Staff writer
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| RICK THOMAS/Press file Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, left, joined Garfield, Odie and Silverwood owner Gary Norton for the ribbon cutting of the new addition to the Boulder Beach water park in June. |
Silverwood theme park doubles its size
Bigger and better was the theme of Kootenai County business in 2007 -- at least in most cases.
Big fun, big plans, big noise, big dreams fulfilled, and now and then, a big battle of personalities.
Surf's up in North Idaho
In its 20th year of operation, Silverwood Theme Park grew to twice its size with a major addition that opened just in time for summer.
A second wave pool matching the size of the present pool, Toddler Springs, a new kids play area, Avalanche Mountain family raft ride and Cabana Island, a VIP area, are all up and running just in time for summer fun.
"It gets wilder the more people you put in it," park owner Gary Norton said, discussing the raft ride that descends 70 feet into a canyon.
It was a rush to the finish, he said, but they got it done on schedule, in time for a ribbon cutting by Gov. Butch Otter in June.
"This is the biggest thing in theme parks there is," Otter said, commending Norton for helping turn tourism into the state's third-largest industry.
The park is now nearly a mile from end to end, Norton said.
Norton, the successful electronics entrepreneur and classic aircraft aficionado who bought the Henley Aerodrome, a small airport in 1981, spent $5 million for the additions plus another $1 million for a private sewer system to replace septic tanks and allow future expansion.
Growing, growing, grown
Sportsmen were in the sights of a pair of major national retailers in 2007, who were blazing a trail for smaller businesses to follow.
In May, Sportsman's Warehouse opened in the Sportsman's Plaza in front of Costco. The 61,000-square-foot two-level block building is about 2,650 feet larger than the Spokane Valley store, said company owner Stu Utgaard. About 80 employees were hired from more than 550 applicants.
The plaza became home for a variety of other shops. After two years of looking for just the right spot, Judy Giordanetto found it in the Sportsman's Plaza, and after several months of delays opened The High Nooner sandwich shop in March.
Others followed, including Odyssey Tek, a Macintosh computer store, along with a pizza shop, a hair salon, a window blind shop and others followed.
Nearby, another slow-filling strip mall found tenants as shops filled the Neider Retail Center across the street. Joining Ala Carte Floral, Some Like It Hot tanning salon and H&R Block tax service were Kootenai Lawn and Garden, Cena Coeur d'Alene and a Sprint store.
The Coeur d'Alene Tribe got help from a $1.6 million U.S. Department of Education grant to begin training programs to fill 250 jobs at Berg Integrated Systems, in which the tribe holds a majority interest. Under the grant, North Idaho College will provide customized training for employees of HearthBread BakeHouse, also owned by the Tribe.
Berg will make collapsible fuel bladders that can be transported around the world and can hold up to 210,000 gallons of diesel or aircraft fuel. The Tribe projects its first-year revenue from the five-year deal to be more than $40 million.
Post Falls was a significant part of the county's economic development in 2007.
In June, work began on the world's largest allergen raw production facility in Riverbend Commerce Park. The 12.5-acre site will be the future home and main office for Biopol Laboratory, ALK-Abello's largest production site for raw material for its allergy immunotherapy products worldwide.
Earlier in the LCF Amps, which manufactures radio frequency amplifiers began work on a new building nearly three times as large in the Riverbend Commerce Park.
The 35,000-square-foot, $4 million, two-story concrete tip-up being built by Polin & Young Construction of Coeur d'Alene will initially double the employees of the company to about 20, but is designed for up to 105, said Paul Finman, who started the company here in 1999 making devices for the military and other high-tech uses.
Riverstone rocks
RICK THOMAS/Press file
Work began before spring broke on The Village at Riverstone, where retail and residential development will be part of the $475 million Riverstone West project.
The Village at Riverstone got under way in a big way in 2007, with construction starting on a 209,000-square-foot Main Street center featuring full-service restaurants, the 14-screen Regal Cinemas, services and apparel retailers.
In the summer, the public was invited to enjoy the 10-acre public park with its six-acre artificial lake.
Later in the year, plans were announced for a new $10 million health and wellness center overlooking the Riverstone park and pond.
"It will be a brand-new state-of-the-art facility," said Jack Tawney, a partner in the Ironwood Athletic Club, which will operate the new 70,000-square-foot center.
In June the banks of the lake saw the opening of the first commercial project when Bardenay opened. The bar and restaurant has a feature that's unique, with a still on site making vodka.
In August, Azteca Southwest Grill opened near the Regal Cinemas, with 70 employees.
In October, Barnes & Noble Inc. confirmed it will open a new bookstore in The Village in July 2008.
The store will be about 28,000 square feet and will stock close to 200,000 book, music, DVD and magazine titles and include a cafe serving Starbucks coffee.
As the year grew to a close, another addition, valued at more than $10 million, was completed when the 124-room Hampton Inn & Suites opened.
At peak operation, about 30 will be employed in the hotel.
Chamber opens downtown
After years of fundraising, planning and construction, the Coeur d'Alene Area Chamber of Commerce moved into a large new building in downtown Coeur d'Alene, across from Independence Point.
The new building has a sweeping view of Lake Coeur d'Alene from almost every window.
The building is 7,000 square feet on the main floor, with a 1,700-square-foot visitor center and a 4,500-square-foot basement on a 15,000-square-foot lot.
The Lake City Development Corp. and the Downtown Association also have offices in the new building.
