It's up to us to stop Sand Creek route

Consider this, I, like so many others, grew up on the banks of Sand Creek and have a certain reverence for this place.

Aside from my longings for the old days, it simply seems stupid that we are willing to turn a beautiful and irreplaceable piece of property, which just happens to be located in the middle of town, into a concrete and steel "bywall" (name - courtesy of Larry Smith) which hums like a demon spreading oils and other pollution into the creek/lake, and lit up like hell fire at night. Lovely yellow lights to enjoy with your dinner at Spuds, Trinity, Craggy Ridge, etc.

Why not try to envision what it might be like if the whole area was devoted to recreation. A major park with walk/bike paths, volley ball courts, a skateboard park, dam up the creek in the winter and promote ice skating with concessions and bon fires. Gee, could we do all that? Yep, we could. It's really up to us.

Pressure from the public translates into pressure on our elected officials which translates into pressure on the governor who has the power to stop this insanity. Would it take longer to complete a westside bypass? Probably, but when you consider the alternative, which would be many years of construction bringing Highway 95 up to four lanes (as is currently planned) from Garwood to Kootenai Cutoff Road, the westside bypass might be able to be built more quickly and a lot less disruption to normal traffic patterns.

BILL LEWIS

Sandpoint