Last night, I attended Boise Mayor Dave Bieter’s State of the City address with more than 750 of my colleagues, neighbors, friends and acquaintances. And it was quite apparent that people love this town. As the sold-out venue streamed the speech on a giant screen across the street, you could look around and think “Who wouldn’t love this place?”
Boise is progressing and developing at an amazing rate. In the downtown area alone, projects are planned totaling more than three-quarters of a billion dollars. Impressive measures designed to fulfill Boise’s vision of being the most livable city in the country.
With that goal, we need to remember the quality of life that makes Boise such a unique place. The river that flows through town needs to remain a clean source of drinking water and a place to play. We want clean air so that our children can run outside without worrying about air quality. And we need to protect the open spaces, foothills and trails that connect us to this amazing landscape.
At the State of the City address, Mayor Bieter talked about a levy that will be on the ballot in November. The Boise for Clean Water and Open Space levy will keep Boise’s tradition of conserving our open space and protecting our clean water. We know that Boise will continue to grow, and this levy gives our city the chance to continue making this such a great place to live, work, and raise a family.
Boise is not Portland. It is not Seattle. It’s a unique place full of vibrancy, creativity and innovation. With the levy, we can protect what we love about living here and invest in what is to come.
For those of you who bike, run, hike or play in our open spaces; who surf the wave at the water park; or who simply sit and gaze at the river running through town: this levy is for you. Even if you live outside the city limits and cannot vote for it, it is worthy of your support. The payoffs are right in front of us, with clean water, clean air, open spaces for recreation and wildlife. These things set us apart from many other cities.
For more information, FAQs, or ways to volunteer on the Boise for Clean Water and Open Space levy call our office (345.6933). We would love to hit the trail with you.