DSBA working hard to benefit downtown
Since lately there seems to be a paucity of effort to obtain the facts by folks writing about the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association, I will provide you with some so you can be accurate the next time you write letters about the business association and the businesses that make up our town. You are also welcome to come to our office, call, e-mail, or visit our Web site so you can be more informed and we can benefit from your insights and suggestions on how to better run our businesses.
I cannot respond to all of the items you bring up on the wide range of topics. However, I will clear up the most obvious misconceptions under which you are unfortunately formulating your opinions:
1. The DSBA and NICAN are two separate, registered, nonprofit corporations. They both have completely different boards of directors, none of whom serve on both. Perhaps the closest connection one can make between them is the fact that NICAN has an office in the business district and thus must pay their assessment to the city like all the rest of us.
2. The DSBA has never taken a "for" or "against" stance on the Sand Creek highway option since feedback from the more than 400 businesses in the district is pretty much reflective of the rest of the community: 1/3 for it; 1/3 against it; and 1/3 not saying, but wishing the whole argument would all just go away.
3. The DSBA at present has no Realtors, nor anyone directly affiliated with the real estate industry on its elected board of directors. However, we welcome the participation by any member of the district to become informed and be elected like the present representative cross section of our community businesses on the board.
4. The Urban Renewal Agency was created by city resolution and has a board appointed by the mayor of Sandpoint. It is not directly affiliated with the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association other than the fact that there is a proposal on the City Council agenda to expand its boundaries to encompass downtown Sandpoint.
I suggest you attend the city's public information workshops, discuss the proposal with city staff, and if you are a resident of Sandpoint, inform your city council where you stand on the issue.
PIERRE BORDENAVE, President
Downtown Sandpoint
Business Association