HYDROS: A pain in the ears

Fun for everyone! Not entirely. This was our experience — Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive is a small, narrow, limited access road that many of us must use to get to and from our homes. Getting through from either end meant delays of up to 45 minutes. This caused considerable stress for all of us but especially our neighbors who must get to work. Having the races in this area makes no sense.

The congestion caused by all the large equipment and vehicles was unbelievable. The county commissioners gave approval for this without input from those impacted the most.

We had very limited use of our own dock, neighbors were yelled at for trying to use theirs. We weren’t allowed to swim off our dock, and putting our boat in was impossible. This on the last long weekend of the year! Does the county really have the right to limit our use of our own property?

Because sound travels up, the noise level at our house was terrible and when the vintage boats were going the noise was physically painful. My wife and I spent the three days almost entirely indoors, with the windows closed. We felt like virtual prisoners in our home. Our normal holiday weekend of having friends over for a barbecue or enjoying time on the lake was forfeited.

It was suggested to us by Mr. Miller that the city needed the income generated by this event and our inconvenience was worth it. If the merchants in town are happily sharing the profits of this event they should have the inconvenience also.

Why not have the race in town where there is much more room? Unfortunately for us we hear that the city wanted no part of it, being wise enough to remember the past history of the race.

Merchants would be better served by the influx of people who come to Coeur d’Alene to enjoy the lake, the pleasant environment and the recreational opportunities. This is why I and my parents before me chose to live here and what makes Coeur d’Alene an attractive destination — not fast boats and loud noise. This event detracts from our otherwise beautiful city.

JOHN O. KILDOW, MD, and MARTHA F. KILDOW

Coeur d’Alene