This morning’s local skewspaper, the Coeur d’Alene Press, carried an announcement that on October 8 the City Council will have an open meeting to discuss accepting a white elephant that the Idaho Transportation Department desperately wants to unload on some sucker dumb enough to take it.
Embedded in the City’s version of “truth” and dutifully parroted by an unquestioning Press was the statement, “Annual upkeep on the road would cost the city $13,160, according to the street superintendent, which the department said it could afford.”
This document, obtained from the East Side Highway District, seems to give a more detailed itemization of annual and longer-term costs.
City and County residents in that vicinity should attend the October 8 meeting. They should come armed with precise questions and not accept the expected, “We’ll have to get back to you with an answer on that, ” or “We’re not here to discuss that tonight.”
If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
I have given up any hope of ever receiving the truth from the city.
Comment by up river — October 1, 2012 @ 12:30 pm
The City deceives by only providing partial facts while withholding other very relevant ones. It’s deception by omission.
The City also deceives by limiting the scope of “public meetings” to make it impossible for the public to get a complete picture. So, if on October 8 someone raises the boat launch issue, for example, the City’s hoaxperson Wendy Gabriel may say, “Well, we’re not here tonight to discuss that. We’re here to discuss the road.”
By the way, in the Mayor’s interview last week on KVNI, she bluntly said, “We’re not annexing anyone into the City. That’s not where we’re going with this.” We’ll see if this turns out to be factual or yet another deception.
Comment by Bill — October 1, 2012 @ 2:08 pm
I thought this morning’s Press article was soft and slanted. And whoever wrote it was not listed. The article made it sound like this transaction is no big deal. Kind of like, “nothing to see here; you don’t need to get involved”. Who wrote it and why didn’t they ask some decently serious questions? Here are a few, add some of your own:
–Why would the State want to get rid of this road? (Maybe because it costs so much to maintain?–as usual underestimated by city staff)
–What about that hillside next to the road? Is it stable?
–Is there ANY other reason for the city to take on this white elephant, other than wanting to destroy the 3rd Street Boat Launch and build a brand new one out there?
Comment by mary — October 1, 2012 @ 3:22 pm
Mary,
Good questions. Many more need to be asked before the City takes on this white elephant. How about geological surveys of the area? The Redman Hill area reminds me of Portuguese Bend on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in southern California. As the Simon & Garfunkel song says, “Slip sliding away, slip sliding away. You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away.”
Comment by Bill — October 1, 2012 @ 3:33 pm