Route will only hurt downtown, Sandpoint

I usually do not want to get into a war of words, but Bill Litsinger is so out of touch with reality. After managing many very profitable businesses in my career, I am able to live a comfortable retirement life. Bill Litsinger, as far as marketing skills go, I have forgotten more than you will ever know. You have a small-town mentality that really shows.

Restaurants and other businesses in Sandpoint are way overpriced; $7-$10 for a glass of local wine and $7-$12 for a martini ridiculous, Sandpoint wants a small town appeal but big city prices. Bill Litsinger, have you walked through downtown lately and seen the empty storefronts? Every Sunday, Nils Rosdahl writes a column in the paper about new businesses opening in the Coeur d’Alene area, new ones all the time. When has a new business opened up in Sandpoint; veering traffic away will only hurt more.

Don’t you think that the four gas stations in Sandpoint will see profits fall when traffic is detoured away? I’m trying to keep businesses alive by writing my article. I stand by my prediction that when the new bridge opens businesses will start to see a drop in business. Sandpoint’s population is not big enough to sustain the drop of traffic going through the city.

We need all the help we can get and detouring traffic is not the way to go. Ponderay and Sagle will soon see a boost in their businesses because of there locations, not Sandpoint.

STEVE KRAWCZYK

Sandpoint