and made a decision to investment in our downtown as they renovated their new location prior to moving in.  What you may not know is that they hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, have an A rating on Angie’s List and received the “Super Service Award” from them in 2011, and the owner Stephanie Camarillo was recognized as a top 5 Women Owned Business by the Idaho Business Review in 2012.  In addition, a percentage of every clean is donated to the Women’s and Children’s Alliance.  We are excited to see their growth as a Meridian company and appreciate their investment in our downtown.

This blend of national and local businesses, large and small, not only provide retail, dining, and service choices for those who live in Meridian, but they are bringing jobs in construction and then permanent jobs to the area, all of which gives us cause to celebrate. I encourage you to stop by and welcome these and the other new businesses to Meridian and hope this is just a sign of things to come as we continue to grow our community.   

By the Meridian Public Works Department

The City of Meridian has assertively stepped up to the challenges of incorporating sustainability concepts into a variety of our Public Works projects.  The Public Works Department has positioned itself strategically to emphasize financial and environmental sustainability in our programs and projects while including our citizens in a wide variety of work groups and steering committees to help guide and support the way we manage our community’s resources and the services we provide.

For example, the Public Works Department has set forth the goal to create a Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Facility that is self-sustaining, utilizing closed-loop systems to recycle and/or reuse the waste byproducts and incorporate energy conservation technologies where possible.  This facility processes and treats about five million gallons of wastewater every day – and as a result – is our largest user of power within our Public Works Department’s utilities.

To date, we have achieved significant greenhouse gas reduction and energy savings through the following projects:

·         Blower energy usage is typically one of the largest energy consumers in an aerobic wastewater treatment process.  With the aid of an Energy Efficiency Grant, we replaced the existing blowers with newer more efficient turbo blower with an estimated energy savings of 250,000 KWh to 300,000 kWh annually and projected annual cost savings of $48,000.

·         We have replaced selected street lights with more efficient LED lighting on main corridors resulting in a reduction of 75,000 kWh and an estimated cost reduction of $6,000 annually with an additional expected reduction of 31 metric tons in greenhouse gasses.

·         New energy-efficient lighting was installed at the Wastewater Treatment Facility resulting in projected yearly electricity saving of 70,000 to 80,000 kWh and an annual cost reduction of $5,000 - $6,000.

·         Most recently, we installed tubular daylighting devices in our filtration buildings, providing natural light as an alternative to electric lights during the daytime.  These devices are not regular skylights.  The raised domes capture and diffuse natural daylight throughout the buildings with superior illumination efficiency and energy efficiency. There were 46 fixtures installed and are projected to save over 19,000 kWh per year resulting in an annual savings of $1,300.

While there are challenges in the production, distribution, treatment and reclamation of our water and reuse of its byproducts, our Department remains focused on providing modern and reliable facilities that emphasize financial stewardship and environmental sustainability for our customers.