When board members of the Greater Boise Auditorium District convene their monthly meeting on Thursday, May 24, they will take up a presentation by Mike Ezell of planning and architecture firm tvsdesign about the future of Boise's convention space.

Presenting an update on a site and program study commissioned by GBAD, Ezell will provide more information as the board explores additional convention space in Boise.

The board is considering how best to utilize a parcel of land bordered by 11th, 13th, Front and Myrtle streets for the construction of a new convention center. Currently, the 50,000-square-foot Boise Centre attracts only 25 to 30 conventions per year and GBAD hopes additional convention center space will lure a larger number of conventions.

Board members Judy Peavey-Derr and Hy Kloc both scored primary wins on Tuesday, May 15. Kloc won the Democratic nomination for Idaho House Seat B in District 16, while Peavey-Derr picked up the GOP State Senate nod in District 17.

The paved Greenbelt section running along the Boise River in the 153-acre Ann Morrison Park is undergoing a facelift.

About a mile of existing asphalt will be removed by Guho Corp., replaced by a 12-foot concrete pathway running from Ninth Street to Americana Boulevard.

Serving as bike and foot transportation along the Boise River Greenbelt system, the $247,500 project will provide more space for parks users.

City of Boise Parks and Recreation said the project will be completed before the end of June, in time for the busy river floating season. Pedestrian detours are posted near the construction site.

• City of Boise
• The Ann Morrison Park Greenbelt is marked with a detour during construction.

For their efforts to better protect the public, six private and public businesses have been recognized for increasing their building safety and accessibility. This morning, the City of Boise unveiled its choices for the 2012 Building Excellence Awards. The awards will be presented at WEdnesday's Building Owners and Managers Association luncheon.

-Cole Community Church and School were honored for increasing building safety through wall and ceiling upgrades, a new fire alarm system and better emergency exits.
-Concordia Law School was honored for its new three-story law school, on track to receive LEED Silver certification.
-Lancaster Terrace Apartments were honored for repairing floor systems, exterior stairs, guardrails and handrails and the installation of new smoke alarms.
-The Robert Jardine Residence was honored for its green construction features and use of recycled glass.
-Roosevelt Elementary School was honored for is renovations to its century-old building, including the introduction of fire sprinklers, exterior ramps and an a new elevator for greater accessibility.
-Terry Reilly Health Services Outpatient Clinic was recognized for building new ramps and an elevator for its disabled clients.

"These folks are the unseen heroes of building safety," said Jenifer Gilliland, the City of Boise's building division manager. "[They're} investing thousands of dollars on projects that no one sees, but which make all of us safer and improve the quality of our lives."

• Andrew Crisp
• Crews begin prepping the Eighth and Main construction site on Monday by removing the mural wall and putting up a chain-link fence.

When Boise city officials postponed an official ground-breaking for the Eighth and Main project on March 19, they promised to reschedule (but have yet to announce when). But construction crews apparently aren't waiting for anything official.

The Board of Commissioners of the Capital City Development Corporation was briefed on the project this afternoon, including word that demolition and site cleanup was slated to begin today, with full-scale construction beginning Friday, June 1. Crews began removing huge signs trumpeting the project, and quickly installed a chain-link fence around the site's perimeter. According to a CCDC memo, "on-street parking will be eliminated for the duration of construction, but a comprehensive parking promotional effort will be undertaken to remind customers that 800-plus parking spaces are available in the two garages with a half-block of Eighth Street."

The fire marshal will allow the Saturday Market, expected to begin its season on April 21, to set up canopies along the fence.

The Eight and Main Tower will climb to 16 stories and include 268,000 square feet. Tenants will include Zions Bank, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Holland and Hart law offices, the Idaho Technology Council, First American Title and CTA Architects.

• Andrew Crisp

Boise's Planning and Zoning Commission convenes Monday to consider several high-profile construction projects. Among them, Boise State wants to build a new intramural sports field on nearly three acres bordered by Belmont Street and Oakland and Lincoln avenues. The field would be constructed of green synthetic turf and would be marked for men's and women's soccer, flag football and lacrosse, as well as rugby. The project would also include four 70-foot light towers.

