Memorial Field entryway needs changing

As the construction of the new Memorial Field/Barlow Stadium grandstand has begun, it is time for more community input about the entryway that is being planned before it is too late. When this process began in 2011, the all-volunteer Friends of Memorial Field made a strong effort to find out what our community wanted. They held four open public meetings, presented different concepts, and chose the one more people preferred, which was the plan most similar to the grandstand that is being replaced. There was no mention of a huge entryway and, in fact, there was talk of west entry through Lakeview Park.

Then, in August 2013, the Sandpoint City Council approved the grandstand design and took it over as a city project. This opened the door for the Memorial Field renovation to be funded with the local 1 percent sales tax that was approved in November 2015’s general election.

I agree with the grandstand design and funding it with the local sales tax. Our community had input and voted to decide. But, somewhere in the process, a huge entryway was added to the project, including three large four-foot by 20-foot brick towers and 9-foot lockable gates. The first drawings that the public saw of this were presented in May 2016, only one week before the City Council was voting to approve the final plan. There were no public meetings or newspaper articles to let Sandpoint know what was coming and no other options for the public to chose from .

If this is allowed to happen, the entry to Memorial Field will look like a penitentiary. This is a city park and should always be open and welcoming to our community. The entrance should be just that, not a barricade to the public that paid for it. I spent seven months trying to communicate with City Hall about this and was always told that they were waiting for final drawings. I was finally invited to meet with our mayor on Dec. 13, only to be told that it was too late and there is nothing I can do about it.

I think there is something our town can do about it, but the city won’t listen to just me. I invite you to visit a Facebook page that my children helped me make: Concerned Citizens of Memorial Field. Look at the four pictures contained there and contact the Sandpoint City Hall with your opinion. Do this soon or, as the mayor said, you will be too late.

ROB HARRISON

Sandpoint