Event organizers and citizens who attended the April 15 Tax Day Tea Party at Independence Point in Coeur d’Alene had an opportunity to personally see how the City of Coeur d’Alene had wasted about $50,000 of our tax money. The 10′ x 26′ Coeur d’Alene Police and Fire Public Safety Building, so vacuously foisted on taxpayers by Police Captain Steve Childers and City Finance Director Troy Tymesen in March 2008, sat locked and unoccupied at the very kind of event for which they had avowed it was so desperately needed.
In early 2008 at presentations to various City commissions, the LCDC (the city’s urban renewal agency), and the City Council, Childers and Tymesen delivered promises of the many ways the structure would protect the public. Police Chief Wayne Longo, quoted in a Coeur d’Alene Press article said, “This proposal, if approved, would allow for police and fire to respond to public safety concerns in a more expedient manner than before. It also allows for more visibility and interaction with the public.” That same article quoted Fire Chief Kenny Gabriel saying, “The fire department supports this proposal. It would allow for EMTs [Emergency Medical Technicians] to be stationary in the park during the many special events in the summer which allows us to serve the public better.” In his memorandum to City Administrator Wendy Gabriel, Chief Longo added an additional use: “This facility could be used more extensively as a lost child booth.”
The April 15, 2009, Tax Day Tea Party at Independence Point was exactly the kind of event for which this building was supposedly essential. So why was it not opened and staffed? I emailed that question to Police Chief Wayne Longo and Deputy Fire Chief Glenn Lauper.
In his reply Chief Longo said, “The building was not used. I felt that the scope of the event was peaceful, well organized, and responsible. I did not feel that a large police presence was necessary.”
Deputy Chief Lauper’s reply noted, in part, “I understand the substation in the park was manned by the PD for this event. The FD did not have any correspondence from event organizers prior to this event asking for our presence. The FD risk analysis of all available information for this event did not validate a need to pre-position responders and equipment at this location for this event.”
Longo’s and Lauper’s answers are reasonable up to a point. Case by case planning for each event in close coordination with event organizers beforehand would allow both the police and fire department to effectively and efficiently deploy their people. It is perfectly logical that the scope and location of some events would not make it appropriate to use the building. The April 15 event at Independence Point was not such an event. And in any case, that was not what police Captain Childers and Finance Director Tymesen told city officials during their pitch to get the LCDC to fund the substation. Neither Childers nor Tymesen said anything about selective use. Their message to get extraordinary funding was the building was needed immediately and would be used for events in the vicinity.
It is important to remember that even if the City’s advance planning had been flawless, neither the police nor the fire department could predict what public safety and medical emergencies would arise spontaneously at the April 15 event. The public safety building Childers and Tymesen said was so desperately needed in 2008 was approved and funded to allow an on-site presence for delivering a more timely response to spontaneous emergencies associated with activities exactly like the one on April 15. In his March 12, 2008, memorandum to the LCDC, Tymesen said, “This structure would provide the visibility needed at Independence Point and enable police and fire to respond to emergencies in a more expedient fashion.”
Rick Souza’s excellent video of the event and the still photos of it show people ranging in age and physical capabilities. The Coeur d’Alene Press article reporting the event said, “The crowd was primarily middle aged to older…” This was an open public event with unrestricted and uncontrolled access. While the police and fire departments may not have been expecting riots, the potential for a range of public safety issues (pickpockets, purse snatchers, fights, drunks, dog bites, etc.) was there. The April 15 event was at Independence Point and within 250 feet of the building, not across the Park and out of sight. The event was attended by a crowd of 1000-1500 people ranging in age from toddlers to elders. Certainly there was a potential for serious medical emergencies and lost children.
Opening the building would have provided at least two benefits to the City.
First, it would have exposed the volunteers who will staff it to some of the public safety issues that accompany a sizeable event. Again, quoting Chief Longo from an April 6, 2009, post on the City’s weblog, “In addition to patrolling the trail, the COPS volunteers will be manning the public safety building in City Park. This will further enhance our services to the public.” Having the COPS volunteers there on April 15 would have been good training to further enhance their services to the public.
Second, it would have been good public relations for the City. One of the underlying reasons for the Tax Day Tea Party was wasteful spending of tax dollars by government. Instead of drawing attention to its wasteful non-use, the City could and should have opened the building and staffed it with volunteers. By leaving it closed, the City turned what could have been a public relations coup into just another of its public relations foul-ups. Keeping the building closed during exactly the kind of event for which it was purchased with taxpayer dollars illustrated the wasteful governmental spending decried by participants in this and similar events nationwide.
Kootenai County citizens’ tax dollars paid for the Coeur d’Alene Police and Fire Public Safety Building in the Park. The representation made to the taxpayers was this building was necessary. Since the building has been purchased and erected, it is reasonable to expect that the City would use it during these types of events for the safety and security of organizers, participants, and the surrounding community. Keeping it locked and shuttered during this event was the wrong decision.
