City based opinion on 1993 advisory vote

An advisory election was held March 1 through March 5, 1993 regarding an alternative traffic route. Polls were open for 48 hours — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and one evening until 8 p.m. Deputy Clerk Gloria Schauwecker and I staffed the polling place located at old city hall in a handicapped accessible area. All voters signed the poll book.

The ballot offered the following choices with votes cast as noted:

Sand Creek, 4 lane — 278 37.22%

Sand Creek, 2 lane — 242 32.40%

West side — 88 11.78%

Great Northern — 69 9.24%

None of the above — 56 7.50%

Through town couplet — 5 .67%

Other — 3 .40%

Written-in choices:

Burlington Northern — 2 .27%

5th and Pine — 1 .13%

Northern Pacific — 1 .13%

Laclede/HooDoo Valley — 1 .13%

Abandoned railroad corridor — 1 .13%

On March 15, 1993, the City Council determined that the combined vote for a Sand Creek route was "an overwhelming endorsement" and challenged ITD "to fulfill its promise to move forward with all due speed to plan and build an alternative traffic route for Sandpoint using the Sand Creek corridor."

Resolution 93-07 was signed by Mayor Dwight Sheffler and unanimously endorsed by councilmembers Ray Miller, Bob Larimer, Josephine Hanson, Marvin Vandenberg and Dennis Coats. Councilman David Sawyer was absent.

The signed poll books were transferred by the City Council to the Bonner County Historical Society Museum on Nov. 21, 2001.

Hopefully this information will put to rest any further questions regarding the 1994 vote.

HELEN M. NEWTON

Sandpoint City Clerk

since Aug. 1, 1981