Discovery, not byway, is changing Sandpoint

With NICAN finally abandoning their quest to stop the byway, I thought I would make a final observation on the issue.

Over the course of the debate, it was suggested in this paper and on it’s blog that myself and others in favor of the nyway were out to indeed silence those opposed to the project. This I assure you was not the case. For the most part, individuals in favor of the byway had to rely only on our letters.

NICAN though appeared to have deep enough pockets to pursue the matter over and over again in court to force upon the majority ‘their” interruption of environmental laws.

Liz Sedler contends the waterfront is ruined. I submit that Sand Creek, while slightly narrower, is perfectly navigable and, once the byway and its landscaping is complete, will be very attractive.

I have little doubt that many, perhaps most of NICAN’s members were sincere in their motives, but the patrons of the group didn’t appear to be grassroots, but developers and outsiders such as Steve Potter who saw profit in the east bank as an upscale development which started with the Seasons.

Like it or not, the character of the town began changing a decade ago when we were discovered. The McMansions, gated communities, golf courses along with housing costs so high as to be prohibitive to most locals, was called progress. Well, the byway is one of several steps needed to handle the increased traffic and population their actions have brought.

LAWRENCE FURY

Sandpoint