Rathdrum's growth is good for gasps State of Community pinpoints area's popularity

RATHDRUM — Growth will continue to come to Rathdrum from all angles.

Speakers from the city, school district and BNSF Railway addressed growth challenges during the Rathdrum Area Chamber of Commerce's State of the Community Luncheon attended by 125 people at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church on Thursday.

"We're seeing a rural migration of people wanting to get out of the urban areas," Rathdrum City Planner Cary Siess said, referring to what's spurring the growth.

"Those 55 and older are leaving metro areas because of the economics or political views. The millennials are now having kids and wanting a safe place to raise them in a rural environment."

Rathdrum's population has topped 9,000. City Administrator Leon Duce said that in 20 years it’s expected to reach 20,000 — which drew some gasps from attendees.

"With the current growth rate of more than 5 percent, it could even be higher," Duce said, adding that the prediction is based on an average annual growth rate of 3 percent.

A public hearing on Rathdrum's largest annexation request in recent memory — 525 acres on the west side of Greensferry Road on both sides of Wyoming Avenue — will be held on Feb. 28 at 6 p.m.

The site is currently farmland, with the city owning 320 of the acres between Hayden Avenue and Wyoming, and Beyond Green Inc. and developer Philip Wirth the remaining 205 to the north.

Duce said the city plans to sell its portion after the annexation process to pay for its future city campus that's planned along Lancaster Road.

Duce said city officials believe it's important to secure the 320 acres as a tax base for the city of Rathdrum.

Siess said many people don't want Rathdrum to lose its small-town feel, but there's no stopping growth.

"Growth is coming whether we want it to or not, so we have to plan for how that growth comes along," she said.

Construction on Bluegrass Development's 461-lot Brookshire subdivision at the southeast corner of Meyer and Lancaster is expected to start this spring. The property will include a 10-acre school site.

Last year Rathdrum annexed 300 total acres, which was essentially split evenly between commercial and residential. The city issued a record 184 building permits last year.

BNSF spokeswoman Courtney Wallace said the growth of North Idaho and the rest of the region means the railroad is also feeling the effects in terms of transporting goods.

She said the company is planning for growth by seeking a second bridge across Lake Pend Oreille near Sandpoint.

"We would be able to move trains more efficiently in this area," she said, adding that the current set of single tracks across the lake means that many trains have to stop and wait before crossing.

More efficient movement of train traffic would translate into shorter waiting times for motorists at crossings, Wallace said. She said train transport efficiencies can also reduce the number of trucks on highways that can damage publicly funded infrastructure.

Wallace said BNSF plans to spend $55 million on its system in Idaho this year, a similar amount to recent years.

"As growth continues to happen, we're going to continue to make investments," she said.

Lakeland Joint School District Superintendent Becky Meyer said the school district formed a long-range facility planning committee with community members and staff that’s expected to make recommendations to the school board starting in September. The goal is to address growth in the coming years and maintain coveted "neighborhood schools."

"We are the only state in which districts don't get state funding to build schools," Meyer said, adding that a supermajority vote makes it even more difficult to pass facility bond measures.

She also spoke about the two-year supplemental levy of $8.99 million per year that district voters will consider on March 12.

If approved, the measure would replace a levy of the same amount that voters approved in 2017. The proposed levy amount would represent 27 percent of the district's general fund.

There will be town hall meetings on the proposal next Wednesday at Lakeland High and Thursday at Timberlake Junior High. Both are at 6 p.m.

The estimated cost for the levy for the owner of a $200,000 home is $542.62 per year if it passes. That would be a decrease of $27.13 per year from the current amount of school taxes owed because the total assessed value of the district is expected to increase about 5 percent each year.

The levy would help pay for several maintenance and operations expenses, including all-day kindergarten, technology, all academic and athletic extracurricular activities, classroom materials, safety improvements, Advanced Learning Program opportunities and expansion of the vocational program.

Full-day kindergarten went into effect at Lakeland last year as a result of the district's last levy passing.

Meyer said the district will compile accountability reports showing how the money from the levy is spent.