Save our crowned jewels

"Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved Paradise and put up a Parking Lot!" - Joni Mitchell

I live across the street from City Park, and walk through it daily. Yet, every time I walk through it, I am in awe of the splendor of those stately trees, and I thank my Creator for them. It is a Historical Arboretum. We are blessed to have been planted here in beautiful Coeur d'Alene, able to enjoy three natural and historic wonders: The Lake, Tubbs Hill, and City Park. They are the crown jewels of our City.

Nonetheless, virtually under our radar, the City has made preliminary plans to pillage and desecrate the northwest corner of City Park, by reconfiguring Mullan Avenue to curve into the park, removing irreplaceable Heritage Trees, as well as the existing public restroom, to build a Parking Lot, right in City Park. We are truly dumbfounded and horrified. Surveying has already begun, and the next step will be marking the trees for destruction. This is actually happening in Tree City USA! Did you know about this?

We are told that this "re-configuration" has been discussed for years. Not so. It was never mentioned in the 2002 Four Corners Plan. Nor was it mentioned in the Dec. 2013 PowerPoint Presentation by the City. No realignment was discussed, only narrowing and softening. The road does not need to be moved. It could be narrowed to two lanes, which would expand the space for parking, on both sides of the road, eliminating the need for the Desecration of City Park.

Many of these plans are funneled through the LCDC, which was the main cash source for McEuen Park. It is an Urban Redevelopment Agency, whose purported purpose is to eliminate Urban Blight. This plan would actually create Urban Blight. Furthermore, City Park is not under the purview of the LCDC, nor are they meant to be a park designing group. They are the trustees of our hard-earned tax dollars, and their sphere of operation is clearly defined by districts.

Many of us have heard that what is driving the immediacy of this plan is the Carousel, which was once on Independence Point. Word has it that the party who is willing to finance it wants it done immediately. It would be part of the reconfiguration plan. We would be pillaging our City Park to make room for an 11 horse Carousel, which would be much more suitably placed and far less destructive in McEuen Park. It would be in an enclosed structure and would not require shade.

In most other cities, the City Government would publish the plans for such a high-impact, expensive plan in the local newspaper, inviting public comment and specifically contacting those homeowners who would be most heavily impacted by the plan. Instead, we are given "informational" meetings, which are mired in architectural drawings and obtuse information which is all but incomprehensible to the people who attend. We wander from station to station, with few people to answer our questions. The meetings should dwell upon one phase at a time, so that we could have all our questions answered, with minimal confusion.

Indeed, we have grown very weary of being asked for our "input," only to have it ignored, while the "Powers That Be" go on blithely spending our tax dollars in order to realize their personal dreams and preferences. If you are concerned about this situation, please speak up! City Park needs our protection! Time and Money march on.

Karen Lawson is a Coeur d'Alene resident.