REACH FOR THE SKY By Barney Ballard

Creative, employment-ready educational opportunities for students in our remote area are a must, and it truly takes a village to get these opportunities off the ground.  In the fall of 2013, twelve students from the Forrest Bird Charter School and Sandpoint High School have been working together in the inaugural year of the High School Aerospace Program.  The main goal of this unique program is to provide a well-structured, comprehensive and cost-effective course of study for local area high school students to investigate and experience potential careers in the aerospace industry, interfacing with regional colleges and aerospace businesses.

The program’s fall 2013 course, Survey of Aerospace Careers, was led by local aviators and aerospace professionals Ken Larson, Randy McLain, Hunter Horvath, and Andy Berrey.  The current trimester at FBCS offers an introduction to aircraft maintenance under the guidance of Jason Hauck, a certified A&P mechanic. For the fall 2014 trimester, Tamarack Air engineer Steve Babin has offered to teach an introduction to aerospace engineering.  To facilitate those students wishing to attain a Sport Pilot license, Granite Aviation has provided a model aircraft, the Tecnam P92 Eaglet, for flight lessons. The membership of the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1441 has also given generously of their time and money to support the efforts of this program.

Joining in on our exciting education-in-aerospace efforts, North Idaho College has initiated a composite program at the CDA airport with forty students enrolled in the first year of this industry specific college level certification process.  Boeing has stamped its seal of approval on this NIC course, certifying that students who complete this program have achieved an initial level of competence for job opportunities.

Bonner, Boundary and Kootenai counties are the hotbed of aviation activity in Idaho, and there is no better time than now to offer our local students an outstanding opportunity to get a leg-up on a growing industry – right in their own hometowns.

Next month: The impact of P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) for the students of North Idaho.

Spring has sprung - March Bonner Biz

 We have officially made it through another North Idaho winter and, according to the calendar at least, spring is once again upon us.  In Sandpoint’s Business Improvement District (BID), that means it is spring cleaning time! 

Sandpoint’s BID is gearing up for the annual ‘Shake the Sand Out’ downtown clean up event.  Teams of business owners and community volunteers join forces for a few hours on a spring morning and put the sparkle back into our downtown core (and Sand Creek).  This year’s event will take place on Saturday, April 26^th.  Volunteers will gather at 8:30am in Jeff Jones Square to receive sector assignments, gloves and garbage bags, as well as coffee and pastries to get them started.  Volunteers will reconvene at the Square for lunch, also provided by the BID. 

This project usually takes just a few hours, and is a great way for individuals and service groups to jump in and help provide much-appreciated sprucing up of our downtown – as we know our spring and summer guests are soon to visit, and we want to look our very best!  If you are interested in volunteering, either as an individual or a team, please contact me to sign up by phone at (208) 263-2161, or by email at kim@sandpointchamber.com.

The Sandpoint Shopping District’s retailers and restaurants will also be holding their much-anticipated annual ‘Get Your Spring On’ event that same day – Saturday, April 26^th.   Many of our unique downtown shops will be offering discounts on winter merchandise and showcasing their new seasonal products and services, as well as hosting fun mini-events for you and yours to take part in. Several restaurants will also have specials available, paired with the excellent fair and friendly service they have come to be known for.  There will even be a $500 Shopping Spree available, as the Grand Prize in the ‘Enter-to-Win’ contest that day - sign me up, please!

Keep an eye out for ‘Get Your Spring On’ posters and advertisements soon, where you will find a detailed list of the events and the businesses involved. Opportunities for business owners to join in on this one-day event are still possible, which offer co-marketing and advertisement (cost sharing) within and outside the area. If you are a business located within the downtown core and interested in taking part in this event, please contact Ranel Hanson at (208) 946-7703, or at zanyzebrastore@gmail.com.  Deadline for inclusion is coming quickly, so please act fast!

Volunteers needed for Annual ‘Shake the Sand Out’ downtown clean-up event

The Sandpoint Business Improvement District (BID) is seeking volunteers, individuals and groups, to help clean up area streets and public spaces on April 26.

The ‘Shake the Sand Out’ clean-up event will bring local businesses, community organizations and area residents together to remove litter from streets in downtown Sandpoint, as well as Sand Creek, prior to the start of the busy summer season.

The event will take place on Saturday, April 26, when volunteers will meet at 8:30am in Jeff Jones Square.   There, they will register and enjoy a light breakfast, courtesy of the BID membership.  Participants will be assigned an area in downtown Sandpoint, then fan out in teams to pick up litter, pull weeds and tidy up business corridors, public spaces and Sand Creek. 

