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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

McEuen Upgrade Cost $14M Not $40M

The effort to recall Mayor Sandi Bloem and three Coeur d'Alene City Council members -- Deanna Goodlander, Woody McEvers and Mike Kennedy -- may be based on false information, as circulated in a flyer handed out to Republican Women today. The flyer (seen below on this main thread) claims that the four officials have refused to conduct an advisory vote on the "$40 million plan to remake McEuen park." Only the price take on the McEuen Field makeover is a third that much -- at $14.2 million, with half that amount designated to move 5 acres of parking and reconstruct Front Avenue. The $14.2 million figure is also listed on the McEuen Field Web page. Additionally, the city already has the sources designated for funding, including Lake City Development Corp. and the Parks Fund. Mayor Sandi Bloem told me moments ago -- are you ready for this? -- no property tax dollars will be used for the improvements. She also told me that the Recallers should have known the right information before circulating the misinformation at the Republican Women's Club luncheon today.

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D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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