To handle growth requires innovation

Kootenai County, it's time to face facts about our wonderful rural life. It’s not rural anymore.

Its demise really began in 1948 when our 900 school districts were consolidated into 90. It was exacerbated when the old pier at City Park burned down and The Resort arrived.

Then our prairie farmers were told not to burn their fields so they started selling their land. The final nail in the rural life occurred when my favorite entrepreneur and philanthropist in Kootenai County built a new store in Athol that rivals any west of the Cascades, and to top it off he put in a hardware store. Just wish I was as smart as Ron.

We need to face the fact that rural KC ended when our kids stopped smelling like cow manure when they went to school.

It’s time for KC to face these facts as we move forward to face our future.

We need to look at streamlining our county administration, school districts and fire districts. Commissioner Bill Brooks has a great idea about hiring a county manager to provide continuity and stability for our elected commissioners. We really need to focus on growth (population and jobs), infrastructure and education. And don’t forget we are still dealing with a pandemic!

In 10 years we will have 200,000 or more living in Kootenai County.

We have already seen that our state legislators are not even looking at the future facing us and our county.

It’s time for all of us to come together for our future and our children’s future. It’s time for bold initiatives and innovative changes.

It’s time for Kootenai County and its leadership to act in conjunction with our cities and towns to execute that mission and for all of us to pitch in.

NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT, NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT, DUTY FIRST.

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Skip Jiru is a resident of Athol.