This week Blackfoot Mayor Marc Carroll outlined the city’s direction for the next few years at the Greater Blackfoot Chamber of Commerce Luncheon. Though the city’s achievements were also noted, his focus was on how the city would be moving forward in all of the city’s areas of serving the public.

According to the city’s bylaws, Carroll must give a State of the City assessment to the City Council every February. He summarized those points for the Chamber luncheon attendants that included county, business, banking and school leaders.

Carroll began by noting that the end of the covid economic effect may be near. In the city they notice this by the ability to get bids for projects at only a 20-30% increase over their estimated costs instead of the crushing 40-50% increase of recent years. This good news positively affects many of the city’s road, park, and revitalization projects.

In 2024 the city received a CDBG grant for $500,000 toward revitalizing the Downtown area with a safer and friendlier feel by removing the bulb outs, rehabbing the asphalt streets, installing ADA compliant corners and sidewalks, adding welcoming plants and city branded benches and trash bins.

Lest we thought the downtown was going to be handled with this grant, Carroll explained that this initial grant will be enough to complete the engineering design and construction for only one block. Needless to say this will be a project for the next 5 years as funding sources are found. The beginning block will be the heart of downtown — North Broadway from West Bridge to Pacific.

Each phase will expand outward to eventually encompass all of downtown Blackfoot. When they reach residential areas, the project will focus on sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and road work as needed. When funding allows, they also plan on erecting a welcoming arch on Pacific St.

To minimize the inconvenience to the public, the city also plans on repairing the downtown sewer system as much as possible in conjunction with the revitalization work. The sewer update of an old system is funded by ARPA funds and must be completed by the end of 2026.

As to other street and park projects, Carroll said the projects for 2026 are the Pendlebury Lane rehabilitation, Meridian Road safety improvements, East Airport Road sidewalks and the Twin Bridges Landing Park.

The Pendlebury Lane upgrades are still in the early stages of being designed. They have more than $25 million for the project, which will not stretch as far as it might seem. To improve it like Fisher St. was recently upgraded will take more grant money or restricting how much of the Lane can be updated. Top priority will be from Walker to Bridge Street, but Carroll hope to find funding to reach Alice St.

The Meridian Road work is to straighten out the angled approach to Highway 91 which is a traffic safety concern. That project, that has been desired for the last decade, is 70% designed and approaching the construction phase. Another safety concern is the sidewalk situation on East Airport Road. Or rather, the lack thereof. With a Child Pedestrian Safety grant the city has funds now to continue the sidewalks to Rose Road with curbs, gutters, road work and storm drains.

The plans to replace the West Bridge Street Bridge is going slowly with only 20% of the design work completed so far, being delayed by the required environmental assessment. It will cost about $10 million to complete and is most likely to be a 2027-year project.

This last year the Jensen Grove walking bridge’s foundation was repaired with generously donated labor. The Golf Course also now has a new restroom — again thanks to donated labor.

Currently, a new animal shelter is about 75% completed and will become operational May 1. The city animal shelter which serves the county and Fort Hall is seriously

outgrown. The new Blackfoot Animal Shelter and Rescue bulding, located near the airport, will more than double their space from 2500 square feet to 6500 square feet. Recently Fort Hall Business Council added $100,000 to the city’s $500,000 for the project. Generous donors are also helping this shelter become a reality as quickly as possible.

Part of the reason the city can invest in the shelter is because they are in a strong fiscal position and because they have “very consistent growth of our investments.” Carroll the budget is “strong and getting stronger.”

The Blackfoot Police Department and Fire Department both continue to be fully staffed and maintaining their excellence in serving the public. Again through generous donors, the Police force is better equipped with a crime scene van, newer tasers and handheld radios, safer ballistic helmets, and new investigative and scheduling software systems.

Specifically noted is the addition of a second K-9 unit to the Sheriff’s program. Carroll reported that together Jett and Loki, with their handlers, completed 62 searches that led to 18 arrests and removing “a significant number” of drugs and paraphernalia from the public.

Another step forward to freeing up the police officers to serve the public directly is the addition of a full-time ordinance enforcement officer who issued over 500 ordinance violation warnings and citations. This indirect service to the public is effectively binging properties into compliance, increasing the city’s safety.

As to water safety, Carroll reported that the city hasn’t had an incidence of e-coli since they installed temporary chlorinators. All 8 city wells now have permanent chlorination systems in place to ensure water safety into the future. At this point the mayor asked for a show of hands of how many attendees can taste chlorine in their drinking water. A handful said yes, and it was noted by the mayor, with the comment that they are still calibrating the system.

A major internal improvement nearing completion by the city is the formation of a Building Department. With the hiring of Chase Clark the city gains a certified building official who can locally approve building permits and inspections instead of relying on state officials. Not only will that process flow smoother, but Planning and Zoning Administrator Travis Allen can focus more time on keeping the Comprehensive Plan and city ordinances updated and effective. Extra bonus? Clark will also be a local Fire Marshall.

The Grove City Cemetery is ready now to expand. The city plans on adding an acre every other year from the ten acres they now own adjacent to the cemetery. An acre will yield about 300 plots which will serve the area for about three years.

Concluding his State of the City summary, Carroll said he was most proud of the return of Christmas celebrations to Blackfoot. From restarting the lit outdoor trees along East Airport Road to the Merry Light Parade in Downtown. There was also a city wide contest for home and business Christmas lit decorations. The city is forming a committee to help these beginnings become a yearly delight. He also announced that there will be a new attraction this December — a live nativity scene.

Even though Carroll’s summary wasn’t comprehensive, it was enough to show that the city is in a strong position and moving forward on many fronts to an even more safe and successful future.