Buildings are great part of community's heritage

In the Aug. 11 letters section John Howard's spiteful reply to Linda Ousley's letter about not tearing down our old landmarks badly distorts the meaning of her letter. Also, by implication, he accuses her of not knowing what she's talking about. As a friend of Linda's, and as a "genuine native" of this area — having been born and raised just outside of Sandpoint, I have some knowledge on both of these things.

Linda and her husband, Paul, are the kind of people who would be an asset to any community. Linda is a really nice, non-pushy kind of person. They moved to Sandpoint because they liked the small-town atmosphere and to get away from the runaway urban development where they were living. They saw what was happening there, and Linda doesn't like to see the same thing here. Neither do I.

Progress is inevitable, and often good, but it shouldn't take away all our old landmarks, the things that made us what we are, and remind us of our history — where we came from. In Port Orchard, Wash., they took an old mill, three stories high, and turned it into a series of small shops with all the rough old beams and stairways still there. It has a lot of character. Locals and tourists alike love it.

I was really disappointed when the old Farmin school on Second Avenue was torn down to make room for a new bank. There was so much history there. My mother was in the first group to attend high school in it. I went there in first through eighth grades. It was a neat building. What was my high school, the beautiful brick building on Pine and Euclid, is now empty and boarded up. The beautiful old brick house that belonged to one of our first bankers, Mr. VonCannon, was torn down for the hospital's expansion. I miss the old Methodist Church building, where I went as a kid. Another bank sits on its site.

Now I hear rumors that "they" are thinking of doing away with Foster's Crossing. I hope not! Thankfully, the old post office building on Second Avenue and the depot the other side of Sand Creek are still here. These old buildings not only remind us of our past, but they have a lot of character, so different from the new "box" stores. They don't have to be firetraps. They can be safe and attractive. I don't want Sandpoint to look just like Anywhere, USA. Let's work to keep our small town heritage.

EVALYN FINNEY

Sandpoint