• By now, most of you have probably heard that the Bannock Street Reconstruction Project will not take place this year. Because the federal funds were late getting to the state, it made it too late to bid this spring. Instead, the project will go out to bid this fall with work starting next spring.

• The city still has a lot of projects to work on this year without the Bannock Street project. We feel that we can start moving forward again with the federally funded Forest Service project. This will provide a sprinkling system, additional walking paths, and additional trees around the Greenbelt and in the field north of the Greenbelt where the new stormwater drain will be located. The new Stormwater drain will be funded by a federal FEMA grant. Eventually, the Stormwater drainage area and the north half of the Walking Path area will be soccer fields for the city’s soccer program.

• The rest of the streetlights for Main Street have been received. They will be placed soon. 

• The council approved school crossing lights for the new elementary school and for South Main for the high school and middle school. Those lights were just received by the Public Works Department. They will provide a blinking warning for school crossings, and the crossings will be marked on the streets.

• A chipseal project will take place this summer for Bannock Street and South Main from Four Points. 

• At the cemetery, workers are still trying to fix older graves that have sunken. It is a time intensive project that was started last year and will continue this year. The Environmental Department at Nucor Steel has advised the mayor that Malad City has been chosen to receive new trees under their Community Outreach Program. Because there are some trees that need to be removed from the City Cemetery, the mayor has designated that area for the new trees. They will come to Malad in September or October to plant.

• The Southeast Idaho Council of Governments (SICOG) is completing a survey of residents in Malad. They started with a mailing campaign. Those that were missed by mail will now receive a personal visit from someone from the city or SICOG. The purpose of the survey is to help qualify Malad City to continue to receive grants through the Idaho Department of Commerce. Among other things, the city would like to pursue a grant for new playground equipment at Malad City Park.

• The mayor has made the decision to not plant the Community Gardens this year. In past years, the produce has not been used and has gone to waste.