COEUR d'ALENE - While McEuen Park was holding its soft opening last spring, Coeur d'Alene Councilwoman Kiki Miller was beginning a process of reconciliation.

She told The Press on Wednesday that she was compelled to take on the endeavor of ensuring that the city got what it paid for and that all of the work on the $21.1 million McEuen Project was complete.

"I was honestly nervous walking into it and committing to this year-long process because who wants to be the bearer of bad news," Miller said. "But I felt like there was that missing piece of closure to go through this with a fine-tooth comb."

Miller worked closely with the McEuen Park steering committee, as well as city officials, to determine that each line item of the city's contract with Contractors Northwest and Team McEuen was completed. She also looked at items members of the public thought should be included in the project, but weren't in the final plans.

"As it turned out, the reconciliation ended up in a very positive light," Miller said.

Other than minor work, which Miller called "seasonally prohibitive," that was not completed, she said the project was accomplished on budget according to the contract.

The local contractors who were awarded the project will not be fully paid until all of the minor work is completed, she added.

During the process, Miller said she discovered that the McEuen Project was not "a $21 million park" as she so often heard in the public.

"I realized it was all of these pieces that came together and had really separate functions," Miller said. "Having it all done together kind of unfairly labeled the park as one price tag and the cost of the park itself was a great value and a great investment."

Recreation Director Steve Anthony said that there were essentially five projects, some of which had been in the works for decades, all placed under the same "McEuen banner."

Anthony used the $7.4 million parking structure on Front Avenue as an example.

"The parking structure came out of this project, but it was a part of Front Street parking, which had been on the books ever since the railroad quit coming through," Anthony said. "Basically what we are trying to get across is that the timing was right to do all of these projects instead of piecemealing them."

The final cost breakdown, by project, is as follows:

* McEuen Park - $9.2 million

* Parking Structure - $7.4 million

* City Hall Parking - $1.2 million

* Centennial Trail - $1 million

* Front and Third Street Improvements - $2.2 million

Anthony added that McEuen Park is a "work in progress" and said his staff is talking with residents to address their needs and has a running "wish list" of art and features they hope to add.

Even though there are still improvements to be made, Anthony sees the overall project as a success. He said that throughout President's Day weekend, his staff conducted head counts and found that there were rarely fewer than 200 people using the facilities.

"It's becoming a destination spot for families," Anthony said. "And that was the main goal of this project."