Meridian Split Corridor Project Nears Completion

We are inching closer to the completion date of the Meridian Split Corridor Project. That means every day we are getting closer to having a quicker and more efficient way to travel to our downtown and through to the rest of the community. While the final product will be a great addition to Meridian’s roadways, the road construction from which we all will benefit has made it difficult for many of our downtown businesses.

In an effort to help these downtown business during this project we have been organizing monthly cash mobs and only have two left! Our next on is on August 29 and we will focus on our furnishings and antiques businesses at the south end - and throw in something tasty as well. These businesses include: St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, Loyal to One Thrift, Vintage Home Décor, the Idaho Youth Ranch and Little Kitchen Pastries. I would encourage everyone to come out this Thursday and show your support for these local businesses!

When construction is over, you will notice a few changes in downtown. Our community development department has been working with downtown businesses to help this important part of our community, currently focused on your dining experience - I am so excited to share their ideas with you. During specific weekends in September, the city is going to transform parking spots into mini patios creating outdoor dining spaces for restaurants. The spaces are officially called parklets and they can be found in major cities across the country, just type parklet into Google and you’ll be amazed by what you see.

We are working with a couple downtown restaurants to test the parklet idea and see how it works in downtown Meridian. The idea is to try this out and get your feedback before permanent change is considered. We hope this new idea will attract visitors to Meridian and will give a refreshing new look to this heart of our community. We are still working to finalize all the details but keep a close eye on our website for upcoming dates and locations. We can’t wait to see these demonstration projects pop up. If you haven’t been downtown for a while, much is changing. I encourage you to come downtown on Thursday, August 29 and show your support to these businesses. If we each support a little it can make a real difference.

Congratulations to the Meridian Police Department!

Earlier last winter during my State of the City Address, I shared that Meridian continues to be one of the safest cities in Idaho. We’ve seen system improvements in almost every aspect of our law enforcement program and police response times have improved in every category. Better staffing coverage and crime tracking certainly contributed, as has the ongoing work of our Impact Team. These efforts have resulted in significant decreases in crimes against society, drug offenses, and crimes of opportunity. In a nutshell, the hard work of our men and women at the Meridian Police Department (MPD) is paying off for each and every one of us in the community.

Recently, the MPD achieved a milestone as they received accreditation from the Idaho Chiefs of Police Association (ICOPA). Meridian Police Chief Jeff Lavey accepted the accreditation plaque during a brief ceremony held during last week’s Meridian City Council meeting. The plaque was presented on behalf of the ICOPA by retired Blackfoot Police Chief David Moore, a long-time accreditation evaluator who called the MPD one of the “best run ships” he’s seen in his many years of law enforcement and serving as an evaluator.

Becoming an accredited police department - long considered an essential component of establishing professional excellence in other professional fields - is a relatively new concept for law enforcement agencies. Set to the same professional tone as accreditation programs required for universities and hospitals, the law enforcement accreditation program through ICOPA is recognized as a means of maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.

Attaining accredited status demonstrates to the community that the MPD is fully committed to maintaining the highest standards of professional law enforcement service. This has been an intensive three-year process during which the policies, procedures, practices, and facilities of the MPD were carefully scrutinized, measured, and evaluated by experts in the field. Areas evaluated included administration, internal affairs, operations, training, investigations, patrol, personnel, traffic, use of force, and other areas of policing.

Congratulations to all the men and women of the MPD on this accomplishment, but a special credit to Chief Lavey whose leadership and professionalism sets the expectations of our entire department. Join me in thanking them for their service and celebrating this accomplishment.

Soak up the Last Days of Summer

As summer gradually begins to wind down and students begin to contemplate their return to the classroom, there are still plenty of ways families can enjoy the final weeks of summer and sunshine in Meridian.

If you haven’t already, come join us for CableONE Movie Night. Every Friday night through the end of August, free outdoor movies will be shown at dusk at Settlers Park. Grab the entire family, some blankets, food and come out and enjoy this great Meridian tradition on our 30-foot inflatable screen.

While you and your family still have a few days off together, go out and spend some time exploring Meridian’s parks. You could play tennis, soccer, horseshoes or bocce ball or maybe you’d rather cool off at our splash pad or try your hand at fishing in one or our ponds. With 20 unique parks in our community there is a nearly endless combination of amenities, activities and unique atmospheres for everyone to enjoy.

In addition to CableOne Movie Night and enjoying our tremendous parks, I invite you to join us on August 2nd at the Speedway Dairy Barn for the 34th Annual Meridian Firefighter’s Association Salmon BBQ. This is truly one of my favorite events of the year as our firefighters serve up some delicious salmon! All proceeds go to the Meridian Firefighters Association and the Meridian Burn Out Fund, which provides emergency assistance to families and individuals who are impacted by fire and other disasters. This is certainly a cause worth our time and support.

These are just some of the great things taking place in our community as we close out the summer and head into fall. To learn more about the events taking place in our community, be sure to check out our This Week in Meridian videos or the community calendar on our website at www.meridiancity.org. Liking us on Facebook is also an excellent way to stay in touch and see all of the fun things to do in our community this fall.