Keep Travers Park a park for all

It sounds as if the demise of the existing play area at Travers Park is near, with reports of demolition set to take place soon. The line item for tree demolition alone is a whopping $27,000.

I am livid that the city would spend tax dollars and generous donation dollars killing healthy trees and digging up a big open play area for kids that is so valuable to our community. Why spend the entire $500,000 park budget replacing what you didn’t need to remove? I fully object to this frivolous spending and want to see those dollars spread across all our city parks. I have been asking the city since the day I learned of this ill-advised plan (January 2023) to find a better, more suitable area within the park complex for the new indoor pickleball courts, rather than in the exact same spot as the truly unique and very busy play area. I have pleaded with our elected officials in writing and in person and received no response, no solution. 

The fact that members of this tight-knit community are fighting with each other over indoor pickleball and tennis versus a much-loved children’s play area and shade trees is incredibly sad and was entirely preventable. They are both important. They are both achievable. Not addressing this conflict immediately when community concerns first emerged is causing harm. And while this is much more difficult to address now, it is the city’s responsibility to resolve this conflict, or it will forever be a black eye in our community.

MOLLY McCAHON

Sandpoint