Letters To The Editor

IDAHO VIEWPOINTS

Current commissioners get it right

So, Mary Garrison (Letters, March 12) is surprised at the Bonner County commissioners and their staff director, Diana Gray, for not barging blindly forth with the 911 plan. Never mind that the legal issues raised were discovered by the new commissioners and Gray, and that their legal counsel concurred with their assessment, as did the attorney general’s office.

Even the previous board’s counsel advised them they would have to pass an ordinance of creation prior to an election (documents available at courthouse). Obviously, legalities and proprieties were not standard operating procedure for the past board.

Someone with the intelligence and fortitude to demand that things be done right comes along and folks like Garrison just can’t see the need to change. The commissioners are accused of “tampering with the jail and 911 levies.”

My questions are: Why didn’t they do 911 right in the first place? Why did Steve Klatt, who was the designated liaison to the Jail Facility Advisory Committee, not tell the committee and the public that there were real problems with the jail property zoning and with the sewer LID? Why did he repeatedly and falsely assure them there were no problems? These are the people Garrison should be upset with.

Garrison said she got her information from the newspaper, so I must forgive her for her lack of knowledge. Because, unfortunately, our supposedly totally unbiased reporters do not print what’s really going on, only what they can twist to make our county commissioners look bad. Leslie Allen Blanchard, Idaho

Help, support were terrific

The Trojan Band Boosters thank Kevin Cope, band director at Post Falls High, and all the businesses, parents, students and individuals who helped make the first “Sentimental Journey” a tremendous success.

The crowd was estimated at more than 250 people. During the planning, we were apprehensive about tackling such a huge project. However, we received overwhelming community support. Together, we created something never done before and did it superbly.

Numerous compliments were received. Patrons were impressed with the courtesy and efficiency of the host and hostesses, coat check and refreshment people. The outstanding quality of the music from both bands was greatly appreciated, as were the spotlight dancers. Many parents and students put in long hours to assure that this would be a quality production.

Without the following business support, we would not have been able to sponsor such a successful event: Mr. Tux, Hughes Greenhouse, Tidyman’s, French’s Dry Cleaning, Subway Shop, Schweitzer Farms, Universal Ball Studios-Maria Gonzales, JoAnn Fabrics, Super One, Communications Solutions, Silhouettes Lighting and, last but not least,e Hewlett-Packard’s On the Side band.

On behalf of Boosters Emily Deaver, Mike Deaver, Colleen Kelsey, Vicki Woods, Sandra Clary, Karen and Mark Zurfluh, Michelle Veale, Vicki Erickson and Kathy Getchius, thank you for your help. Dawna Shepard, president Post Falls Trojan Band Boosters

Tap into firsthand knowledge

If the school board wants to know what really went on at Lakes Middle School, then it should ask students who have been there and seen this abuse. Jamie Royer, previous student Coeur d’Alene

Thanks for help on Tubbs Hill

As my last official duty as chairman of Tubbs Hill Inc., I thank the community for its inspiring support of Tubbs Hill following November’s ice storm.

Government agencies, the business community and individuals donated tremendous quantities of time and expertise to plan and execute cleanup of the damage.

Special thanks go to: the U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Department of Lands, Idaho Forest Industries, Wescor Logging, Advanced Forest Systems and Stewardship Forestry.

We are grateful for the hard work of Mark Weadick, John Bruning, John Schwandt, Carol Randall, Sam Conte, Linda Davis, Bonnie England, Dan Frigard, Sherri Lionberger, Doug Welbourn, Bob Rehnborg, Ladd Livingston, Brian Shiplett, Mike Denny, Jim Rickerd, Jim Colla, Craig Foss, Bill Love, Mike Welling and Charlie Johnson.

Tubbs Hill is a symbol of what a great place this is to live as much for its natural beauty as for the community that cares for it. Robert J. Eagan, chairman Tubbs Hill Inc., Coeur d’Alene

SPOKANE MATTERS

Garland Theatre offers matinees daily

Re: Judy Belous’ March 10 letter, “Wanted: Weekday movie matinees.”

