Neighbors Say Festival Must Move

Some residents here want to sink the Festival at Sandpoint’s plans for a permanent stage over the Pend Oreille River.

The residents, who have hired an attorney, also want to convince the festival to move its summer concerts away from Memorial Field.

“We are not against the festival. We just simply feel it has outgrown Memorial Field,” Bernie McGovern told City Council members Thursday. “The festival needs to be in an area where it can serve alcohol and park 5,000 cars.”

McGovern and about 40 others at the public hearing on Memorial Field and Lakeview Park said their neighborhood is not the place for the festival anymore.

“All in all, the festival is great, but it really has gotten too large for the facility,” said Sylvia Durand. “Memorial Field was built as a sports field, and that is what it should be maintained as.”

Neighbors who live around the field have complained for years about noise that vibrates windows and traffic and parking problems generated by the festival’s three weeks of concerts.

Last month residents formed the War Memorial Field-Lakeview Park Association to stop the city from granting a long-term lease to the festival.

“Ever-increasing attendance at the festival has been at the expense of the neighborhood,” said attorney Scott Reed.

He told council members they may be liable for any alcohol-related accidents that happen at or after concerts.

Reed also said the festival’s use of the field violates city zoning laws.

“A careful examination of the city code indicates that the festival would not be a permitted use anywhere in the city,” he said. “It would be my hope that you heed the pleas of the … association to eliminate these violations and to direct the festival to seek a more compatible location.”

If the council doesn’t act, Reed said the association has asked him to take other legal action to stop the violations of city code.

Mayor Ron Chaney and City Council members did not respond to citizens’ concerns at the meeting. Chaney said afterward the issue is not just the festival but all uses at Memorial Field.

“There will be no direct action from this meeting,” Chaney said. “But we will consider this input on any future requests for activities at Memorial Field.”

The festival has already signed a lease to hold its concerts at the field this summer. But it appears festival organizers may scrap a proposal for a 10,000-square-foot stage at the site.

Only two residents at the meeting spoke in favor of the festival staying at Memorial Field. Karen Duty, who is a festival board member and lives near the park, said she has more problems with people attending sporting events.

She didn’t deny the festival creates its own set of woes for neighbors, but said those can be fixed.

“I’m glad War Memorial Field was given to the youth of Sandpoint for sporting events, but music is also important to our youth,” Duty said.

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