Soda Springs Welcomes New City Clerk
Andrea Haderlie was hired as City Clerk following the departure of Hannah Beer, who is now with the Caribou Medical Center. A number of changes in the city administration, including the unexpected and tragic passing of city attorney Gregg Haney, have meant that a certain amount of reshuffling and multitasking is in place while everything gets re-established. A bright spot in what otherwise might be a chaotic time is Haderlie’s familiarity with the city office and the employees there, many of whom are also moving into new positions. Haderlie has been involved with the city office since 2019, when she was first hired on. In the time since, she has dealt with the majority of the stakeholders in town government, including perhaps most importantly, the citizens of Soda Springs.
Andrea was born and raised in Soda Springs, and is of a generation of people who attended both Thirkill and the Hooper School. “I’ve grown up here my whole life, and never wanted to move away,” Haderlie said. She graduated from Soda Springs High School, and then worked in medical billing for the hospital for ten years, and at Mountain View Dental for a year after, before she was hired on to work the front desk at City Hall. “I know a lot of the people who’ve been in town for a long time, and I’m getting to know many of the people who have moved in with a recent influx of new faces,” Haderlie said.
Her background and familiarity with those in the community should serve her well in her new position, which involves maximizing the city’s financial assets, as well as being responsive to the needs and wishes of its residents.
Last year, Andrea was the lead on the city’s bringing the Spark Museum to town for the summer, which gave her a lot of hands-on experience with dealing with multiple entities, including the Smithsonian Institute, the Idaho Humanities Council, and others. The project was a large success, exceeding even what she imagined would be possible on a grant of $1,500. As a result of stipulations for being a host site for the traveling exhibit, the city was obligated to hold a number of community events, which turned out to be very well-attended. A downtown street festival event, which capped off the exhibit’s residency in town, is a good illustration of the kind of experience Haderlie envisions for the city. It was well-attended, had something to offer people of all interests and ages, supported local business, and highlighted the city’s historic as well as modern resources.
None of which is to say that there is nothing complicated or even polarizing on the horizon. The upcoming Main Street project is likely to bring with it a certain number of headaches, as traffic issues and the effects on businesses are likely to be significant. The task of tracking and juggling the various grants and allocated funds from other sources, as well as dealing with the possible wrinkles in the construction and accounting processes will be things she will be a large part of. Issues with the city’s ownership of Enders Hotel, the establishment and management of 608 acres south of town recently donated to the city by Nutrien, various proposed construction projects and development code entanglements, digitizing the City’s archives, and countless other topics will undoubtedly counterbalance the more fun parts of the job.
Still, Haderlie is well situated to deal with the variety of interested parties that make up a city, and she looks forward to “providing great customer service to our residents, and helping the citizens get what they need from the City.” As the year rolls on, Haderlie looks forward to it with a positive attitude. “Every day is a surprise!”
