Jerome Mapp, July 22, 2010 and April 14, 2011
Scope and Contents
This collection contains recorded interviews with Boise citizens. Notable topics include Boise Bench history, Greenbelt history, Foothills Levy history, Boise Fire Department history, Boise Police Department history, and personal and political histories of former mayors and councilmembers.
Dates
- July 22, 2010 and April 14, 2011
Biographical / Historical
Jerome Mapp attended high school and junior college in Chicago, where he found an interest in architecture. This led him to attend the University of Idaho. Mapp worked in the City Planning Department of Pocatello, ID, and he moved to Boise when he was offered the job of Facility Planner for the State of Idaho in 1980. Mapp served on the Boise City Council from 1993 to 2005.
Extent
1.4 Gigabytes
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Abstract
Jerome Mapp served on the Boise City Council during the 1990s when Boise saw very little conflict; money was not tight at the city level and the general feeling from the community was positive. Boise was growing quickly, and development was on the fringes of the city as well as in the downtown core. Brent Coles was mayor, he focused on transportation, fighting drugs, and neighborhood reinvestment. Mapp continued to serve into the Bieter administration.
In two interviews with Brandi Burns on July 22, 2010 and April 14, 2011, Jerome Mapp discusses his childhood in Chicago, career in architecture and planning, and his experience as a councilman for Boise. He touches on his efforts to convince the council of the benefits of a light rail system, public art, and completing the Greenbelt.
Time Index
Minutes Summary
Track One
00:00 Introduction.
00:25 Mapp described growing up in Chicago where he attended high school and a junior college. It was his interest in architecture which brought him to the University of Idaho where he was involved with community service projects.
04:30 Mapp spoke of working in the city planning department of Pocatello.
05:15 Mapp explained that he was offered the position of facility planner for the state of Idaho in 1980. This is what brought him to Boise. He was laid off however in 1982.
05:45 Mapp discussed being hired as designer view analyst for the city of Boise. He was there until 1985 when he moved to California to work as the facility planner for the California State University.
07:36 Mapp explained that he started his own consulting business among other projects.
08:15 Mapp discussed his time as the executive director of the Elmor County Impact Steering Committee. This position involved facilitating grant money that the city and county received from the Air Force.
09:30 Mapp discussed his time with the Ida-Or Planning Development, a regional organization that provided planning for infrastructure projects.
10:47 Mapp explained how two seats became available on the city council and he had decided to run for one of them. He described the presentation he gave to the city council regarding improving transportation and how this helped him be appointed to the council.
14:57 Mapp explained that he had not anticipated the difficulty of persuading his fellow council members of the benefit of a light rail system.
17:40 Mapp discussed how he visited each of the city department heads upon being appointed to the council.
18:49 Mapp explained that his frustration about trying to find the park for his child’s sports game inspired him to push for posting each city parks’ address.
21:53 Mapp described his involvement with establishing Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday as a paid holiday at city hall. He thought that as the state capital, it was the job of Boise to set an example for the rest of the state.
23:12 Mapp spoke of his time as the city planner for Horseshoe Bend. He described a project to add an entry sign to the city. This encouraged him to pass a motion in the council for entry signs into Boise.
25:10 Mapp discussed his role as liaison to the airport. He was also on the project team representing the city which toured other cities’ airports as Boise was looking to build a new airport of its own.
26:54 Mapp discussed public art. He was involved with finding a sight for the first youth art project as well as in the actual project itself. He mentioned working with ACHD to approve space for public artworks.
30:08 Mapp described working to create a master plan for the Basque block of Boise. He said that the biggest challenge was convincing all of the buildings on the north side of the block to follow the plan. He spoke of the notoriety that Boise’ Basque community has received.
34:05 Mapp spoke of the need to improve the public transportation system in Boise. He mentioned the convenience of Chicago’s public transit. He also described his effort to remove the parking restrictions on bus lanes during hours that the buses were not running.
37:54 Mapp elaborated on the youth art project located under the connector. He also mentioned that his favorite public art piece was in front of the convention center.
39:40 Mapp explained that he wanted to turn the armory building into an art center. However he did not received much support.
40:48 Mapp spoke of the farmer’s market. He described the resistance from property owners to having the farmer’s market in front of their property.
41:41 Mapp described his effort to put a football field into one of the city parks. He thought it would be beneficial to have one football stadium that all of the high schools could use instead of having to use Boise State University’s field.
44:53 Mapp explained that parts of the Greenbelt were still undeveloped when he joined the city council. He spoke of working to convince land owners to give up their land for the Greenbelt.
46: 37 Mapp discussed the city council working with the YMCA to build a west Y and also a city swimming pool. He described the groundbreaking ceremony.
47:21 Mapp spoke of acquiring the Jensen Farm property for city use.
50:22 Mapp discussed the reaction from the public to the development of the Greenbelt. He spoke of the slow but continuous work that has gone into building and maintaining the Greenbelt.
52:23 Mapp compared the development of the Greenbelt to the issue of expanding transportation in Boise. He mentioned his work with Boise River Stages. He spoke also of the transition of the former bus system into the current Valley Ride system.
Names and Places Index
Source
- Mapp, Jerome (Narrator, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Collections Repository