It’d be great for Handle to have voice in Billetz

A new year always brings hope for new things or positive change.

So I’ll jump on the crowded bandwagon and offer my two cents’ worth on a few subjects.

“I’m rooting for John Billetz in the who’s-going-to-replace Bill Young sweepstakes. The Post Falls Principal would be the perfect choice as the next executive director of the Idaho High School Activities Association for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is probably selfish – the fact that his most recent job has had him in Post Falls the past 11 years.

It would be nice to see the next mouthpiece of the IHSAA have more regard for North Idaho. That’s in no way to say that Young hasn’t had any regard for North Idaho. It will be difficult to replace Young. He has stood up for the youth of all of Idaho, not just those more closely rooted to Boise.

That’s not to say that the other candidates, Gerry Nutt and Bob Ranells, wouldn’t lend an ear to our region either. I think those gentlemen would also do their best to fill Young’s huge shoes. But Billetz is one of us, friends. He knows the Panhandle. He knows that the roads to southern Idaho go both ways – although if he’s like me he does much more flying than driving when it comes to trips to any points south of Lewiston.

Of the three candidates, Billetz has the most experience throughout Idaho. He worked in the District IV area (Twin Falls and vicinity) for several years as a teacher, head football coach, athletic director and principal before landing in Post Falls. Early in his career, Billetz did his graduate work at Idaho State University in Pocatello after graduating from the University of West Virginia.

The other candidates have spent the majority of their educational careers in District III (Boise area).

So if this column happens to make its way to Boise before the Jan. 17 interviews, let it be known that I cast my vote, without reservation, for Billetz.

“If Billetz could hire an underdirector (similar to an undersheriff), I’d nominate Lewiston athletic director Ken Krahn in a heartbeat.

Now when it comes to tact, Krahn sometimes is more like the proverbial bull in a china shop. You may remember his stance on the splitting of state’s biggest schools into two classifications, thus creating 5A and 4A. He said that when it comes to activities, Idaho has a won’t-leave-any-kid-behind attitude.

Krahn retired this year from officiating men’s college basketball games. So he has a little more time on his hands to tackle the big issues confronting the IHSAA.

Although it’s unlikely that it would happen, Krahn somehow should get a term as an IHSAA board member. He doesn’t have all the answers, but his opinions on various issues should be heard and discussed.

“It sounds like the city of Sandpoint and Sandpoint High School are working on a resolution of the decayed bleachers at Barlow Stadium. You may recall that the city has condemned the wooden bleachers at the football/soccer/baseball complex and will not allow future athletic events as things stand now.

The city reportedly will allow one more graduation ceremony at Barlow Stadium this spring before tearing down the bleachers.

Sandpoint athletic director Cheryl Klein said that portable bleachers could be brought in for next fall if a permanent solution can’t be reached. She said the city and school district will look into the possibility of building new bleachers, but she said the school district can’t offer any money at this point because the district is in the middle of a two-year levy.

So Klein is working on the premise that football games will be played at Barlow Stadium next year. She said it’s paramount that the school plays host to games at the site because the school’s budget can’t afford the loss of revenue from home games. The suggested option of playing home games elsewhere isn’t an option as far as she’s concerned.

She makes a good point. I can’t imagine a fall without football on the banks of Lake Pend Oreille. If you’ve driven across the Long Bridge headed to Sandpoint on a Friday evening and seen the lights reflecting off the lake, you’ll know what I mean.

Sandpoint business patrons aren’t about to let the games be scheduled elsewhere, either. I know I drop a couple of bucks in Sandpoint when I’m scheduled to cover a game there. A couple of my all-time favorite restaurants are in Sandpoint.