Economic Growth Needs To Be Managed Sensibly

Gov. Kempthorne is wise in focusing Idaho’s economic development efforts on rural Idaho. While a majority of our more urban areas continues to bask in the warmth of ongoing economic fortune, we must not lose sight of the plight of those communities yet struggling to create jobs and wealth.

Coeur d’Alene, Boise, Pocatello, Idaho Falls and many of the other population centers of the Gem State are more than holding their own with growing, often-times thriving economies. Conversely, there is double the number of Idaho communities where jobs are nearly nonexistent, and the future looks bleak. Most of these less prosperous communities are very near, if not adjacent to the more affluent areas.

While most areas of Kootenai County seem to be prospering, the same cannot be said for our neighboring counties. Importantly, in joining with our neighbors to assist each in building their economies we ultimately will serve our own economic fortune.

Projections are that Kootenai County will continue to experience explosive growth into the near future. Our ability to serve the growth very soon will be strained to the breaking point. The need for an expanded jail is but the latest in what will become a severe strain on infrastructure in Kootenai County.

Along with prudent planning for growth, we need to expand our own horizons and look to the north, south and east for room to grow sensibly. We need to plan now to create less strain on our finite infrastructure. In doing so, we will serve the best interests of the people of Kootenai County, their quality of life, their opportunity and their environment. The basic elements for this growth are, for the most part, in place.

To the north, Sandpoint has the makings for a substantial expansion of its already successful tourism base. International companies like Coldwater Creek have proven that Bonner County can sustain a strong employment base. Still further north, Bonners Ferry and the Kootenai Tribe have shown with their successful casino and hotel that Boundary County can sustain growth and jobs.

To the south, a figurative string needs to be tied from Moscow to Coeur d’Alene, and our ties to the University of Idaho tightened. Technology transfer from the UI is a real and viable option to expand our manufacturing base in rural North Idaho. Towns like Worley, Plummer and Potlatch are naturals for light manufacturing and value-added agricultural jobs.

The most obvious and most accessible link for growth out of Kootenai County is to the east, along the Interstate 90 corridor in the Silver Valley. While our growth north and south is challenged by the dreadful condition of U.S. Highway 95, no such challenge exists to the east.

An unfortunate fact is that one person could leave Sandpoint at the exact same time another leaves Wallace. The person leaving Wallace, having driven further, would arrive in Coeur d’Alene sooner. More important, the person travelling from Wallace has a much better chance of arriving in one piece.

Interstate 90, a divided four-lane highway, is a natural trade corridor. It runs the width of the United States, and is easily accessible to and from major north/south routes. The valley, from the Fourth of July Pass to Lookout Pass, boasts superior sources of water and power. The Silver Valley also has a work force with a work ethic that larger, more successful communities are laboring to create.

While the future continues to look bright for Kootenai County, the sun that is creating that light is rising in the east, peeking over Fourth of July Pass. The wise planners, developers and community leaders in Kootenai County will seek the light and follow its glow as it washes over all of North Idaho.