McEuen Field plan unveiled

COEUR d'ALENE - Ronnie Semko loves most everything about it.

Jake Reitter feels like he's "getting hosed."

Some love the idea of a pocket, off-leash dog park as a part of the proposed McEuen Field, others don't like the idea of dogs running around.

Team McEuen, the architectural, landscape and engineering representatives who designed the proposed revamped McEuen Field, introduced their vision to a standing room only conference hall at North Idaho College on Thursday.

Following an hourlong presentation that walked 550 people through a myriad proposed changes to the downtown park, reactions crossed the board.

"I love the whole thing, said Semko, 54, following the show. "Right now, what it has to offer, the baseball fields are great, but it just doesn't offer enough for everyone ... (the plan) is very well thought out."

The mission of the design team is to transform the century-old McEuen Field into a destination park that offers the most activity for the most amount of people year round. To do so, the team said nothing that was there now should be viewed as irreplaceable, and began the design with a clean slate. Gone with the new vision are familiar sights, like the baseball and softball fields, the Third Street boat launch and parking lot.

In their places are a giant water feature south of Fourth Street, a three level parking garage under Front Avenue, a Grand Plaza courtyard to host markets and public art, and a walking path and steps down to the water near the launch.

In place of the baseball field would be a green pavilion, with a stage at its south end near the base off Tubbs Hill. A pavilion, Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compatible kids play land, and splash pad would be near that. The east side of the park would have more open green space, and tennis, pickle ball courts, a bocce ball field and skate park. Just south of the skate park would be an off-leash dog park.

"I like the skate park," said 26-year-old Randy Norton, who called the plan "exciting."

"I just don't know if I like having a bunch of dogs swarming around nearby," he said.

Reitter, 24, is a former legion baseball player and boater who attended the meeting to see what all the fuss was about. After seeing it, he said he'd be "about a four" on a scale of one to 10 with 10 being excited if he woke up tomorrow and the park was built just as the design showed.

"Basically, I'm getting hosed," he said.

At the forum, 550 surveys for people to fill out and comment on the suggestions were handed out. After the presentation, Team McEuen broke into teams and people discussed the plans with them and others individually. The plan has been posted online at www.mceuenpark.com since Dec. 27. More than 2,000 written suggestions have been turned in via the Web. Some of those were written down on poster-sized paper hung on the wall in the Lake Coeur d'Alene Room.

Those split the middle too. Keep the boat launch, remove the boat launch. Yes, we want a baseball field, no we don't.

"A baseball field is American," one written comment said. "Bocce ball is not."

What's next for Team McEuen is to digest the input and come back for another meeting scheduled for Feb. 3, a week later than originally announced, at a time and bigger place to be named later.

"It shows how important McEuen Field is," said Lori Isenberg, meeting moderator, on the turnout that overflowed from the room.

Costs of the project wasn't supposed to be the topic, as an official bottom line hasn't been estimated. Still, some wondered, great idea or not, how and from whom would the money come?

"I think it's important to point out those concerns," said former mayor Jim Fromm, wondering if they couldn't afford it all, for which parts would they settle.

Overall, Fromm said the plan was grand.

But, "stay the hell off Tubbs Hill," he said. "Leave the hill alone."

Part of the proposal builds up waterfall type features at the west and east entrance to the hill. The east entrance would be a new entrance south of City Hall. From there it would be a wider, ADA hiking path, naturally surfaced, across the north face of Tubbs connecting to the west end. Along the path would be benches, a lookout spot, and launching point for a cleared portion of the hill down which one could sled.

The new path was Gary Duvall's favorite part.

In a wheelchair for five years, Duvall is an active athlete who competes every year in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, and finished two marathons last year. But he can't access Tubbs Hill.

"It's about accessibility, that's what it's all about," he said. "I have a wife and daughter who go to Tubbs Hill and daddy can't go. Guess what? Daddy can go, too."

Filled out surveys can be dropped off or mailed to City Hall at 701 Mullan Ave.