PERSPECTIVES
Mayor’s Roundtable: By Mayor Shelby Rognstad Reader Contributor
It has been another busy year for the city of Sandpoint. The city is in a good state. The city started off 2022 by revising its five-year Strategic Plan. The plan focused on prioritizing city resources and balancing commitments across divisions. A number of initiatives were identified to support housing availability and affordability. Included among those were completion of an economic study assessing housing and land use in the city. This assessment, conducted by Leland Consulting, was completed last summer and provided significant insight into land use strategies to encourage more housing, housing affordability and economic development. Also included was a directive to complete the city Comprehensive Land Use Plan update, which has been underway for the past year and should be complete in the coming months. This effort will also help
State of the city — 2023
to meet housing needs and support economic development and quality of life in Sandpoint. Development of a Workforce Housing and Priority Plan was also identified. The city has initiated the process of developing a housing authority to create and implement such a plan, and we expect this process to be picking up steam by summer. The strategic plan called for completion of the Watershed Recreation Plan, which has also been underway over the past year. A draft of the concept trails plan was just completed last week, and will be reviewed by stakeholders and the public before being presented to council for adoption in June. This is an exciting achievement, since the vision to open up the city’s 4,000 acres of forested watershed to recreation has been underway for a decade and will significantly contribute to public access to open space and recreation opportunities. Also ongoing is the updated Urban Area Transportation Plan, which
was also identified as an objective in the Strategic Plan. Lastly, the city initiated a downtown waterfront design competition to cast a vision for a downtown master plan built around the waterfront at Sand Creek and City Beach. Phase 1 was recently completed, in which the top three design teams were selected to move on to Phase 2, which will yield design concepts from each team. The designs will then be vetted by the public and selection jury before a winning concept is submitted to the council for consideration. The winning design team will have the opportunity to negotiate a contract for additional professional services toward a final design. The final master plan aspires to leave a legacy for Sandpoint’s future that plans for responsible growth, implements existing plans, and supports public and private investment consistent with our community values and character. In terms of infrastructure, the city completed the remodel of the
not just polluting the river slowly, it is a powder keg of pollutants waiting to be set off. As Montanans, we have the constitutional right to a “clean and healthful” environment. To achieve this environment the Smurfit site must be dealt with. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must move forward with clean up efforts to remove the toxins from the area and restore the ecosystem. For too long Smurfit has lingered in the background as an impending issue, the slow seepage of toxins into our water has been deemed acceptable and the potential for a flood event that poisons the river further is ignored. For the health of all Montanans — and our environment — the EPA should be actively cleaning Smurfit-Stone to preserve the last best place.
and thinking. A group of parents — activated by a national network — protested the program and convinced the principal to ban the books. One of those banned books was The Hobbit. Now, 30 years later, here in Sandpoint, a small group of people — again activated by a national agenda — is running for county and city board elections. This is a slippery slope. It is politically motivated and funded by those outside of our community. Their agenda is not only to restrict freedom and control access, but also to disrupt and distract. Disruption and distraction are costly and we, as taxpayers, bear the burden. Look no further than the NIC board debacle and what that has cost in dollars, reputation and value of a degree. If we want to protect what we love about North Idaho, we need to vote wisely in every election. On May 16, elect Susan Shea to continue her thoughtful stewardship on the East Bonner County Library Board. Thanks again,
< LTE, con’t from Page 8 > direct her passion toward fixing something that actually is broken, rather than breaking something that is not. The choice couldn’t be more clear. Please vote for Susan Shea on May 16. Katharine Roser Sandpoint
Clark Fork River contains a ‘powder keg of pollutants’… Dear editor, Anyone who’s traveled along the Clark Fork River can easily appreciate its beauty, however its scenic currents are tainted. Just outside of Frenchtown, Mont., the now closed Smurfit-Stone paper pulp mill spouted pollution for 53 years. To the eye the site is crumbling buildings that were once productive, an excess of gravel and crumbling concrete. The problems lie just below the surface. The soil remains contaminated with metals, dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and arsenic. These toxins seep into the Clark Fork through groundwater and are actively contaminating the river, so much so that fish from the river are considered unsafe for consumption. Additionally, the site sits within the Clark Fork’s floodplain. Seasonal flooding can easily tear through Smurfit and drag all of these pollutants into the river, contaminating it even further. In short, the Smurfit-Stone site is
Madalyn Gabel Missoula, Mont.
