City forms plan for high five grant

BONNERS FERRY — The City of Bonners Ferry is currently looking at how to best utilize the $250,000 High 5 Community Transformation Grant that was awarded in October of last year. The source of this grant money is the Blue Cross Foundation of Idaho, which works with communities around the state in order to combat childhood obesity.

Kendra Witt-Doyle, who serves as Health Executive Director for the foundation, says, “We are excited to have the opportunity to work so closely with the communities on such an important endeavor. Idaho cities play a lead role in creating healthier environments for our youth. Each awardee has a strong desire to create environments for healthier lifestyles and we are honored to help guide the transformation.”

Mayor David Sims and City Planner Lisa Ailport share in that excitement, and they are both looking forward to implementing inventive new ways to promote healthier lifestyles for the youth of Boundary County.

According to Ailport, the first step in deciding how to use the $250,000, which will be administered over a three year period ending in 2019, is for the city to create a framework for how and where the money is distributed throughout the community.

Ailport says the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation “will be helping us through the technical assistance program in order to help get us a plan in place. Right now we’re in the process of determining what that structure will look like from our community side.”

Sims’ and Ailport’s vision for this structure includes a steering committee made up of five to seven members who will work together make decisions, as well as a community advisory committee that will help guide this steering committee.

Referring to this advisory committee, Ailport says, “It will be made up of several different interest groups...you might have representation from parks and recreation, you might have someone representing local foods, you might have somebody from the school district...and they will all bring forward to the community advisory committee ideas or suggestions that need to be brought forward into the plan, and then, ultimately, the steering committee will help make decisions on that.”

Once this structure is in place and the steering committee starts to make decisions, Ailport explains, the projects they decide upon will be prioritized and the city can spend the remainder of the next three years implementing them.

“One of our goals is to use that money and leverage it for additional funding from other sources,” Mayor Sims adds. “Oftentimes if a granting agency sees that Blue Cross Foundation has already committing funds to a project, they’ll say, ‘Okay, we’ll commit some additional funds.’”

All of these projects would be aimed at curbing childhood obesity within the community, and Sims says this can be achieved primarily through two avenues: “One is improved nutrition and access to healthy foods, and the other one is increased physical activity.”

When asked about what these projects might look like, Ailport says, “We don’t have any preconceived notions. We really want the community to tell us, and I think that’s the exciting part.”

Ailsworth and Sims are optimistic about what this grant can bring to the community. Ailsworth says that she spoke with the city clerk of Lapwai, a town in Nez Perce County that received a High 5 Grant a few years back, and that the clerk told her “it was truly transformational for them.”

“The transformational part of this”, Ailport explains, “is the growth that will come not within the grant term, but beyond.”

Those who would like to be involved in this process by volunteering to serve on the community advisory committee can get in touch with Lisa Ailport by emailing lailport@bonnersferry.id.gov or calling (208) 267-3105.