I'm not bothered, as my counterparts at the Coeur d'Alene Press are, that UIdaho is in line to get a sweet lease deal on Spokane River front property this week. Under a proposed agreement with the city of Coeur d'Alene, UI would gain a lease for at least 99 years to the 7 acres where Harbor Center now sits, plus 2.5 other acres adjacent to NIC -- for $1.3 million. The lease fee probably is well below market value. But the expanded presence of UI in CDA is worth it. However, I wonder what will become of the third partner in the education corridor future -- Lewis-Clark State College. LCSC provides more bachelor's degrees than UI in CDA. Yet, there's no mention of the small-college-that-could in the lease agreement scheduled for approval by the City Council and Idaho Board of Education this week. LCSC should have some guarantee of classroom and office space under UI's umbrella. I can see a scenario where UIdaho might be tempted to squeeze LCSC out if UI expands as predicted in Coeur d'Alene. LCSC has scrambled for space as it tries to keep up with higher education demands in North Idaho. Its interests should be protected in the lease agreement.

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