I recently heard a presentation on the upcoming commissioning of the newest nuclear submarine in the US Navy, the USS Idaho. As the Commissioning Committee's website says:
The future USS IDAHO SSN 799 is a leading-edge Virginia Class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine being built by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Connecticut. She was christened in March 2024, and is likely to be commissioned into the Navy fleet during the spring of 2026.
It was fascinating to hear about all of the attention to detail that goes into making this sub truly representative of our great state.
The Committee is accepting artistic, original, iconic Idaho works to be included in the interior of the sub, such as photographs and paintings. If you or someone you know would like to have work considered, please go to their website for more information. It would be quite an honor to have your work accepted.
The expected life of the sub is 35 years.
Sugar Days 2025
Thanks for another great Sugar Days!
And thanks to our great sponsors: Stones Toyota for the community breakfast; Rocky Mountain Power, Idaho Central Credit Union for the toy raffle, and Sugar Family Dental.
Mayor Adams presented Citizen of the Year and Public Servant of the Year awards to Kevin Miyasaki and Lynsey Bean. They both have been and are wonderful contributors to our community. Congratulations to them both!
We appreciate all the city staff who helped with the event. And we loved to see the vendors and other organizations with their booths.As always, the kids enjoyed the toy raffles, with lots of surprised winners!
City Budget 2025-26
The city is currently working on the budget for this next budget cycle. We had a work meeting last week to begin the process, and we have to approve the budget in August.
The city is in good financial shape. We never have as much money as we could use (which is probably a good thing), but the mayor, the city employees and staff, and the city council all do their best to make sure all the essential needs of the city are planned and provided for.
If you'd like to see a draft of the proposed budget, please drop in city hall for a copy.
I've been saying for a few years now, that we do have some major expenses upcoming as far as sewer line replacement and maintenance goes. The new line from Moody to the treatment plant in Rexburg is being worked on this year. Sugar City's share of the cost isn't set yet.
The estimate is somewhere in the range of $1.6 to 2 million. We have been frugal and have saved up a lot of the money necessary, but we have yet to decide on the various options available to us to pay for the project. Once we get closer to having to "write the check," I'll post an update and discuss this project in more detail.
Population Change in Idaho
If you're curious about the change in population in Idaho up through 2024, I recommend you check out "Idaho at a Glance: Population Change in Idaho," a brochure published by the University of Idaho's McClure Center for Public Policy Research.
It's clear to all of us, I assume, that Idaho has been and is growing. This brochure gives some interesting insights into how much and what kind of growth we've been experiencing. It has data on everything from county population growth rates to birth and death rates to migration patterns.
It's slowed a bit in Sugar, but we're still certainly seeing a lot of growth in our county and city.
Happy Independence Day!
Is there a better national holiday than Independence Day?
I love the holidays that celebrate and memorialize the wonderful people who have sacrificed and contributed to make this country great, such as Memorial Day and Veteran's Day.
My favorite such holiday is Independence Day. I hope everyone enjoyed the celebrations. I hope we all can remember our great heritage and strive to contribute in our community.
It takes great citizens to preserve this wonderful country. And we have great citizens in Sugar City, for sure!
