Thursday, March 28, 2024
39.0°F

Sirens wail special alert

| December 29, 2010 8:00 PM

With an important public meeting eight days away, now is as good a time as any to issue a BS alert.

BS, of course, stands for Be Suspicious. What were you thinking?

The important meeting Jan. 6 is the open discussion of what might become of McEuen Park, the parking lot just west of the ballfields and the Third Street boat ramp. During that meeting the plans will be presented and citizen feedback warmly received.

We know that this gem in the heart of Coeur d'Alene is dear to many people, particularly a lot of longtime residents. That's why so many studies, visions and discussions have swirled around the property over the years.

Fondness built on memories and compounded, like valuable interest over many years, makes for a lot of emotion. Hence the BS alert: When it comes to people speaking passionately about these parcels, it's possible that a fact might get stretched a bit here and there - inadvertently, of course.

n Be Suspicious if someone tells you the ballfields shouldn't be touched because this spot right here is where Babe Ruth himself once launched a shot that sank a schooner 200 yards out in the lake.

n Be Suspicious if someone tells you the parking lot harbors hundreds of busses bringing underprivileged children to the lake every summer, kids who have never seen water before.

n Be Suspicious if someone tells you that the boat launch must remain untouched because it a) is critical to law-enforcement needs, b) is critical to launching EPA submarines cleaning up the lake floor and/or c) is critical to a certain wealthy Coeur d'Alene resident who needs the public launch for his private flotilla.

We're on BS alert too. In the days, weeks and months ahead we'll be sharing as much information - historically accurate and factually current - as possible so residents can weigh the merits of various McEuen proposals for themselves.

By the way, that Babe Ruth story above was an absolute whopper. Everyone knows it was Ken Griffey Jr. who hit that bomb.