Eagle Island Expansion Project Stalled

Welcome to my Idaho adventure blog!

Hi, my name is Chelle. I am a recent B.S.U. graduate and a lifelong Idaho resident. I have three loves in my life - my family, my writing, and my Idaho. The purpose of this blog is to share my extensive and intimate knowledge of Idaho with you, through my writing. As a woman with a family and a tight budget, I am often forced to make memories for pennies, and I want to take you along for the ride. The adventures I post will, almost always, focus on places or activities that are inexpensive and appropriate for children, without being a snore for adults. Some of the activities I write about are camping, fishing, rock hunting, history, environmental news, hot springs, hunting...Basically, anything Idaho.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Eagle Island Expansion Project Stalled

Eagle Island State Park established in 1983, and located eight miles northwest of Boise off of State Street, has temporarily suspended its expansion plans. Approved in 2006, by Governor Dirk Kempthorne and Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, the Eagle Island Master Plan called for an additional 130 acres of lakes and ponds, a campground, and an education center. The plan was to be implemented in four stages, beginning with the revenue generated by the millions of tons of gravel that must be excavated for the new ponds and waterways. According to Dave Ricks, Deputy Director of Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, bidding closed last week on the gravel, and unofficially they all fell short of the mark. Rick said of the bids, “They are not real promising... It’s a poor market.” Without the funds generated by the sale of the gravel the expansion plan has been temporarily stalled in Phase One.