For the details behind the story of this building, please read the series “Toilet Not Included.” (Some of the links in those stories may no longer be valid.)
Toilet Not Included – Part 1 – Overview of the problem.
Toilet Not Included – Part 2 – The City’s flimsy explanation of why the building was needed immediately in March 2008.
Toilet Not Included – Part 3 – Who benefitted most and least from the City’s putting a precast concrete building in City Park, a building promoted to increase police, fire, and emergency medical presence in the Park during events like the Tax Day Tea Party.
Toilet Not Included – Part 4 – How the City circumvented the normal planning and funding processes intended to reduce wasteful spending.
Toilet Not Included – Part 5 – How the project could have been handled to better benefit the public and agencies while reducing the cost to the taxpayers.
Very interesting point, Bill. Would it have cost the city anything to have the building open and ready to respond to public need during the April 15th gathering?
Comment by mary — April 21, 2009 @ 7:23 am
Mary,
Assuming the building would have been staffed by COPS volunteers or other volunteers, it should not have cost any more. If the police or fire department had staffed it with on-duty personnel without having to pay overtime (e.g., bring in off-duty personnel), it should not have cost any more. Remember, the City and the LCDC funded the building already. According to the information provided by the City, the City was to have paid back its half to the LCDC in February 2009. I don’t know if that happened or not.
Comment by Bill — April 21, 2009 @ 7:50 am
dare, they could get the useless dare officers to rest inside and look like they were working.
Comment by TheWiz — April 21, 2009 @ 8:05 am
Considering that the gathering was geared towards responsible people I think they correctly assumed that the police presence was not needed. What is interesting is that the organizers announced the donated services of a security company. This makes me believe that the city required a certain level of security and intended to charge to group if the city police were used for this purpose. Just a guess.
Comment by Wallypog — April 21, 2009 @ 8:31 am
Thanks for the photo. I have not been down to the park to see this fine structure.
I had fun with it. I cut out the windows and put Tony in one window and the Mayor in the other – over at my place here.
Comment by Stebbijo — April 21, 2009 @ 8:38 am
Wallypog,
You are assuming there was no police presence. I was told there was a police presence, but it was not at the building.
I spoke with the event organizer who said the security company wanted to participate in the event and offered to donate the services of the security officers present. The event organizer told me was no requirement from the city for the organizers to provide security.
Comment by Bill — April 21, 2009 @ 8:45 am
Stebbijo,
Nice photo editing on your site.
The “Hole in One” animated photo is hilarious. (Well, I think so. Hagadone and Barlow may have a different opinion.)
Comment by Bill — April 21, 2009 @ 8:49 am
“the event organizer who said the security company wanted to participate in the event and offered to donate the services of the security officers present….”-bill
these would be the ‘security professional’ that gave mary the estimate of crowd size? no reason to doubt their ‘unbiased’ count, eh? 😉
Comment by raygun — April 21, 2009 @ 8:51 am
Bill… Thanks for the info.
Yesterday it was reported that the city of Post Falls is looking at purchasing an entire building for $50k. It will have plumbing, window panes, a permanent foundation and all sorts of building things. It was also reported that the building was worth twice that amount. That means that the city is working hard to get the most they can for the taxpayers money. Isn’t that refreshing?
Comment by Wallypog — April 21, 2009 @ 8:59 am
Wallypog,
It is refreshing.
I explained why Coeur d’Alene chose a moveable precast concrete structure in Part 5 of my earlier series. There was an even better solution, but it would probably have precluded Childers and Tymesen prostrating themselves in supplication at the altar of the bucket-o-cash to get LCDC money quickly.
Comment by Bill — April 21, 2009 @ 9:18 am
The Hole in One gif gets huge hits every year. I like it too. I told my hubby, I was going to do it, and I started erasing around the green and he just could not stand it and jumped in and worked the rest of it. 🙂
It’s our photo. We took it before the condos went in and it was on an overcast day.
I think Hagadone and the boys might actually like it. We have not heard anything from them.
Comment by Stebbijo — April 21, 2009 @ 9:19 am
Stebbijo,
You and hubby ought to try and market it to Hagadone Corp. to work it into their marketing. That assumes they have a sense of humor…
Comment by Bill — April 21, 2009 @ 9:21 am
Bill,
I have already been doing it for free – unless they want rights to it, and I doubt if they do. I give them a link, I almost forgot this year. Oops. I don’t think I would sell it to them anyway, I doubt if they could afford it. I’ll wait for the lawsuit. 😉
Comment by Stebbijo — April 21, 2009 @ 9:30 am
Wow. What a blown opportunity for the Sitty of Ek-sell-ants. I guess — and this is a stretch — that the structure will be manned ’round the clock for Ironman in a few weeks. I realize that’s a big leap, after all the Ironman people should get something back from the Mayor for their $50,000 donation to the Kroc Center.
