Things that Sandpoint shares with Seattle, New York

The city of Sandpoint is sadly not immune from the national slide of people’s trust in government. And they bring it on themselves. Our little church on Second and Pine was told that pavers would be installed in the concrete planter area of the sidewalk. The same piece of dirt for which the city owns but accepts no responsibility for maintenance such as watering. And if we tried to irrigate it, due to the location, we would ultimately be ticketed for wasting water. So now, at a very public corner, their design is an eyesore. 

Which is why we were so grateful when the city, in October 2024, offered to put in pavers in place of the dirt planter area, the same design the city had used in several other places in town. 

Today, 21 months later, still no pavers. This is despite numerous phone calls, letters and emails since the original commitment, with only one response, noting they are busy with other projects. In the grand scheme of things, this is a small project. This fact plus the disrespect shown by essentially ignoring multiple requests for a status says volumes.  

Whether it’s parking meters, sewer systems, zoning, the citizens are treated like serfs vs. employers. Increasingly, I hear of people wanting to get out of city limits for these and related reasons. Something tells me the city is OK with this attitude, similar to “leadership” attitudes we see in Seattle and NY.

JEFF ODLAND

Athol