Rognstad: LOT may help prevent unhealthy lifestyles
A mechanical failure caused partially treated water to be distributed by the Sand Creek water treatment plant in mid-July.
SANDPOINT — Mayor Shelby Rognstad said Idaho’s COVID-19 surge as a major reason for the necessity of a 1% local option tax to vitalize Sandpoint’s park and recreation to reinforce healthy lifestyle and mental health.
As reported by the Panhandle Health District and other Idaho agencies, Idaho has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation, said Rognstad, adding that the state could have reached herd immunity collectively as a community, if that magic 70% vaccination rate had been hit.
“So I can't imagine how frustrating it must be as a healthcare worker treating people day in and day out. watching people die, like never before in their career, particularly because this is all preventable,” Rognstad said.
Rognstad then asked what everyone else is, how is a local option tax relevant at this time. He said he has heard many in the public asking this.
Over 650,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. Nearly a million people died last year from premature lifestyle risk factors, said Rognstad. He went on to cite that every year a million people die of addiction, inactivity and poor nutrition.
“That's an epidemic. But all the headlines right now is COVID, not the million people that died last year from also preventable diseases,” said Rognstad. “I'm talking about heart disease, the number one killer in America, almost twice as many as COVID.”
The mayor reminded those present that Idaho is one of the leaders in the nation for youth suicide and depression, which has impacted the community time and again.
The decision to approve the LOT can encourage that kind of healthy lifestyle in the community. It is all about providing access to healthy activities to the citizens of Sandpoint and Bonner County, Rognstad said.
In response, Councilman Joel Aispuro said he wanted to speak on behalf of those who struggle with mental health and could be offended by the mayor’s words.
Aispuro said he’s never heard from the pulpit about anybody caring about addictions or suicide and, for all of a sudden, mental health comes up not out of concern, but as a push for a tax.
Although he agreed with the need for open space and parks, Aispuro said he did not think that these projects would necessarily help those who are struggling with addiction, anxiety, depression or physical and or sexual abuse.
“[Solving mental health struggles] comes down to being a parent, being involved, valuing, hearing and understanding your children and their fears,” Aispuro said “That is how, in a big way more than open space, you're going to change the world in mental health.”
While he doesn’t disagree about the need for open spaces or the connectivity that comes with it, Aispuro said he disagreed with the mayor’s claims that parks and playgrounds would positively affect these issues.
Rognstad apologized if he had offended anyone, but said he was firm in the belief that it is the council’s best interest to provide and promote community health.
An article for Friday will go into detail on the LOT that will appear on the November ballot.