Ironman expenses bother Post Falls

Post Falls wants Ironman to pay for the salaries and extra costs the city will have when the bike portion of the race cruises through town.

Police Chief Cliff Hayes estimates it will cost Post Falls police, street, parks and water departments an extra $10,142 to staff the world-class event June 27.

The Post Falls City Council will decide tonight whether to ask Ironman for reimbursement.

Last year, Ironman and the Coeur d’Alene Area Chamber of Commerce agreed to pay Post Falls $9,000, provide a shuttle bus service and give the city a 30-second national television spot in exchange for allowing a large section of the bike race to use city streets.

“I’m kind of concerned that the taxpayers of this community are being held responsible for the expenses of a for-profit company,” Hayes said.

Jonathan Coe of the Coeur d’Alene Area Chamber of Commerce wasn’t available for comment Monday.

Hayes said it cost Post Falls $15,000 last year to put on the event, and the $9,000 helped offset those costs.

This year, he said, the police department will spend about $4,000 for 17 employees to work an average of 9.82 hours. Six employees are needed from the street department for traffic control and street sweeping, which could cost about $2,210. The parks department expects to have 10 employees helping with traffic control, costing $2,651. The water department plans to spend an extra $550.

During the planning stages of last year’s inaugural Ironman, Post Falls felt skipped over. Even though a large part of the bike race was on Post Falls streets, some city officials said the River City wasn’t getting its share of publicity of the $7 million the world-class triathlon was expected to generate.

That’s why Post Falls asked for some reimbursement.

The grueling course circles from downtown Coeur d’Alene, through Post Falls to Liberty Lake and back to Sherman Avenue. It includes a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2 mile run.

The 6 p.m. council meeting is at City Hall, 408 N. Spokane St. For more information, call 773-3511.