Push The Beach Issue We Could All Be Losers

After spending a fairly sleepless night due to some young people high on something other than life and their loud firecrackers at midnight, Jeanne Givens’ comments about Sanders Beach clearly hit me the wrong way last Saturday (“Idaho law clearly states land is not private”).

The headline could just as well have read, “Idaho law clearly states land is not public.” The homeowners own to the summer water level of 2,128 feet, the same as every other property owner around all of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

The beach in front of the Jewett House may be used by the public as long as certain conditions are met, and the area at 12th Street falls under a revocable deed. Again, certain conditions must be met. People like Givens will force the issue to come to a head.

I feel the decision will be in favor of the homeowners even though I would hate to lose the use of the beach. Keep in mind I am speaking of a small minority of the Sanders Beach users, but as they say, “one bad apple …” Every morning as I walk the beach, doing my own litter patrol, I find that some of these people don’t understand or appreciate what the city and landowners do and do not provide.

There is a garbage can at the 12th Street entrance, two in front of the Jewett House and one on Jerry Jaeger’s property. However, the city won’t walk an extra 75 feet to empty the one in front of Jaeger’s house as it is “on private property.”

Most people manage to get their garbage up to the can, but the not-so-nice people leave it where it falls. The entrances to the beach at 12th and 15th streets have become the public’s personal garbage dump. One Post Falls couple was lucky enough to get their checkbook back that they had accidentally thrown out with their fast-food refuse.

Besides having to clean up this litter, the landowners pay exorbitant taxes, have to listen to loud music and foul language and must shoulder the liability involved. The city wants nothing to do with the upkeep of this property, liability, security or provision of acceptable restroom facilities. In fact, the city has turned down opportunities to buy the beach.

The homeowners certainly do not have the City Council wrapped around their little fingers as Givens implies. The city seems to do everything in its power to keep the homeowners from doing anything. They wouldn’t let the Simpsons build a retaining wall, the result being that a large portion of land ended up in the lake during the high floods we had.

As far as I can see, all (excluding Joe Chapman, but that’s another story) have done nothing except beautify the beach for the enjoyment of themselves and the public. I do not know of one homeowner who minds sharing the beach as long as the people are respectful of their property and their airspace.

The city took out the speed bumps when it refinished the road and I can almost guarantee there will be a serious accident, if not a fatality, because of the excessive speeds and joyriding that goes on nightly.

The police do patrol the area periodically but I have never seen a police officer stop and walk down to the beach to see what was happening unless they were specifically called as they were Friday night. Even though the beach officially closes at 10 p.m., there could be numerous cars parked and no one checks to see what is going on.

About half of the street lights do not work (one being hit by a speeding car before it even got to the speed bumps, deflecting off a homeowners fence - an expensive repair job) and that makes for a fairly scary feeling as you’re walking down the street.

If, according to Givens interpretation, “the state, not individuals, holds the title to the beds of navigable waters” then every single beach property on Lake Coeur d’Alene is open to the public. The Sanders Beach and Fort Grounds homeowners are the only ones I know who allow this. If Givens and others really want a definite decision made, then either no one will be allowed to use the beach or we all will have to pay a very high price to the homeowners to buy it.

Remember, there is no such thing as a free lunch - but you’re sure enjoying a free beach and I would like to see it stay that way!