McEUEN: Unveil 10-year-old plan

I was happy to see the decision to not put McEuen to a public vote for two reasons. The first is that not once has anyone proposed what said vote would look like. Approving any such open ended vote is dangerous at best and disastrous at worst. Which brings me to reason No. 2. Over the decades I have seen more than one issue/ballot decided by emotion that didn't benefit Coeur d'Alene in the long run. 

Opening the "advisory vote" can of worms might set a precedent that could lead to the calling for a vote on any issue any segment of the community doesn't like. This is costly and could prevent or delay things as simple as infrastructure improvement and maintenance.

But the main point of this letter (and I know some of you can see this coming) is the same question that I've been asking for almost two years, starting the night the McEuen issue was brought to the forefront, again.

A decade ago a conceptual plan for McEuen was unanimously accepted by the City Council. That plan was created by the council-appointed "Committee of Nine." From that committee came the Seven Values which still dictate any and all decisions regarding McEuen. The plan was achieved by the committee through great public input. Besides meeting with groups directly related to McEuen such as American Legion, boaters and the tennis association, public workshops were held where citizens participated "hands-on" using maps and questionnaires encouraging ideas driven by them, not the committee.

The question I asked that first night and have been asking ever since is, what happened to that plan? Why has it never been presented to the public as an option or for a point of reference?

In the Dec. 18 Coeur d'Alene Press council meeting report it was stated the planning process on the park could pick back up and a more compromised plan could be crafted. NOW you want a compromised plan? There was a plan derived from public input 10 years ago. Admittedly, it wasn't a perfect plan but that's why it was called a concept.

To have brushed away a plan that came directly from public input while yet another (closed) committee was created to spend more money to come up with a concept that has divided this community is beyond belief.

Yes, I've asked this before and I am asking it again. I'll be there at the next council meeting for an answer.

DAVE WALKER

Coeur d'Alene