Planning and Zoning will also consider Western Recycling's proposal to move its facility to 13 acres off of Victory Road. Its current recycling and record-destruction operation is situated across from Costco on South Cole Road.

Boise's Park and Recreation Department also wants permission to locate a paved pathway adjacent to the Boise River as part of the planned Marianne Williams Park in Barber Valley. The path would connect to the planned Dallas Harris River Walk in Harris Ranch.

When Boise's Historic Preservation Commission convenes on Monday, it will consider a unique project designed to enhance the historic Pioneer Cemetery, in preparation for next year's Boise sesquicentennial.

The Boise Arts and History Department has commissioned a memorial to be built at the Warm Springs Avenue landmark to commemorate Jesus Urquides. Urquides was a Mexican-American pioneer citizen of Boise. His so-called "Urquides Village" was comprised of worker cabins, a supply packer's corral, several outbuildings and the residence of the Urquides family for 87 years. Urquides is buried in Pioneer Cemetery.

The new project would construct a Urquides Plaza and a new stone gateway to Pioneer Cemetery, to be known as the Gate of Names. The plaza will include sandstone benches, mosaics, illuminated image viewers, inlaid maps and enhanced landscaping. The project, if approved, would be completed by the end of 2012.

When construction gets under way this spring for the Eighth and Main project (the site that most Boiseans know as " the hole in the ground"), not only will a new Idaho headquarters for Zions Bank be included in the 16-floor tower, but a new steakhouse, law firm, title company and the Idaho Technology Council will be included in the plans.

Zions Bank, the anchor tenant, announced Tuesday that leases have been secured for Ruth's Chris Steak House, the law firm of Holland and Hart (which will occupy all or part of three floors), First American Title, CTA Architects Engineers (the building's designers), and the ITC.

A ground-breaking was originally slated for Monday, March 19, but has been postponed because of scheduling conflicts. Construction is expected to be completed in 2014.

When the Greater Boise Auditorium District convenes its monthly meeting Monday, March 19, board member Mike Fitzgerald won't be there. According to the Idaho Business Review, Fitzgerald is resigning from GBAD. But he hasn't attended most meetings since last summer when Citydesk first reported that he had taken a job in Idaho Falls, managing a Johnny Carino's restaurant.

"It's plain and simple; we're still residents of the district," Fitzgerald told Citydesk, confirming that he and his wife had moved to Idaho Falls. "But we go back and forth to Boise."

Ever since, Fitzgerald had "attended" GBAD meetings via phone and even told board member Judy Peavey-Derr in December that he was planning to attend "most of the meetings in 2012 in person."

But that's not true.

"I tried to be able to get to most of the meetings, but that's just not possible," Fitzgerald told IBR.

The GBAD board is expected to nominate a replacement for Fitzgerald, whose term runs through mid-2013.

• Courtesy Boise Police Department

• Courtesy Boise Police Department

Boise Police are investigating a bad two-car wreck that occurred Tuesday afternoon, resulting in one of the vehicles crashing into the Key Bank building on the northwest corner of Capitol Boulevard and Idaho Street.

BPD said they received reports of a Honda running through several red lights in Downtown Boise before driving through a red light heading westbound on Idaho Street. The Honda collided with another vehicle, before careening toward the building. Two elderly people were hospitalized. No one inside the bank was injured.

Members of Boise Co-op received an email this morning in the wake of a story in today's edition of BW.

As reported by BW's Tara Morgan, the co-op has opted to move from a practice that gave more than $200,000 to local charities in 2011 to one that will cap donations at $3,000 a month for 2012.

"Instead of the scattershot of saying 'yes' to everybody, we're hoping to foster really long-term and deeper relationships with people that will support us in return," said co-op Marketing Manager Lee Clinton.

In today's e-mail, the co-op insisted that it did "not have a new donation policy." Rather, the statement said, "Boise Co-op is currently refining its numerous giving programs with a renewed commitment to work within these guidelines."

In addition to hearing from Clinton, today's BW report includes reaction from the i48 Film Festival, one of the 36 local organizations that benefited from the co-op in 2011, which will be affected by the recent changes.

"It's too bad," said Josie Psul, i48 director. "We've been working with [the co-op] since back in the days of True West. ... They've been a great partner with us and we're sad to not have them, but you know, we understand."