Use impact fees to fund Memorial Field repairs

Regarding Daily Bee Managing Editor Caroline Lobsinger's view that the city of Sandpoint should move repairs at Memorial Field to the top of its to-do list, she hit it right on the head.

Since credit for Memorial Field's development belongs to the Bulldog Bench for honchoing the program and the city had assumed control of same, the city should take their responsibility seriously. Shifting the taxes raised by the school district to this project instead of using city levied is the usual bullet-dodging trick used by politicians.

With a wee bit of energy, time and incentive, city leaders ought to get a private group together and get on with the job. After all, the activities at Memorial Field are heralded by the city as a reason to bring the tourist trade for city benefit, not the school district's.

Another source of funds which has not been utilized, and should have been years ago, is the impact fee. My brother in law fled San Diego, where he says a two-bedroom house has a $30,000 impact fee paid before any dirt is moved. A three-bedroom house has a $40,000 fee and a four-bedroom house $50,000 fee, in addition to all the other usual miscellaneous departmental fees. That kind of revenue would sure fix up Memorial Field as well as fund a bunch of those "feel-good" ideas in the hopper. Of course we would have have to find some elected officials with fortitude and foresight to get their job done properly.

PETER D. HERAPER

Sandpoint