City must hold developers responsible for actions

Six years ago, the city of Sandpoint and Bonner General Hospital signed an agreement that would protect the residents of the neighborhood around the hospital from the effects of future development and of changing the zoning from Residential A to Professional Office.

Late last fall, the agreement was flagrantly violated by the hospital and a consortium of doctors who built the new medical building on the former Brown property. Several trees were cut down and many other trees trimmed up to 20 feet from the ground. The roots of these trees also were cut on one side so that these 60-foot trees are severely weakened.

All this was done without notifying the city or the surrounding neighbors who are affected by these actions, even though it was explicitly spelled out in the original agreement.

The mayor, certain City Council members as well as the city attorney have failed to take serious action on this matter, again catering to the interests of developers and failing in their responsibility to the ordinary citizen. The city must have developers be accountable for their actions, no matter who they are, and not let them get away with blatant disregard of these agreements.

ERIK DAARSTAD

Sandpoint