A Love's eye view

The voters have spoken. One incumbent, Cindy Elliott, kept her seat. Two new but familiar faces will now serve on Sandpoint's City Council. Former city clerk Helen Newton, who retired in July, and former planning commission chair Steve Lockwood won seats in yesterday's election. Both Bill and I agree that serving on our City Council over the next few years will be a daunting task at best. We wish all council members good luck.

We believe the City faces challenges unparalleled in its history. An aging waste water treatment facility will need expensive updating. Other infrastructure projects, including roads and sewers, will cost millions. Willie told us first, but we did read in the Daily Bee this morning that the aging grand stand at Memorial Field is likely to be condemned. There's a movement afoot to fix the City Beach tennis courts.

The controversial issue of Urban Renewal, which you've read me ranting about here, needs to be addressed. From what we know, the present council will vote on the issue later this month. That leaves the new council with plenty of decision-making to hammer out afterward. This evening at 5:30 at City Hall, residents will again have an opportunity to learn how Urban Renewal could affect their pocketbooks when City grant writer Stephen Drinkard makes a presentation.

Stephen has written to me via email and explained that, based on several years of study, he and engineer Kody Van Dyke, are looking at half a dozen potential financing options to pay the bills for the big projects. Urban Renewal is one of them. Others include impact fees, state and Federal grants, city funds and Local Improvement Districts (LIDs). Grant applications which show a community's willingness to explore all financing options look good to those who award the grants.

Bill and I appreciate the communication and explanations we've received from Kody and Stephen this past week. We feel that we understand the picture a bit better than we did at this time last week. We're openly selfish in our quest to learn what's going on. Anyone who reads this blog knows that preservation of a life style we've enjoyed in this very spot drives us at this time.

We're not blind to the fact that development has, is, and will be occurring around us. Still, we remain hopeful that our farm, with its wetlands, pond and general esthetics, can remain a pleasant oasis in the midst of it all. After all, if Litehouse is just down the road, won't a cute little farm in the neighborhood look nice to all who come for a visit to the company's corporate headquarters in the future?

I'll be attending the meeting tonight to learn more. One thing is for certain. The needs will not go away, and they will be expensive. Adding to the City's urgencies is the fact that our school district will, no doubt, be clamoring for millions of dollars in the near future to upgrade existing facilities and build new structures for increasing numbers of students. A local citizen has also expressed interest in building a skating rink at Kootenai. Other existing facilities, such as the library and museum, are facing challenges to maintain their status quo and address the needs of the future.

Sandpoint and its surrounding area are going through change. Unfortunately, we cannot turn the clock back to that peaceful, simple time in the past which we all so cherish. Most people involved in making decisions related to these changes are passionate, caring humans who want to do what they think is best. The success of how we address the change and the challenges ahead will depend on how much each person involved in the process is willing to study, listen, consider, and compromise for the betterment of all.