McEuen: Committee of 9 looked ahead
By DAVE WALKER
Special to The Press
In all the recent talk and reporting of McEuen, the concept driven by the Committee of Nine has been mentioned only in passing. It's too bad because it was created by citizens with input from all parties. A concept that, after a year and a half in the making, was accepted by the Coeur d'Alene City Council. Without fanfare and without a public vote. Yet, save the Library, nothing has come of it. What happened?
Around the year 2000 and after the Hyett-Palma and Walker-Macy studies, the future of McEuen was at the feet of the City Council. A committee was set with a mission of considering the various reports and, with local input, come up with a conceptual plan/vision for a future McEuen. This group included Scott Reed, Red Halpern, Dave Schreiber, Denny Hague, Mike McDowell, Brad Jordan, Steve Anthony, landscape architects Dell Hatch and Jon Mueller. I was and am proud to have been a member of that group of high quality community leaders and what our committee accomplished.
We met mostly weekly and started with setting ground rules for how any/all concepts would relate to McEuen. That became what is now known as the Seven Values. If you aren't familiar with that list I urge you to take the time to read it. It is the single most important document regarding McEuen.
Consulting with City Attorneys and associated government entities helped us define what could and couldn't be done, both legally and logically. We met with various civic entities connected to McEuen and spent one entire Saturday talking with representatives of each group to understand their concerns, answer their questions and get their input.
As concepts were drawn out we held public workshops where locals sat in groups at tables with maps, pencils, markers and survey sheets. The only "loading" we did was to try and put opposing viewpoints together at the same table to stimulate discussion. Committee members acted as moderators only, moving from table to table answering questions. Each table then presented their findings. After a workshop we returned to committee and tweaked things in accordance of what we heard, then held the next of what was three workshops.
These workshops are some of my all time favorite memories of working as community. Discussions were spirited but mannered. Ideas were traded and eyes opened. A "good of the whole" attitude won out over myopic special intrests. Feedback was positive and enthusiastic as people visioned the possibilities.
With the Values set in stone and a plan created by the community, a "final" concept was accepted by the City Council. And it went in a drawer. Outside our beautiful Library, nothing much has happened since.
Fast forward to now and the City's latest attempt to update McEuen. And, not uncommon to Coeur d'Alene, the topic ellicits smiles, ideas, hopes, passions and, sadly, fear and hate. Emotions so high it drove one person to consider a gun at a meeting. Take a breath people. Let me address a few issues and tone down the emotions.
The land now known as McEuen has, over time, been everything from an industrial site to a fairgrounds to low income housing. It was never owned by Mae McEuen and therefore never given to the City by her nor does it carry any sacred covenants from her. I am shocked by the number of people who still think this.
One of two huge issues is the boat ramps. I am personally not in favor of removing the boat launch and the Committee of Nine's concept also left it in place. Its long history and the restraints from decades old deals with entities like Land and Water made the decision obvious. But the idea of moving the trailer parking for green/people space is even more obvious. If nothing else is done, that blacktop has got to go.
Then there's the baseball field. I'm surprised that's the best we can do for our American Legion teams. Forget the location and view, it's a low quality baseball field. Local high school fields are superior. I'm puzzled that with the cries to save the field, nobody seems to want a better field.
One of the Seven Values states we "Ensure the replacement of any displaced facilities with equal or better facilities."
Imagine a baseball facility serving not only Legion but high school, Major Little League and a returned NIC team. One that could proudly host tournaments and draw crowds to watch America's game. Would something like that be the right fit at McEuen? I don't think so.
There was a baseball plan once. Post Committee of Nine, an ad-hoc committee took on the idea of a better baseball facility for Coeur d'Alene. I was also in that little group and boy oh boy did we have a great plan for a two-field complex, one being a feature stadium. This first class facility would meet said Value in spades and open the green space door at McEuen. But where to put it?
Stars must have aligned and the City Council acquired property earmarked for baseball. Located near arterials with room for plenty of parking, it was a perfect fit. So what happened to it? That property is now known as Kroc Center. While Kroc is a wonderful assent to Coeur d'Alene, it may be the single biggest reason McEuen was left behind until now.
An obvious move now would be a new Memorial Baseball Stadium. With rights of way opening for parking next to Northwest Boulevard and located across the street from City Park, what a great place to watch America's favorite game.
Back to McEuen. Looking at this grand new vision and as one who poured his time and heart into McEuen over the years, I gotta ask. What the City was thinking.
Why did we spend money on yet another professional study and another (21 member!) committee when a plan driven by the people already existed? How could a concept this fantastic be produced with seemingly so little public input? And for the $64K question, if we couldn't pull off a simpler plan during better economic times, how is this one going to work?
Now the big question is do we vote on McEuen. Of course some are calling for a vote, it's a City Council election year. Don't tell me you haven't lived here long enough to see that one coming.
My question is what exactly would we vote on? Is it A, leave it alone forever, or B, accept the proposed concept as it stands? Black or white. One or the other.
The fact is, any such vote would be a waste of time and money and wouldn't accomplish anything no matter how the vote went. Neither side wins in the end. If the concept is booted then we're saddled with a future of the same old underused and overvalued property. If it's accepted and during the multi-year build out things need to be added, deleted or moved, who makes the call? Or do we have another vote on where the swing-set is relocated? Any concept is just that, a work in progress and a yes or no vote isn't what McEuen or Coeur d'Alene deserves.
A change is due. Near half of the McEuen property is currently parking lot. For being adjacent to gems like Lake Coeur d'Alene, Tubbs Hill, a charming downtown and a world class resort, the property is vastly underused. Toss out any numbers you want, this property can and should serve a greater number of people than it does on its current day to day basis. You can see more people at G.O. Phippany Park.
Say NO to a vote but say YES to more public input. This is not something that needs to be on such a fast track. If we've waited this long, then let's take a little more time to do it right. I ask the City of Coeur d'Alene to present the Committee of Nine plan to the people before one more step is taken on McEuen. It was and still is a viable, multi-faceted and more affordable plan. I believe the community would rally around a more reasonable option. Let's take another look before we go any farther.
Now go take a walk around McEuen, imagine and dream.
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Dave Walker is a lifelong resident and citizen of Coeur d'Alene and past City Councilman.
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The Values
Recognize the value of public-owned space and encourage improvement
in accessibility and usability by and for the citizens;
Promote and enhance open space;
Encourage greater use of downtown public space for the community;
Recognize the value of vistas and views;
Ensure the replacement of any displaced facilities with equal or better
facilities;
Explore possibilities in creating a community gathering place;
Link the Downtown to the waterfront.