BAYVIEW, Idaho — Bayview is gearing up for a grand Fourth of July celebration this summer, but road closures are raising concerns among residents.
Mark Lewis, moved to Bayview for his retirement. He says Fourth of July celebrations, are essential to Bayview’s survival.
“Our town quadruples in size,” Lewis explained. “People are parking in every square inch of land they could find, they do a fireworks show over the bay. and it’s just a good old fashioned Fourth of July celebration.”
The festivities, reminding him of vintage America.
“It reminds me of a lot of America in the 1930s 40s 50s. It’s very old school and very small town,” Lewis said.
However, this year’s event, to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary, is expected to be even larger.
The road closure, potentially effecting traffic in and out of Bayview.
“The businesses here are going to bear the brunt of it going into the highest season that basically helps our village survive,” Lewis said.
In a Tuesday informational meeting, several residents gathered to ask Liz Palfini from Farragut State Park, questions about the upcoming closure.
“What about signage?” and “What if there’s a fire on this side?” were just some of the questions.
But a big concern, potential fire evacuations.
“We were basically on a 24 hour notice for about 3 days,” Lewis explained.
The Sunset Road fire burned thousands of acres in the Athol area.
“And so you’re either going to go out perimeter here or you’re going to go through the park in and out,” Palfini said.
According to Palfini, the park will remain open during construction with north and south routes available for evacuation or medical emergencies.
“We don’t play chicken with people’s lives,” Palfini said.
For residents like Mark Lewis, while the meeting provided some answers about fire safety, the road closure remains a concern.
“It’s frustrating,” Lewis said. “The knowing it was going to be closed for five months and potentially through August was a complete shock and surprise,”
