Mr. Potter, recently of Piedmont, Calif., and now of the Seasons condos, founder and as far as I can tell, only member of the Citizens for the Sandpoint Tunnel, (address is a real estate office), except the usual NICAN suspects, suddenly has spent a lot of his own money, and suspicious zeal just at the daring NICAN crusaders have, (wink, wink), fighting the Sand Creek Byway with a more complicated, expensive and disruptive version of the old through-town proposal.

Safer? Than a 35-40 mph straight stretch of highway? A byway that doesn't have to close to allow a tanker of propane to travel on, or force over-size loads to find an alternate route? That won't have the constant expense of jet fans for ventilation or pumps to keep dry? That doesn't require many private property acquisitions and disruptions during construction, 10 years or more from now as opposed to putting the byway out to bid in November as soon as the final approvals are received from the various agencies?

And just ask yourself, why the suddenly interest and expenditure by a newly-arrived resident whose plan jives so perfectly with NICAN? There has to be a financial gain somewhere, no matter what they say. No byway? The Seasons Condos won't be standing alone for long.

Contrary to what it states on Potter's Web site, the ITD's reception as stated in a recent Bee article was polite, nothing more.

Californians, not Mr. Potter necessarily, appear to have done a real job on their state and now seem to want to do one on Idaho.

LAWRENCE FURY

Sandpoint