Community input welcomed, appreciated
I remember as a child when my mother would say, “Gloria, we need to talk.” I knew intuitively that it was time to respond “Yes, Mother” sit up and listen with rapt attention because something profound was about to happen that would result in a major change in my universe. Although it has been more than 30 years since I left home, I had one of those moments today. Nothing to do with my mother, who now lives 2,500 miles away, but I got a phone call from Phoebe.
“Are you Gloria Warnick?” She asked. “I read your column today. I have a few corrections I need to discuss with you.”
“OK,” I replied, my mind flashing back in time to those conversations with my mother. I don’t know what fragrance Phoebe wears but my Southern roots imagined the scent of lavender wafting over the phone lines. “What’s on your mind?”
“Well, Duane Hagadone does not give the Fourth of July fireworks display to our city,” she said. “He gives the Christmas ones, but the red, white and blue fireworks of the Fourth of July are paid for by the Chamber of Commerce and the members of our community.” Phoebe then told me that she and many community members send in $25 checks annually for this event. I smacked my forehead. What had I been thinking? How many times have we stuffed a few dollars into a jar or a boot being circulated among the crowd waiting for the fireworks? We love the Fourth of July fireworks. We love sitting on the sea wall in the city park and we actually enjoy the crowds – for that one night.
But Phoebe and I had more to talk about. Phoebe wanted to know what was going on with the Independence Point parking lot by our beautiful park. She has doctor’s orders to walk each day and she goes to the park to do this because she feels safe there. Until recently the parking has been free. Now a sign at the entrance announces that the parking lot is run by Diamond Parking Services and the cost to park is $1 for the first hour and 50 cents for each hour after.
City Financial Director, Troy Tymensen confirms that is correct per Coeur d’Alene Resolution No. 05-03 found at www.cdaid.org. The resolution allows for parking fees from Memorial Day to Labor Day to make the parking more accessible to the throngs of tourists during the summer. The parking lot with the boat launch on the east side of the resort is free for the first two hours and the parking lot by the Museum of North Idaho at 115 Northwest Boulevard is free for the first hour. So now if this is as clear as mud to you as it is to me, well, congratulations.
The thing I know the most is that I love the city park, and the community members I have spoken to love this park also. We especially love feeling safe there. But we also love our free parking.
As Phoebe and I ended our conversation I thanked her for calling. She wondered aloud if I was truly grateful for being corrected. I tried to assure her that I appreciated her input. Just as I’ve come to respect my mother’s wisdom and counsel over the years, I truly respect the advice and counsel of members of this community.
After the phone call I floated into my husband’s office. “I just had my first community member phone call,” I said. “It was actually delightful.”
As we talked, I thought about the balmy night not many days ago when we sat by the lakeshore waiting for the fireworks. I wondered how many boats rocked on the blue-green waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene this year.
Listening to the Air National Guard band of the Northwest play patriotic songs, I appreciated hearing “The Star Spangled Banner.” I always get teary-eyed when I hear the national anthem of my republic.
Last week, while doing some family history research, I found the name of a cousin who had been killed June 9, 1944, on the beach of Normandy, France. I got teary-eyed when I realized what the dates and place beside his name meant. All I have to offer him and the valiant men and women now fighting in Iraq and other places in this world are two silent little words – thank you. Thank you. And thank you again. I really can’t say them enough. They are just two little words and they can’t possibly convey the depth of my feelings, but they are all I’ve got.
So let me try again. Thank you dear cousin. Thank you Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce and all of the businesses and individuals who help pay for the Independence Day Fireworks. And especially, thank you, Phoebe. A waft of lavender, a sparkle of fireworks and a peaceful stroll – from your free parking lot – through our beautiful city park