[Editor’s note: While Frenchtown, Mont. is a long way from the Sandpoint area, the Clark Fork River flows through there before emptying into Lake Pend Oreille. Rivers don’t care much for state boundaries, nor do the issues affecting them.]
Outside groups seeking ‘disruption and distraction’… Dear editor, When my son was in fifth grade, he participated in an accelerated reading program to elevate learning
Kathryn Larson Sagle
There’s no question: Susan Shea for library board… Dear editor, So, there’s an election coming up on May 16 for a position on the library board of trustees, and I want to talk about why Susan Shea is the right person for the job. The library is great
City Council Chambers, city administration building and police station. Funded primarily from American Rescue Plan Act funds, the improvements dramatically improved the customer service experience, and facilitated better working conditions for police personnel and city staff. The city was also able to replace the roof at City Hall, which was needed. The city received one the largest municipal donations in Idaho from the Russell family for construction of the James E. Russell Sports Center at Travers Park. The Russells donated $7.5 million for construction of a multi-use indoor facility located adjacent to the existing tennis courts. This project has been designed and contracted with ground-breaking expected later this spring. The final product will include a new splash pad inclusive playground with plans for expanded skatepark, cycle skills course and pump track. The Strategic Plan called for creation of a five-year capital improvement plan that was completed last year. It was soon followed with an updated rate study to ensure that our utility services are properly funded into the future. Implementation of the street
and sidewalk improvements are underway, as identified in the Multimodal Transportation Master Plan. Council just approved more than $500,000 worth of pavement improvements on Ruth Avenue, Jefferson Avenue and Hickory Street this past Wednesday, April 19. It also approved going to bid for street and sidewalk improvements for improved safety on Division Avenue in front of the high school. Fortunately, voters approved a new local option tax last November, which dramatically increases the city’s streets, sidewalks and pathways budget so improvements like these become possible on an annual basis. Workforce productivity is also a priority outlined in the Strategic Plan. The city is committed to building a performance-oriented, integrated culture with the support of employees who are trained and resilient. Likewise, it is the city’s commitment to support employees who live up to this high standard. The city is fortunate to have attracted and retained such talented, professional staff. The list of accomplishments outlined above attest to the level of productivity and commitment that city staff have maintained.
— we all know it and we all love it. A library doesn’t just become as great as the one we have, though. It takes a lot of hard work by a lot of smart people. Our library budget has been so well balanced that we haven’t needed to raise the levy to fund it for years. That’s incredible, isn’t it? Having an experienced accountant like Susan on the board is how we get to that point. Meanwhile, the library has continued to provide a well-equipped and safe facility for kids in the community and has continued to expand programs and services for all of us. Having a dedicated, diligent, well-respected worker like Susan on the board to work smoothly with the rest of the trustees is how we can have that. Most importantly, our library has a phenomenal collection. I’m always amazed at the variety and depth of our books, movies and music. It really feels like what a library should be: a collection of knowledge from around the world, without barriers or obstacles. Having a staunch defender of free speech and the First Amendment like Susan on the board is how we get to experience that. I don’t think there’s any question: Susan is the right choice for Sandpoint this May.
Dear editor, I’d like to publicly appreciate the work that Susan Shea has done for our library as a member of the board, and to support her reelection, loudly and proudly. We all know about the fantastic facilities, collection and programs. It’s amazing, for a community as small as ours, to have such a wonderful library. I think about that a lot. You know what I don’t ever think about when I think about the library? Drama. Friction. Indecision. We’ve seen what happens when politics and personalities overwhelm priorities at some of our other North Idaho institutions (NIC for example). Our library board works, because all of its members are committed professionals, without agendas, without ulterior motives and with a healthy respect for one another. Susan Shea is an important part of that. For the past six years, she’s earned the respect of the rest of the library board. And you know what? The competent, steady, drama-free leadership that that mutual respect has produced has earned mine. Let’s reelect Susan Shea, and let’s keep our library board focused on what really matters: making sure we always have a library that we can be proud of! Vote for Susan Shea on May 16.
Margaret Mjelde Kootenai
Susan Shea will ensure we retain a library to be proud of…
Lee Christensen Sandpoint April 27, 2023 / R / 9