With each step Parma Mayor Angie Lee takes during the Mayor’s Walking Challenge, she is improving her health while working to honor the legacy of a former city employee.

Zachery Trillhaase was the Public Works Supervisor for the City of Parma when he tragically was killed in all-terrain vehicle accident on May 30, 2020, in Oregon. Zach was just 31 years old.

“He was very ambitious, had lots of ideas and really thought outside the box,” Mayor Lee said. “He really helped us get our wastewater project off the ground.”

The city has decided to memorialize Zach by building a splash pad in the city park. The estimated cost for the project is approximately $150,000 because parts of the park must be brought up to code before the splash pad can be installed.

Mayor Lee will donate the $1,000 she expects to earn in this year’s Mayor’s Walking Challenge, a Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health program. The challenge encourages mayors to be active and gives them the opportunity to earn funds for their community. Mayor Lee also earned $1,000 in the 2020 Mayor’s Walking Challenge and put that toward the splash pad.

“Zach was outgoing and ambitious,” Mayor Lee said. “He was a single dad who loved his boy, his dogs and to hunt and fish.”

Mayor Lee recalled hearing Zach say that if he’d ever won the lottery that he would pay for the wastewater project with the winnings so Parma residents wouldn’t have to. The Parma High graduate worked for the city for 12 years.

The wastewater project building will feature a memorial plaque to Zach, but Mayor Lee thinks that isn’t enough. The splash pad will give children in Parma a place to be active and allow those who knew Zach to remember him fondly.

The city has set up a bank account at the U.S. Bank branch in Parma where all splash pad funds are being held. Mayor Lee and the city staff are seeking donations to fund the project to honor Zach. Donations can be mailed to the City of Parma, P.O. Box 608, Parma ID 83660. For more information, call (208) 722-5138.