MCCALL, Idaho — Payette Lake is known for its peace and its unmatched beauty in every direction. It's no surprise locals have become very curious about a proposed and very complicated land deal involving a Boise investment company and the state of Idaho.
"If you're standing in downtown McCall and you're looking over the lake, and you see that beautiful timberland that frames Payette Lake, it's that and a whole lot more," says Don Day of BoiseDev.com.
There are 44 square miles that surround the lake. It's part of the Idaho Land Endowment, managed by the state for the benefit of public school children, which means they must manage the lands to make money.
Enter Trident Holdings, a privately-held investment firm in Boise.
"Trident sees an opportunity here to transition this land from its current status in the endowment to a new structure that would put about two-thirds into what it calls park and then develop the rest of the land," adds Day.
Day says Trident founder Alec Williams is being understandably tight-lipped about the investors.
"He's been pretty steadfast he will not detail who are his investors right now. He said they're families with Idaho ties, that it would be unfair to them to reveal them without letting them do it."
This has caught the attention of the folks in Valley County.
"If you've been up to McCall lately you've probably seen the signs that say 'opposed' in red and white, and it's something we're looking at BoiseDev and I can imagine Idaho News Six for the day, months, and frankly years to come," says Day.
The next step comes Tuesday at the Land Board meeting, where they'll hear two things. The first being what their own staff vision is for the land. The second will be the Trident proposal.
We'll keep you posted on Idaho News 6.
