Earlier this summer I heard music coming from the big tent set up in the Third Street parking lot for Ironman Coeur d'Alene. I mentioned to volunteers inside that I was glad they weren't playing Bee Gees music, because with the McEuen Field project looming I didn't want this to be the "summer of our disco tent." Their look suggested to me that I should move along.

So it is in the city of Coeur d'Alene with their plans for McEuen, moving along in light of questions about the project. The one I hear the most is why the city would move ahead during these economic times. So, I asked and here's what I found:

1. A McEuen Field place making initiative has been a goal for the city for numerous years, and is not some idea out of left field that just materialized. The city's urban renewal plan in 1997 called for public space improvements downtown and projected funds for that purpose.

2. Adjacent to McEuen Field is Front Street. Badly needed repairs to the street will impact McEuen, so it makes sense to include it.

3. Parking is incorporated into the Front Street project and eliminates five acres of asphalt in McEuen Field, greatly increasing the access to additional waterfront green space so coveted by the public.

Another question is how will the millions be funded? The answer seems to surprise some people:

1. The city already has money in place to pay for Front Street, including impact fees and water and sewer hookup fees that have come from new development in the city over the years.

2. Parking improvements will come partly from existing city funds, including fees generated in the downtown parking lots since 1991.

3. Additional funding for McEuen Field is from the city's urban renewal agency, the Lake City Development Corporation. That funding is already in place and will come from only those properties in the urban renewal district that have increased in value over the years, which is about 14 percent of all property owners in the city.

Remarkably, a big portion of the money for McEuen Field will come from just a small portion of the city's property owners, from money they would have to pay anyway.

Two other points are pertinent. The City Council voted during a public hearing to not increase taxes to pay for the park improvements, and will seek to raise additional funds via grants and private donations to make the McEuen conceptual vision come true. The council has also made it clear that no other changes to McEuen, such as to the ball fields and boat launch, will happen until suitable replacement facilities are in place.

Questioning this large project is a healthy exercise and one that leads to the answers many are seeking. The result of the process is that the city will very soon have a magnificent downtown park, truly a Field of Dreams for generations to enjoy.

John Austin is a former finance director for Kootenai County and the city of Coeur d'Alene and can be reached at john@pacni.org.