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McEuen open house is Thursday

Tom Hasslinger | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 13 years, 6 months AGO
by Tom Hasslinger
| May 4, 2011 9:00 PM

COEUR d'ALENE - It could be the final open house before a recommendation.

A step-by-step display of the McEuen Field development project will be showcased Thursday during a workshop, possibly the last public gathering before a recommended conceptual design goes before the City Council on May 17.

The workshop will give people a chance to walk through a museum-style, chronological display of pictures of the project, complete with itemized costs of the different designs.

"It will be a slower-moving event where people can look at specific elements, be able to sit and digest the information a little bit, and engage the design team on a one-on-one basis," said Dick Stauffer, Team McEuen project designer. "We've thrown so much information in such a hurry at all these events, we want to slow things a down a bit."

Team McEuen, as well as steering committee members, will be on hand.

The team has held two public presentations this year on the project where turnout was between 300-550 people, plus around 50 smaller ones to groups and committees.

It's the first public workshop since cost estimates were released last month. Those range from a roughly $14 million footprint to a fully built-out park complete with replacement facilities at $39 million.

Part of Thursday's workshop will include a drawing of replacement facilities such as a 15th Street baseball complex Team McEuen penned after speaking with American Legion, high school and Riverhawk college baseball representatives.

It includes a synthetic surface for the ballplayers and would seat up to 1,000 people. Also, the city prefers Silver Beach for the boat launch site over North Idaho College because of sediment buildup comparisons, access, and river current and depth reasons.

That design will be there too.

Public comment can be submitted via comment cards, but it won't have a microphone to address the designers. The team is weighing and forwarding feedback to the City Council before the council votes on a plan.

City officials said Tuesday that the conceptual design could go before the council on May 17.

The workshop runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library, but Stauffer said officials will stick around as long as needed.

Info: www.mceuenpark.com or contact Parks Director Doug Eastwood at 769-2252.

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