INMATES: Darn right they clean

I am writing in response to Mr. Vernon Trotter's letter to the editor regarding the Sheriff's Inmate Labor Program working in the area of Sanders Beach earlier this month. I hope this letter clarifies Mr. Trotter's misinformation for your readers.

The program, one designed to help nonprofit and government-owned organizations with various projects, was working at the Jewett House on April 1 and April 2 providing lawn clean up and maintenance to the beautiful property the Jewett House provides for local senior citizens to enjoy. The Sheriff's Inmate Labor Program does not provide labor for private residents and was not cleaning any area of the beach, not even the public area on those dates.

The Jewett House has been a local gem for our senior community ever since it was granted to the city of Coeur d'Alene and its Senior Citizens in 1978 by Potlatch Forest. The house is a wonderful piece of history, built in 1917 by the Edward Rutledge Timber Company (who later merged with Potlatch Forest).

The home was used to entertain lumber company officials and international guests from 1940 until 1972. The grounds are spacious and loaded with tall, mature trees and attractive gardens. The property extends right to Sander's Beach (one of the only public beaches on the lake).

The Sheriff's Inmate Labor Program has assisted in the Spring Clean-Up of the Jewett House for at least 20 years. The crews working there this month helped with a tremendous amount of grounds keeping which included leaf and pine needle raking and light yard maintenance.

The Sheriff's Inmate Labor Program has provided countless hours of assistance to many organizations in the community. Our program assists with snow removal for low income seniors; trash sorting at Solid Waste; kennel cleaning at the Kootenai County Humane Society; community park and cemetery clean-up; and so much more; in addition to roadside litter pick up on major roadways in the county. In March 2011 alone, we had 605 inmate labor participants who completed 4,840 hours of service in our community.

Our boldly marked vans are designed to catch citizens' attention and I'm glad we did just that. I encourage your readers to look to our website at www.kcsheriff.com to review not only the great work completed by this program, but what our entire department does for the community.

SHERIFF ROCKY WATSON

Coeur d'Alene