JohnA: I drove the corridor yesterday and it is really something. One can begin to realize the dream the city had in the mid-90s to create a dynamic college district on the lake. It could only be a dream then, some 15 years ago. Those were the days before the U of I or Lewis and Clark State College were on the scene and LCDC did not yet exist. The mill was in full operation, with log booms on the horizon from Harrison to the Spokane River. Nearby, a former restaurant and lounge had become city offices for the water and wastewater operations. The plant for the latter had been expanded to allow 2,500 new hookups, mandated by the State to remove the septic tanks all over town that posed a risk to the Rathdrum Aquifer. The road from NIC onto Northwest Boulevard had become an entrance-only access, following the tragic death of a young co-ed at the intersection, so the only way out was winding through the maze of roads by City Park. (2008 SR file photo of Mayor Sandi Bloem addressing NIC's plans to purchase the 17-acre DeArmond mill site for an Education Corridor) More below

Question: Have you driven or ridden the Education Corridor yet? Impression?

The footprint for the college was so small that a ball field for the baseball team had been eliminated, along with the team. It truly seemed like it would take a lifetime to figure it all out.

Now, we are there. From a gleaming new entrance, fully signalized at Hubbard, the road leads past a nicely-disguised wastewater plant all the way to the college. Offering vistas that stretch to the river, one can dream now of buildings bustling with students, faculty and staff. No longer burdened with leaving town to pursue a four-year degree, our children can also look to the day after graduation when good, local jobs abound.

Fifteen years isn’t that long, after all, to see a dream come true.