Fine time for a rally
An opportunity has arrived on North Idaho's doorstep. We have a chance to work together for a worthwhile goal.
As The Press reported Thursday, a business promising more than 100 health care jobs and a $7 million facility says it has landed in a bureaucratic maze. Advanced Health Care Corporation officials say that after two years of preparation, they learned only this week that getting licensed could take another two years. And that, they say, is a deal breaker.
It's a complicated story, but in essence, a company wants to build here, create temporary construction jobs and permanent health care jobs. The state's Department of Health and Welfare, instrumental in the licensing process, says it's somewhat handcuffed by federal regulations, but also by a lack of manpower within the department. Bottom line: Breaking ground at Riverstone is either dead or it's on life support, and nobody anywhere on down the communication line looks good.
We're in no position to say where the biggest hunks of blame should reside. Did the business do its due diligence over the past two years? Is Health and Welfare trying to leverage a hot political potato to its advantage? And is the federal government - read, President Obama & Co. - stifling private enterprise through overregulation?
Well, violins are screeching, cymbals are crashing and horns are honking, but this sounds like sweet music to us. In the hours after the Press story broke, we've seen North Idahoans rally, and it's an inspiring sight.
Steve Griffitts, president of the region's economic development agency, Jobs Plus, dropped everything and flew to Boise, where he could join the battle on the front lines. Local legislators - Sen. John Goedde and Rep. Frank Henderson in particular - were working with the governor's office and Health and Welfare. They also were reaching out for possible assistance from Idaho's congressional delegation, just in case help from the federal end might be needed. And Coeur d'Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer was key in mustering the appropriate forces for the potential greater economic good of the region.
Issues like wolf population and guns on campus and Common Core all have their time and place. Good people are passionate about these issues, but the subject matter tends to divide us.
Pulling together for a potential boost in jobs and a boon to the local economy, on the other hand, brings out the very best.
No matter how this one plays out - and layers upon layers of facts still need to be sorted - North Idaho is engaged in a test of our collective ability to conquer through cooperation. That can only serve the region well in the long run.