GERRY HOUSE: He's a volunteer hero

All across America local government organizations and nonprofit groups of every kind are run by elected or appointed volunteers serving as board members. These men and women put in hours and even days without pay making the organizations and groups work. In Kootenai County the per capita percentage of volunteer board members must considerably exceed the national average.

This month Gerry House, who is a volunteer Rock Star, resigned for reasons of health from Hayden Lake Recreational Water and Sewer District Board where he has been board chair for 23 consecutive years. Gerry also resigned from the Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board (HARSB) which he has chaired for nine terms.

Since taking optional retirement from the U.S. Forest Service in 1994, Gerry has, in addition, been a member of 13 other volunteer commissions, committees, coalitions, teams and groups all in this area.

Gerry’s personal drive and mission has been protection of water quality, especially in Hayden Lake. His roots are very deep. Gerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded on land now near Lancaster Avenue. His grandparents on both sides were born here.

One of Gerry’s earliest memories is as an 8-year-old accompanying his mother to Boise to meet with Attorney General Bob Smylie, then campaigning for governor, asking that action be taken to stop some bad people from taking action that could contaminate Hayden Lake.

In his 23 years on the Sewer District board, Gerry was a leader in two directions. The first was to help the board adopt standards and practices that controlled runoff, required sewer hookups and provided for appropriate sewage treatment such as the summer sprinkling system run by HARSB.

The second direction has been behind the scenes persuasion of developers for cooperation to adopt Best Management Practices. One of his major achievements has been working with John Beutler of Century 21 to carry out state of the art land and runoff controls on new subdivisions. 

Gerry has recognized that in the past 20 years growth was inevitably taking place in the Hayden area and that the need was not to fight, but to make growth more responsible and protective of water quality and to pay for adequate controls.

A decade or so ago some environmentally concerned residents in the Hayden area became distressed with the seeming favoritism to development of some members of the Sewer District board. They organized a covert write-in campaign at the election and succeeded in electing their own three people to replace three incumbents, one of whom was Gerry. 

I told these environmental friends that ousting Gerry was a big mistake and that they should look at his personal record and talk to him. They did so. Then, in what has to be an unprecedented political turnaround, they had one of their winners decline and have Gerry reinstalled to continue as chair. 

The character, integrity, dedication and accomplishments of Gerry House are a model of his accomplishments and his legacy.

This evening there will be an open air celebration at 6 p.m. in McCall Park across from City Hall in Hayden honoring Gerry for his long volunteer service to Hayden Lake and to all of us. Please, stop by and say “Thanks.”

SCOTT W. REED

Coeur d’Alene