McEuen marathon

COEUR d'ALENE - If the cost of a thought is a penny, somebody should scrounge through every Coeur d'Alene sofa for some extra loot.

After more than a month of informational meetings and online surveys, the design team behind McEuen Field's conceptual plan wants to hear what the public thinks.

Questions, suggestions, comments, concerns, compliments?

Public, the floor is yours. A penny, as they say.

"Absolutely it's open, Whatever they want to talk about is what we'll talk about," said Lori Isenberg, president of Northwest Dynamics, the facilitator for tonight's public meeting on the McEuen Field project. "I think people have been very engaged so far. They've filled out surveys and have been on the website, I think people are excited now to ask questions."

That opportunity will begin at 6 p.m. at Woodland Middle School, 2101 St. Michelle Ave.

The meeting will begin with a roughly 20 minute intro and updates by the design team, and Mayor Sandi Bloem. After that, Isenberg will facilitate an open question and answer period that should span every nook and cranny on the park's conceptual print.

The previous meetings have been more presentational, with one-on-one question and answer periods after the design walk though. This time, ask away.

Expected turnout is 550 people.

Not everyone can talk at once. To keep it fair, Isenberg will call on people from different quadrants of the room evenly. Team McEuen, the designers of the plan, will make a panel up front and answer questions as they come up. If a particular topic is shared by many in the audience, Isenberg will call on them to continue on the point.

The goal is to keep the conversation fluid.

"I want it to be a flowing conversation," she said. "This isn't a staunch, formal public hearing."

Participants will also be given color-coded cards: One color indicating pro, the other against.

If the topic splits into two camps, the audience will be asked to flash their color of choice as a way for an informal vote on which way the room is leaning.

The meeting is scheduled to last until 9 p.m., but if people felt they haven't been heard, the team will stick around as long as it takes, she said.

"We'll stay and listen and we'll take notes," she said. "We want to hear it all."

Meanwhile, the team has compiled all the written questions it has received and typed them up, along with answers. That packet, which will make its way to the City Council, will be e-mailed to anyone who submitted a comment with their name and address attached.

This meeting will likely be the last meeting on the conceptual design, Isenberg said. After this, Team McEuen will digest all the information to craft the design's final look. That could take weeks, so people should still log on and fill out the surveys at www.mceuenpark.com.