VALE – Work on renovating Lewin Park in west Vale could be complete by the end of September.
“We are definitely on track,” said Colter Kamo, whose family gave the city $100,000 towards the project, which is across from the Starlite.
Kamo developed the park idea to memorialize his father, longtime Vale area resident Gary Kamo, who died in 2020.
The project includes building a metal gazebo, a porcelain paver walkway, benches, evergreen plantings along with cherry blossom trees and other landscaping. The irrigation system at the park will also be upgraded.
The park will also include moss rocks and trees, said Kamo.
“We also have a big, six-foot basalt rock at the entrance where there will be a copper memorial,” he said.
Kamo said the memorial will include dedications to his father, the city of Vale, the Vale Lions Club and the contractors and landscapers who worked on the project.
The walkway will also be a memorial of sorts. Individual pavers of the walkway will carry the names of individuals who donated $100.
“There were about 28 to 30 people who donated,” said Kamo.
The renovation will be anchored by a 20 x 24-foot gazebo.
The fountain – placed in the park by the Lions Club – will remain, he said.

Crews from Mark Guho Construction Company in Boise along with landscaper Seth Clark of Broken Star Landscaping in Vale are the main contractors for the project.
Kamo said in the future lighting could be added to showcase the landscaping and the gazebo.
“I wanted to do something nice for Vale. Vale is obviously where my dad’s side of the family settled and it was an important area for my dad. I want to leave something in memory of him,” said Kamo.
Kamo, who is the co-owner of Grace Independent and Assisted Living in Boise, said he spent his time between Boise and Vale after his mother and father divorced when he was young.
“There will be a lot more earth moving down there in the next couple of weeks,” he said.
News tip? Contact reporter Pat Caldwell at [email protected]
EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM – Available for $7.50 a month. Subscribe to the digital service of the Enterprise and get the very best in local journalism. We report with care, attention to accuracy, and an unwavering devotion to fairness. Get the kind of news you’ve been looking for – day in and day out from the Enterprise.