KUNA, Idaho — While residents are happy to welcome a new Boys & Girls Club to the Kuna community, there are concerns about the roadway access point that will welcome the public to drive in or walk in.
- Mendi Pl is set to be the public road access point.
- The roadway extended over an irrigation canal is set to be finished before the water is turned on in April.
- The club construction, roads, and parking lot are set to be finished mid-summer.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
A much-anticipated update for the public road access point for the Boys & Girls Club of Kuna.
“There’s no delay anymore, a couple of weeks ago it was just getting plans approved from ACHD,” said John Thorpe, Project Manager at Creighton Contracting.
Construction for the new Kuna Club began last June, with all of the construction vehicles and supplies brought in through the north side of the club, frustrating residents near that street.
“There are loads of kids in this neighborhood and they're all at the age where they ride their bicycles around just doing fun kid stuff, and they have made it to where it’s not a safe environment anymore for us to have our children in the streets,” said Kylee Ryckman back in February.
Now the public road access point south of the club is well on its way to being paved, answering neighbors' concerns.
“If the water gets turned back on that’s going to set [construction of the new road] back off another year, till the water gets turned back off [again]” said Ryckman.
Project Manager John Thorpe showed me around the construction site for the road that extends from Mendi Pl, past Butler Park, and over an irrigation canal that could have caused delays.
He told me that there were design delays a few weeks ago with ACHD, but the City of Kuna confirms their plans are on track.
“I also know that as a part of that, they will be putting in sidewalks on the north and south sides of Mendi Pl where it doesn’t currently exist from Butler Park," said Doug Hanson, the director of Kuna Planning and Zoning.
Project Manager Thorpe confirmed those soon-to-be public walkways, “Now there will be a sidewalk going north, along the west side of the perimeter, so they’ll be able to access directly to the park.”
The Mendi Pl road extension will lead into the parking lot south of the club, with two entryways for cars to come and go.
“Access here, access to the east, with an island in between, landscape island,” said Thorpe.
As for the current access point on Hyssop, that will be closed to the public with metal pillars and will be an emergency service vehicle-only access point.
“That access through there is temporary, it’s been only during construction activity while we get this one built and established," said Thorpe.
Timeline-wise, the Mendi Pl extension is set to be finished before irrigation water flows in April and before the opening of the club mid-summer.
“The main thing is to be out of the ditch as much as possible by March 15th," said Thorpe.
Once the extension is complete, the construction team plans for that to be their main access as well.
“The reason for the Boys & Girls Club being at this particular location is this was donated ground by a generous gentleman who decided that's what he'd like to have done with this ground is give something back to the city and the community. So that's why this is here, which is pretty rare," said Thorpe.
Questions? Contact Jodi Gempler at Jodi@adaclubs.org or 208-639-3162
Or reach out to the City of Kuna at PZapplications@kunaid.gov (208) 922-5546