A 7-foot bronze sculpture with a heart is a focal point for the new building. The Coeur d'Alene Rotary Club selected the art sculpture "The Coeur" by Seattle artist Gerard Tsutakawa, known for his piece commissioned for the Seattle Mariners, "The Mitt."
Giddy-up go-ahead
Courtesy art
This rendering shows the layout of the Pleasant View Estates Equine Community that will be built in Rathdrum.
The Rathdrum City Council approved a 207-acre equestrian community at the northwest corner of Wyoming Avenue and Greensferry Road. It will include single and multi-family homes, two arenas, a race track, equestrian pool, veterinary facility, stables and other horse-friendly amenities plus commercial ventures including an RV park.
Work on the $50 million Pleasant View Estates Equine Community will begin this fall and be completed in three phases over four to five years. Phase 1, estimated at about $10 million, includes residential and commercial development including an RV park and arena and is expected to be completed in early 2009. Phase 2 will include more of the equestrian center, additional housing and commercial, with completion by fall 2010 and costing $20 million to $25 million. Phase 3 will include multi-family housing and the race track.
The project includes 65 acres for 100 single-family houses and 120 multi-family duplexes and townhouses with up to eight units, and residents will have access to all facilities and a "gallop trail" around the project, developer Ross Yearout said.
When fully operational, up to 200 are expected to be employed there.
Kohl's opens doors
The new 88,000-square-foot Kohl's department store opened in October.
Kohl's brought new brands to Coeur d'Alene, including many signature brands of its own. Apt. 9, a Kohl's exclusive, is trendy, yet mature and a fashion for women. Designer Vera Wang has created "Simply Vera Wang" exclusively for Kohl's.
The junior department, updated and hip to fit in with the innovation store concept, features a lounge area for parents and friends to wait while the shopper is trying on clothes. The dressing rooms throughout the store are large, with comfortable seating.
Young men will find another Kohl's exclusive, the Tony Hawk line, while kitchen and cooking enthusiasts will find lines by the Food Network, also exclusive to Kohl's, and Rachael Ray.
The large shoe department features shoes for kids, women, men and includes Nike, Vera Wang, Tony Hawk and Sonoma. In the shoes and small electronics departments, electronic shelf labels guarantee up-to-the-minute prices.
Accessories, lingerie, luggage, table top goods, linens and outerwear are all available at Kohl's.
Harley roars in
Courtesy art
Miller Stauffer Architects provided this exterior design rendering of Lone Wolf Harley-Davidson.
Big loud fun will be coming to North Idaho in 2008. Greg and Beth Ernst began remodeling the former Adventures in Fun building at 722 W. Appleway into a new Lone Wolf Harley-Davidson dealership, North Idaho's first Harley franchise.
Set well back from Appleway and partly hidden from approaching traffic, the 20,-000-square-foot building with its 26-foot ceiling benefits from good freeway exposure on its south side.
"The tall building will allow us to put in a mezzanine in the future," Greg said.
The all-glass east portion of the building is perfect for a showroom, the couple said, and they will also add to the front, bringing out the west end for an additional 1,200 to 1,400 feet of additional showroom space.
"We'll have a huge motor clothes department," Beth said. "We already bought a gorgeous line of women's leather and cool skull jackets."
The big twins will be maintained by the couple's own twin brothers, Chris, and Bill, who was a technician at Harley's 2007 dealership of the year in St. Louis. In all, 20 to 25 will be employed at the dealership's sales, service and accessories departments.
The target date for opening is March 1.
Every century or so ...
A group of North Idaho investors open the first community bank in Post Falls in more than 100 years in June. Community 1st Bank opened its doors at 707 N. Post St., at the corner of Seltice Way.
The bank was required to raise a minimum of $5.5 million and maximum of $10.5 million to get its charter.
"In two weeks and two days we were overbooked and had to send some money back," said Dave Bobbit, a bank founder. "Prior to this community bank, the maximum that had been raised was $6 million. This was pretty unprecedented."
He said 90 percent of the investors are from Kootenai County and Liberty Lake.
Now you see it ...
Subscribers to Time Warner Cable in North Idaho went without the region's Fox affiliate all year after KAYU in Spokane and Time Warner in Coeur d'Alene failed to come to an agreement for retransmission of its signal.
In mid-December, 2006, the station withdrew its permission for the cable operator to retransmit its programs.
Correen Stauffer, Northwest area general manager for Time Warner, said attorneys for both sides continued to negotiate, but by year's end, in spite of some indication a resolution would be reached, there was no new agreement as the broadcaster held out for more than Time Warner was willing to pay.
Neither KAYU nor Time Warner would say how much money was involved in their discussions.
Jon Rand, general manager of KAYU, said the situation is industry-wide.
Fire when ready
The Hayden Chamber of Commerce -- already in disarray from the financial disaster of the 2004 Thunder Over the Prairie air show -- nearly crashed and burned in a dogfight over leadership that began in late April and continued into May.
Robbie Canfield, president of the chamber, was asked by the rest of the executive board to step down at a special meeting, but refused.
In a contentious meeting a few days later, he and Jeri DeLange, who claimed the top spot on the chamber board in the absence of vice-president Jana Regnere, battled for control of a meeting held to determine Canfield's status.
"You're suspended," Delange shouted at Canfield.
"You're fired," Canfield responded.
When it was over, board member Mark Trail, armed with a panic button, left in the company of bodyguards.
A few days later, Canfield resigned. So did DeLange, Regnere, and treasurer Jim Walsh, leaving only Scott Jamar, past president, on the executive board.
By the end of May, Fred Becker had been named president, with the promise of a more civil leadership.
