Promises (easily made - easily broken)

Against much public outcry and lack of a public advisory vote, the McEuen mega park plan was approved by the City Council on May 24, 2011, with the promise that the American Legion ball field and boat launch would not be removed until their “as good or better” replacements were in place. Already this is an empty, backhanded promise. The boat launch trailer parking to be moved to City Hall, thus making the boat launch inconvenient and soon to be obsolete. The American Legion players to be ousted to temporary fields, the ball club introduced to a professional fundraiser to help them raise $2.5 million for a permanent home...someday. Oh...and what happened to the “park” part of the McEuen Park plan....good question. It will happen at some point in the future...in parts and pieces...through the generosity of the community, sponsors or possibly with the help of a professional fundraiser, they only keep 20-25 percent as commission I am told.

Dollars and Sense

The grand $39 million McEuen Park plan was approved and now is ready to move forward. The city cannot fund a project of this size without taking it to the voters so they will utilize the local urban renewal agency LCDC to fund it. Since revitalizing McEuen has always been the main intent of creating the urban renewal Lake District, or so said, this makes sense. But alas, LCDC does not have $39 million to fund the entire mega-park project, monies have been spent elsewhere on other urban renewal projects. LCDC can contribute approximately $15 million; secured via a loan against future earnings, i.e. future diverted property taxes. So, not enough $dollars$ for McEuen "Park" - but just enough for Phase 1 - the plaza and parking. Now the big question many are asking...why would you approve a $39 million dollar plan (conceptual or otherwise) that you knew you didn’t have even half the funding for? Or approve a plan that required additional expenditures of approximately $5+ million to replace the boat launch and ball field? Would it not make more "sense" to design the plan to fit the budget? Since Phase 1 is less in scope than originally conceived, the city would lead us to believe they have “scaled back” the plan. The only scaling back that has been done is due to funding constraints and the inability to find "as good or better" replacements soon enough. The approved amount to be paid to Miller Stauffer for Phase 1 architecture & engineering is still amazingly high at $1.9 million. If LCDC had $39 Million in funds available for McEuen - most certainly the funding would be approved for the full mega-park plan.

Smoke & Mirrors

It certainly looks as though the entire project was all marketing - smoke and mirrors - to get what the main intent was all along - a "blank slate" to accommodate Phase 1. Phase 1 removes the boat launch & ball fields, removes the surface parking and creates in their place a plaza & grand promenade with a below grade parking garage. It does make sense... after all it is much easier to sell high end condos and lease commercial space overlooking a plaza and grand promenade than overlooking a surface parking lot, a boat launch with pesky boaters and boat trailers or a ball field with fences & lights. If the true intent was to revitalize McEuen play field then we would see Phase 1 filled with park amenities rather than a multi-million dollar parking garage which adds few if any parking spaces over what we have today in the surface lot.

What a deal

The McEuen Park Plan "The most uses for the most people"....? Well it certainly is the best use for a few people. Phase 1 - what a terrific boon to the downtown businesses, developers and design team to have their very own lakeside outdoor event center with an attached parking garage, funded in full by the taxpayers. And they don’t have to worry about parking management - downtown city parking is contracted to out-of-state parking conglomerate Diamond Parking. Nor do they have to worry about maintenance or security - the city (taxpayers) will foot that bill also. Hundreds of thousands spent so far on this "conceptual" plan - with millions yet to come....and all without ever requiring a vote.

The definition of boondoggle seems to fit this project perfectly...Miriam Webster - boon· dog· gle: : noun \'bün-?dä-g?l, -?do?-\ a wasteful or impractical project or activity often involving graft.

Rita Sims-Snyder is a Coeur d'Alene resident.