DALTON: Support what's already here

Thanks to the Dalton Gardens City Council and staff for their time and energy in research and reading the protests from the 80-plus percent of the property and business owners on the east side of Government Way who responded negatively in relation to creating a very expensive sewer system. Thanks for the support of spreading out the hook up time to 12 to 15 years instead of 5.

Your long-term goals of turning the Dalton Gardens section of Government Way into retail strip malls, restaurants and lodging is in my humble opinion encouraging failure and vacancies or in other words a ghost town. If you do a little more research you will find that there currently is a national average of 45 percent vacancy factors in lodging facilities. I believe that is reflected in Kootenai County. Reportedly, many of the shops along Sherman Avenue are 6 or more months delinquent on rent. Not the first time. Restaurants in our area report business is down by 50 percent. Numerous restaurants have gone out of business in the last two years. Others have cut staff and prices dramatically just to keep the doors open. Nationally, restaurants have a 55 percent to 90 percent failure-rate.

Is this the image you truly want for the commercial district of Dalton Gardens? Why not support the existing long-term businesses focusing on home improvement, decorating, landscaping, extra storage? Home ownership is the American Dream and people go to all lengths to own, decorate and improve, secure and support their homes. Businesses in Dalton Gardens have a history, they have been around for 15, 20, 30 years in the same location. They are trusted. People spending large sums of money for home improvements want to feel secure in the people they are dealing with. It would be foolhardy to push out long established, successful businesses to replicate a scenario that is the drudge of most small towns, too many restaurants, cutesy little boutiques that can't pay rent and lodging facilities that stand 50 percent vacant for most of the year. Why not support the existing businesses and encourage the area as the place to go in North Idaho for home improvements, decorating and landscaping. Most major cities have a "Decorators Row." We have something similar along Government Way in Dalton Gardens. Don't destroy it.

If the sewer is something you believe we just cannot live without, an opinion not shared by public agencies and private property owners, then spread the cost over ALL the property owners in Dalton Gardens. If the commercial corridor of Dalton Gardens is so critical to the image of Dalton Gardens then ALL Dalton Gardens property owners should share in this expense not just the business property owners.

If the council has actually been studying and researching this for 4-5 years as stated, it is strange the property owners were never surveyed. It is strange that more than 4-5 years the council could not secure one grant or source of public funding. It's interesting that this came to the surface just recently and must be rushed through. So in that light, I am appreciative of the one month stay in the decision but I sincerely hope this month will be spent doing a great deal of research and soul searching.

Sewer will not increase the value of our properties. If it increases the value of Dalton Gardens then ALL of Dalton Gardens should pay for it.

SHIRLEY THAGARD

Hayden