HMO: Bring Hydro Races Back

HMOffsuite: The most vocal and active folks against bringing the races back to Cda were the environmentalists. They organize and get their people out whether it is spotted owls, whales or certain trees. They were very afraid that the races would cause too many people to be on Tubbs hill and it might damage the shrubs and buttercups. They were the primary reason the vote was against bringing the boats back. Then, a few years later, we had Ice Storm and about 5,000 trees fell down and destroyed all below. Too bad the environmentalists couldn’t defeat mother nature. And, being a tourist town (like it or not) and someone hands you 100,000 visitors on a silver platter, most Cities would do back flips for that. How much does the City and Chamber spend a year trying to get people to come to Cda and spend money? Back in the 60s, there were few hotels and motels to handle the crowds. We do now, at least in the region. (Ironman) Not bringing the races back was short sighted, imo. (2010 SR file photo: David Williams pilots the “Miss Wahoo” during an exhibition on Lake Coeur d’Alene)

Question: Did Coeur d’Alene make a mistake by not allowing hydroplane racing back on Lake Coeur d’Alene?