Partnerships emphasized in trail plan

SANDPOINT — Caldwell city officials underscored the importance of forming a network of relationships to backers of the proposed Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail.

Caldwell Mayor Garrett Nancolas said there are general three rules to a successful redevelopment and restoration project. Rule No. 1 is create to relationships with all of the various players. Rules 2 and 3? See Rule No. 1.

“That’s how you get things done. It truly is,” said Nancolas, who addressed Friends of Pend d’Oreille Bay supporters during a luncheon on Tuesday.

Nancolas said Caldwell is successfully redeveloping its downtown around the restoration of the ecosystem of Indian Creek, a watercourse which at one time was so polluted that it was actually filled and built upon.

Although the Indian Creek restoration project places a great deal of emphasis on revitalizing a downtown district, some of the strategies, issues and pitfalls appeared applicable to the development of the 2-mile-long trail along Lake Pend Oreille between Sandpoint and Ponderay.

Nancolas urged trail backers not to become discouraged when confronted with challenges and obstacles, be they environmental or financial.

“Our project was literally dead three times because of environmental issues. We were literally dead in the water,” he said.

But Nancolas said the Indian Creek project was turned back from brink by using partnerships and the creative thinking that adversity can sometimes breed.

Nancolas and Dennis Cannon, Caldwell’s redevelopment coordinator, also encouraged trail proponents to come up with a flagship sub-project to demonstrate the viability of the proposal and the momentum behind it.

The Pend d’Oreille Bay trail aims to connect the cities of Sandpoint, Ponderay and Kootenai, a concept which involves a lot more than drawing a line on a map. There are as many as five sites which might require environmental cleanup, a number of private landowners, railroad interests and a scarce amount of funding.

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality is seeking a $650,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess former industrial sites for contamination from petroleum products and heavy metals, said Steve Gill, a brownfields specialist with IDEQ.

Perhaps the most visible site is Black Rock, a calcified slag heap in Ponderay which overlooks the lake. The mound, which is contaminated with arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, was left over from the Panhandle Smelting & Refining plant that operated in the early 1900s.

Gill said DEQ expects to learn in April if the funding will be awarded. If the grant request is turned down, Gill said potential alternative cleanup funding is also being identified.

All three incorporated cities have endorsed the grant, as has Bonner County and various economic development organizations.

Gill urged the formation of a panel which represents the various municipalities and landowners to help coordinate the trail effort.

“This main body has the ability to help find funding and make decisions,” Gill said. “It will really make your lives easier.”