Sandi Bloem On Boat Ramp

DFO: You said at a Monday work shop to discuss proposed ITD offer of Lake Coeur d’Alene Drive that the city is no longer pursuing a boat launch at Silver Beach?

Sandi: The council unanimously voted to leave the boat ramp where it is. We’re doing improvements to it and the parking. We have no intention at looking for boat launch in Silver Beach area.

• DFO: Does that mean just for now or for the future?
• Sandi: I would assume if there was a need it could drive someone to look for boat launch in future. I don’t see the city of Coeur d’Alene being the one to own and operate another launch. We’re maintaining one now. I think that’s pretty clear.
• DFO: Wasn’t a boat launch part of the beginning conversation with ITD in the city’s possible acceptance of Lake Coeur d’Alene Drive?
• Sandi: The discussion with ITD was initiated by ITD feeling that they might have a site or way for us to build an alternative launch. At that time, we had not made the decision to leave the launch at McEuen, as we have now. We had looked at alternatives for some of those uses. We looked at old mill site and Silver Beach. But none of those are on the drawing board at all. More below.

• DFO: Some people are always looking for some kind of conspiracy re: the city springing something on them. Do they have any leg to stand on re: this issue?
• Sandi: Absolutely not. The danger of conspiracy thinking is that it clouds good decision making on what we should be looking at. Like the trade with ITD. Conspiracy theories can cloud the ability of making a good decision. This trade has nothing to do with annexation or the launch.
• DFO: There’s been some talk of maybe pulling back on the compromise re: boat-trailer parking along Front Avenue in the future McEuen Field. Is that a possibility?
• Sandi : That was a question at the last work shop that we had, primarily due to extra cost that we’re going to incur. There was no other discussion there or since that I’m aware of.