Disposable gloves and bags will be provided.  Volunteers are encouraged to dress for the weather by wearing comfortable clothing and appropriate footwear, as well as to bring gardening gloves or any additional clean-up tools they are comfortable using.   The event will wrap up at 11:30am back at the Square, where volunteers will be treated to lunch.

For information or to preregister, please contact Kim Queen at 263-2161, or by email at kim@sandpointhchamber.com.

Chamber Brings on Kim Queen to Lead Sandpoint B.I.D.

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed Kim Queen who joined the Chamber as the new Business Improvement District (B.I.D.) Manager. Kim started in the position on October 16^th after leaving Sandpoint’s oldest non-profit, the Pend Oreille Arts Council (POAC), as their Executive Director of seven years. Her non-profit expertise more than fifteen years deep and brings extensive management experience, as well as an insider’s look, to the B.I.D. Manager position.

“As a B.I.D. member with POAC, paying the assessment tax, I was never sure what the benefit was,” explained Kim. “Granted, I didn’t educate myself or take an active role in the process. I simply paid the bill and went on with business.”

Kim was born in Portland, OR and attended high school and college in Vancouver, WA. After college and before she moved to our community, she held the position of Fund Development Manager at the First Place School in Seattle for six and half years and worked at the Northwest AIDS Foundation for one and half years. She relocated to our area to become the Executive Director of POAC and has since fallen in love and made this her home.

“I want to work with B.I.D. folks and figure out what improvements can be made and how the new Sandpoint B.I.D. organization can benefit you and the community. It is my goal to get to know the concerns of all our B.I.D. members and I will have an open door policy.”

Since taking the B.I.D. Manager position, Kim and the Chamber Staff undertook a strategic planning process to help guide the newly formed Sandpoint B.I.D. organization under the Chamber’s umbrella. The first weeks on the job have included meetings with various groups including the City of Sandpoint, Tourism Sandpoint, SURA and Sandpoint Shopping District, as well as planning the Holiday’s celebration themed this year Home for the Holidays.

“If you see me out and about, please introduce yourself and I look forward to meeting you!”

For more information about the Sandpoint B.I.D., call 208-263-2161 or email Kim Queen at kim@sandpointchamber.com. 

Sandpoint BID’s new era begins

By CAMERON RASMUSSON, Staff writer

Article taken from the Bonner County Daily Bee (See article here)

SANDPOINT — This week marked a new era for the Sandpoint Business Improvement District.

With a BID manager selected in Kim Queen and an administrative council established to guide the fund forward, city and Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce officials hope to bring a new level of transparency and representation to the public funds.

“We’re going to make something brilliant happen, as well as continue the brilliant things that are already happening,” McAlister said.

Established with the dissolving of the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association into a council under the chamber’s wing, the newly-appointed members of the BID Council met for the first time Tuesday to go over their goals and ideas for future uses of the BID fund.

A monthly assessment paid by business owners within the district, the BID fund is used to promote mutually-beneficial events and marketing opportunities for the downtown core.

However, some downtown business owners have been perturbed at being asked to pay an assessment they felt didn’t benefit them, according to chamber president Kate McAlister. That’s why city and chamber authorities decided to restructure BID management under the chamber’s wing. The BID fund is managed separately from the chamber budget, with McAlister and other chamber staff providing office space, supplies and supervision for the council and BID manager.

One of the primary goals is to make all downtown business owners feel they get something out of the BID. That’s why the council is made up of representatives from several different downtown industries. Katie Stang of The Readery represents restaurants, Mark Browning of North Idaho College represents education, Ross Schoenig of Alliance Title represents real estate, Michelle Polhemus of Horizon Credit Union represents professional services, Kathy Hubbard of Bonner General Hospital represents health care, Kathy Friedman of Zero Point represents retail, Dyno Wahl of the Festival at Sandpoint represents arts and entertainment, Sheldon Packwood of the K2 Inn represents lodging and community volunteer Barney Ballard is the council member at large.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Grimm of the city of Sandpoint, Karl Dye of the Bonner County Economic Development Corporation, Eric Paull of the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency and Kim Diercks of Panhandle State Bank serve in an advisory, non-voting capacity.

“We want to bring people in to the idea that a vital downtown benefits everyone,” Wahl said. “I really believe that a rising tide floats all.”

Meanwhile, the chamber has hired Queen to serve as BID manager. Her role is to enact the decisions of the council through event planning and interfacing with downtown businesses.

An experienced nonprofit worker who has worked with the Pend Oreille Arts Council and more, Queen is eager to use her skills in a new responsibility.

“What were going to do (in the coming days) is break down what exactly the BID does and doesn’t do for you,” she said.