Comment by Dan — April 21, 2009 @ 9:41 am
I question the so called donation to the Salvation Army center by Ironman. At a Blockwatch meeting Mayor Bloem stated that she told Ironman to give $50,000 to the center. Shortly thereafter the Ironman contract was signed.
Comment by Susie Snedaker — April 21, 2009 @ 10:03 am
Well, this is all very interesting but apparently the county was concerned about some kind of security risk, as I helped an unmarked sheriff’s car edge its way through the people standing on the roadway leading to the parking area, only to see it stop and park along the curb facing the lake whereupon the driver opened the door and started taking pictures, one after another, of the assembled citizens, law abiding as they were. This was also very interesting, so I thought I would share the snooping by authorities. Maybe someone should see to it that the Sheriff gets all the pictures taken and posted on this web site by private individuals, just to show a spirit of unity with our armed protectors.
Comment by Gary Ingram — April 21, 2009 @ 10:21 am
Gary,
How did you know it was a sheriff’s car? Did you happen to recognize the occupants as sheriff’s employees, or might they have been from some other agency?
Comment by Bill — April 21, 2009 @ 11:06 am
Gary, during the event, two different helicopters flew overhead. People were happy to see them and were pointing and waving. I heard someone say that the second helicopter was from the Sheriff’s dept, but my old eyes couldn’t tell if there was a logo on the side or not. It was all friendly and upbeat. I’d be happy to send Rocky the photos!
Comment by mary — April 21, 2009 @ 11:13 am
Post #17 – The license plate. Can’t recall a uniformed driver.
Post #18 – don’t know nuttin ’bout any helecopters, black or otherwise. Offer Rocky a trade of photos? 🙂
Comment by Gary Ingram — April 21, 2009 @ 5:07 pm
Chief Longo and a couple more uniformed CPD officers watched the event from across the street on the private patio part of the CDA Chamber building.
Comment by Suzanne R. — April 22, 2009 @ 2:02 am
Suzanne,
Thank you for that information. It would have been very unusual for the police to not have a uniformed presence, and I don’t doubt that Longo and his officers picked the most appropriate observation point based on the information they had and their assessment of the event. Public safety resource allocation and deployment for special events and unusual occurrences should be based on the circumstances of each event or occurrence. But that isn’t the story Childers and Tymesen were giving the public, the various city commissions, the City Council, and the LCDC when they were justifying spending $50,000 or so of taxpayers money for the building.
The April 15 event was at Independence Point. It could hardly have been any better positioned to be served by the building. As I noted in my post above:
Yet both the police and fire departments chose not to use it for the April 15 Tax Day Tea Party. That should make people who heard and believed Childers’ and Tymesen’s presentations wonder why the City was pushing so hard to get the building in place at that exact location by Summer 2008. As I noted in Part 3, there were others who stood to benefit directly from the City’s and LCDC’s willingness to spend $50,000 of taxpayer money on the building.
Comment by Bill — April 22, 2009 @ 6:44 am
bill, do you think that everything that is done in the city is done because there is always someone who “stood to benefit directly from the City’s and LCDC’s willingness to spend”?
Comment by raygun — April 22, 2009 @ 8:06 am
Golly, raygun, do you even read this blog?
Comment by Dan — April 22, 2009 @ 8:46 am
i would prefer a definitive answer rather than rely on conjecture.
Comment by raygun — April 22, 2009 @ 11:06 am
But yet you constantly answer yourself with conjecture and obfuscation. Are you really an adult?
Comment by Dan — April 22, 2009 @ 12:49 pm
the original question was:
bill, do you think that everything that is done in the city is done because there is always someone who “stood to benefit directly from the City’s and LCDC’s willingness to spend”?–raygun
the non-answers to the question are:
Golly, raygun, do you even read this blog?–dan
Are you really an adult?–dan
dan what was that comment you had about obfuscation?
Comment by raygun — April 22, 2009 @ 1:54 pm
Quod erat demonstrandum. Damn, boy! You are predictable!
Comment by Dan — April 22, 2009 @ 2:11 pm
You are predictable!-dan
the truth is consistent.
Comment by raygun — April 22, 2009 @ 5:23 pm
the truth is consistent.
Often so are liars and other assorted left wing operatives.
Comment by Pariah — April 22, 2009 @ 6:58 pm
pariah, my friend, i think you have , once again, confused your left and right.
Comment by raygun — April 22, 2009 @ 7:59 pm
Boys, boys, boys…do I have to break up this little fight? Back to the subject at hand, the substation, or get onto a different thread.
Comment by mary — April 22, 2009 @ 9:02 pm
mary, i agree completely. i simply asked bill a straightforward question and was poked and proded by dan and pariah. why can’t people just have a rational discussion?
Comment by raygun — April 23, 2009 @ 6:44 am