Snack Shack gets new look, expanded options
<p>A Sandpoint High School team paints the Snack Shack at City Beach with scenes to match. Pictured from left are Sierra Scott, Maya Goldblum, Heather Guthrie, Carol Deaner, Marsha Ogilvie and Jason Wiley. (Photo by CAMERON RASMUSSON)</p>
SANDPOINT — For an introduction into the working world, local youth could do worse than the City Beach Snack Shack.
Observant visitors to City Beach this year may have seen a transformation taking place at the park’s concessions stand. A seasonal construction project this year transformed the structure into a fully-equipped snack shop and pleasant working environment. Since the business that provides many local teenagers with their first employment, Sandpoint Mayor Marsha Ogilvie hopes the renovated Snack Shack will be an asset for both beach visitors and some industrious high schoolers.
“The kids who work here are just beginning their working experience, so we wanted to make it as pleasant as possible,” Ogilvie said.
Work began in the spring with some essential improvements to the outdoor areas surrounding the concessions center. Prior to the renovations, the patio was made from old, weather-roughened wood. Workers set about dismantling this structure and pouring concrete for a new seating area. The result was a decorative patio with multi-colored concrete insets forming the shape of a sun.
“The (area) hadn’t had a facelift or remodel in many years, so we thought we’d make it into something we’d be proud of,” said project director Jason Wiley.
The artistic enhancements didn’t stop there. Sandpoint High School arts teacher Heather Guthrie recruited students Sierra Scott and Maya Goldblum to work on a mural at the Snack Shack last week. The team of three spent many long hours in the summer sun painting a beach scene that encapsulated the City Beach experience.
It wasn’t just visual or artistic improvements for the building that Wiley had in mind, however. Project planners also turned an eye toward how well the building functioned both as a snack shop and a working environment. The renovated shop features air conditioning and improved bathrooms for employees. Workers also knocked out a wall and converted a storage area into expanded seating. New machines allowed for expanded menu items like hot dogs and popcorn.
According to Ogilvie, the renovations will hopefully present one of the town’s most popular locations in a better light. As one of the top destinations for summer season visitors, it was important to make City Beach and all its amenities as impressive as possible.
“This is really an extension of who we are as a community,” Ogilvie said.