Changes Coming To Tubbs? Really?

I’m always concerned when the Coeur d’Alene Press takes an editorial stand on something of more substance than “Gee, wasn’t that Fourth of July Parade swell this year?” So I chuckled when I read Editor Mike Patrick’s lecture that change is headed for Tubbs Hill, like it or not. It’s unrealistic, he said, for Tubbs Hill fans to advocate for little or no change to the natural area. Quoth: “The trails themselves need work to be accessible to more people. And if Coeur d’Alene doesn’t take the initiative to make it so, we’re concerned one way or another, the federal government eventually will.” Seems the Press has heard from “those in wheelchairs” and “others who have age-induced difficulties with vision and balance, that they would love to travel Tubbs’ trails, but can’t.” And so on. There is no mention that the paper’s owner has wanted for some time a paved trail to add a dimension of entertainment for his hotel guests. That’s not as compelling as cloaking all this in a concern for the aged and disabled. But it’s more honest. You can see Friday’s editorial here.

Question: Do you think the feds will someday compel Coeur d’Alene to provide handicap access to Tubbs Hill?