Growth: Don’t sit on the sideline

I have written a couple of letters and have seen others who have written letters regarding the increasing growth in Kootenai County. As the number of people increases and all aspects of the quality of life deteriorate, it becomes more important that people organize and make their voices and desires heard.

Simply writing a few letters to the paper or the commissioners/city council here and there will have no effect on managing the growth and how it affects the average resident. Those profiting from the growth will only laugh and go about developing sardine can tract homes until the prairie is full.

Traffic, which is already congested, will only get worse. Taxes to pay for infrastructure will continue to go up. Landfills will fill up. Water and sewage issues will grow.

The jail will grow and fill with more felony offenders, which will soon require another jail expansion, if not a new jail.

In short, the quality of life will deteriorate to that of other large urban areas.

I don’t want Huetter to become the next U.S. 95, as is being proposed. Take a drive along the east/west roads on the prairie, then north/south on Ramsey, Atlas, Huetter and Meyer. See all of the existing tract developments, the in-progress tract developments, the early stage grading and the large For Sale signs on bare land, which will be the next large tract developments. How many people per unit? How many vehicles per unit? What is the density zoning? It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see the future.

Pay attention to what’s happening and guess who’s going to pay for it. Ask why and/or what is the cause? Did you see the article about the new $30 million DA/Public Defender/judicial building? Why? Increased crime that comes with increased population.

The story about over-growth of Riverside? There are so many issues that are festering and most people feel helpless. Unless some form of "watchdog" groups can monitor what is going on and what's in the pipelines (annexation, large developments, etc.) in the county and individual cities, the average citizen is just going to be steamrolled.

I am not a tech savvy guy, but I set up a Facebook page called Responsible North Idaho Growth. Please go there and make comments and give thoughts on how the growth can be responsibly managed. Indicate if you are willing to become involved.

My goal is to provide a vehicle to bring people together; not just on the group page, but in real life to organize a way to truly affect the decisions of the commissioners, planning and zoning, and others who decide how county growth is managed.

I’m not against growth, but I am against these wall-to-wall developments. I do want those who are reaping excessive windfall profits, while they facilitate the exponential growth, to be responsible for paying for the infrastructure that will be needed to support the growth.

Don’t just whine and walk; nothing will change. If you only complain and are not willing to stand up and be counted at the city council, zoning, and commissioner hearings, then don’t complain in a few years when this place is unrecognizable. It takes large numbers of committed and persistent action by people to effect change.

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Ed DePriest is a Hayden resident.