Emmett/Gem County Community Review Report Summary

Introduction & Overview
On May 20-21, 2003, Emmett and Gem County hosted 20 community development
professionals as part of the Idaho Community Review. The Visiting Team’s aim was to
listen, observe, and engage in dialogue with a large cross-section of community leaders and
residents about the region, its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and short/long
term visions of the future. Following a tour of the community, surveys of residents, and
planning time to collate the information, the Visiting Team gave a 90-minute report to the
community summarizing many of its findings. This report underscores components of that
de-briefing and provides additional analysis, recommendations, resources, and information
from and about the citizens of Emmett and Gem County.
The Community Review is a partnership project spearheaded by the Association of Idaho
Cities, Idaho Department of Commerce, Idaho Rural Partnership, Idaho Department of
Labor, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, Boise State University,
Mountain States Group, University of Idaho, and Idaho Housing & Finance Association.
To date, Community Reviews have been conducted in the following areas:
• Heyburn – September 2000
• Jerome – March 2001
• Hayden – April 2001
• Kooskia – May 2001
• Priest River – September 2001
• Weiser - March 2002
• Buhl – May 2002
• Emmett – May 2003
The Community Review program’s goals are to provide objective recommendations and
resources which the community can utilize to increase its wealth and vitality, information
about the perceptions of residents within the region of focus, and to supplement local
efforts in developing and implementing healthy community development strategies.
Emmett community leaders demonstrated exceptional courage and willingness to share all
aspects of their community, and continue to remain open to feedback, information and ideas
from the visiting team. We appreciate this openness; it improves the likelihood this
document will contribute to positive, substantive change in the region. At the time of this
writing, the following positive events have already occurred subsequent to the Emmett/Gem
County Community Review:
• Increased communication and collaboration between the City of Emmett and Gem
County, including an acknowledgement that a joint effort to update the 1995
Emmett/Gem County Comprehensive plan is a good short-term goal. Pamela
Garrison from the County, Lan Smith from the City, and Rick Weekly from Shadow
Butte Development Corporation will assume leadership roles in this project.
• Community development organizations such as Shadow Butte Development
Corporation and Citizens Organized to Revitalize Emmett have taken progress on
the industrial park and downtown corridor/Island Park Bridge projects to new levels
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