Perhaps Belous is new in Spokane and has not heard of the Garland Dollar Theatre, which has operated matinees every single day from about noon through the evening for the past nine years.

It has always been the Garland Theatre’s goal to serve our patrons in the best, most professional way we know how to. One of those important ways is by offering everyone movies daily, rain or shine, big hits or almost unknown movies. We are always there.

Ours is a second-run theater, playing movie hits as soon as they come off first-run houses. There is variety in our programs to satisfy just about any age or taste. So, when the kids are in school and the other theaters are dark, you can find us open, with no plans to change. Paul Quam, manager Garland Theatre, Spokane

OTHER TOPICS

Trees can compromise levee structure

There would probably be less controversy about cutting trees on the levees at St. Maries if more people understood what a levee is.

A levee is not just a pile of dirt; it is a designed, working structure. The center, or core, is constructed of material that will not readily pass water. The river side is constructed of material that will protect the levee from river erosion. The land side is constructed of material that will transport any water that seeps through the core to a level below ground behind the levee.

Under the stress of prolonged flood flows, levees can become saturated. Trees on the levee can fall or slough off, taking out huge amounts of material and possibly leaving root holes in the core.

Loss of material on the river side exposes the levee to erosion from the river. Loss on the land side allows seepage to come out above ground and erode the back side of the levee. Destruction of the levee can progress quite rapidly.

These are just fundamental principles of a levee. Anyone who wants to ignore them should be prepared to compensate for the consequences.

My daughter sandbagged under floodlights during last year’s flood at Dayton, Wash. Vivid in her memory is the sound of trees crashing into the raging river. Robert G. Kress Newport, Wash.

Salinger’s claims preposterous

Pierre Salinger just won’t go away. He is back again with this theory that a U.S. Navy ship shot down TWA Flight 800 last July 17.

I was here in Idaho and I know his assertions are pure bunk. Navy ships that have antiaircraft missiles aboard also have crews of 200 to 500 men. The Navy doesn’t have the ability to intimidate that many sailors into silence. It’s not possible for one man to fire a missile off a Navy vessel without someone else seeing it. It’s not possible for a ship to launch a missile without the whole crew knowing about it.

The airliner was at 13,500 feet when it exploded and far beyond the range of most man-portable missiles. The Boeing 747 is a mammoth jetliner with four engines and it just isn’t believable that a stinger (U.S.-made portable missile, or any other backpack missile) could have blown that liner out of the sky.

The Coast Guard cutter Adak, a 110-foot craft, was near the flight path. It is not armed with missiles. A New York Air National Guard HC-130P air-sea rescue support plane and HH-60G rescue helicopter were in the area. A Navy P-3C antisubmarine patrol aircraft was some 6,000 feet above the airliner’s flight path. None of these aircraft are armed with missiles. Night missile launches are highly visible and the night of July 17 was cloudless. The area off Long Island and farther south is alive with ships and boats, and overflowing with aircraft.

Information in this letter is a matter of public record. The technical information is available in professional journals. Robert B. Hunt Post Falls

Tell how circus animals are treated

Last year a group of people protested cruelty to the animals at the Shrine Circus. They asked people to boycott circuses with animal acts.

The Spokesman-Review ought to check this out when the circus returns. Many of us are interested in learning about how the animals are treated. Roland Cameron Coeur d’Alene

Forest users will pay for privilege

Richard Tingelstad is right in his letter, “Our forests aren’t amusement parks.” Fees for use of public lands are inevitable and can only be increased over time.

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt said in a Senate hearing on Feb. 25 this is the way for the Forest Service to generate revenue needed to maintain public lands. Since he has advocated burning to manage our forests, and since logging, mining and grazing on public lands have been curtailed to the point they are almost nonexistent, what else is left but to charge the public? Gary M. Garrison Kettle Falls, Wash.