Capitol project too noisy for some

BOISE – People living along the route late-night truckers have been taking to haul dirt from the state Capitol expansion project are complaining the trucks are too loud.

“I’m a Gulf War veteran; I can sleep through planes going overhead, but I can’t get used to the trucks,” Scarlet Ansbach told the Idaho Statesman. “My whole house rumbles. Even my shower door shakes.”

McAlvain Construction started removing dirt Thursday to make way for the Capitol building’s underground wings. It’s using six to 10 trucks to move the dirt to the planned Esther Simplot Park between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. to avoid disrupting daytime traffic.

McAlvain, which is donating the dirt to the city, is trucking it to the west part of Boise to the 55 acre site where Esther Simplot Park is being built. It will be used as topsoil there.

Chuck Graves, McAlvain’s vice president, said the hauling is expected to last about five weeks.

“The only bad part about a park is its construction,” said resident Kristine Hansen, adding that a warning about the trucks ahead of time could have reduced complaints.

McAlvain has planned a meeting with neighbors on Monday to talk about the project. Clark said the company wants to work with neighbors and might add a different route that would relieve some of the truck traffic.

Construction of Esther Simplot Park, which sits north of the Boise River between Fairview Avenue and Veterans Parkway, began in 2003. When completed, it will be the city’s largest park, featuring fishing ponds, soccer fields and picnic grounds.

Boise Mayor David Bieter has dedicated $750,000 from the city’s budget for the Simplot Complex. Friends of Parks, a local group of volunteers, is working to raise more than $4 million to complete the park.

McAlvain’s dirt donation to the city could amount to as much as 20,000 cubic yards. With topsoil going for $10 to $15 per cubic yard, that could save the city as much as $300,000.

The 2 1/2 -year, $120 million remodeling and expansion of the 100-year-old Capitol, which includes construction of two underground wings, broke ground in April.