UI: Mixed use key to resurrecting R&E property

SANDPOINT — University of Idaho Sandpoint managers believe there’s still plenty of local value left in the 77-acre property.

It’s been more than three years since the university’s agricultural research and extension center was closed after U of I officials opted to eliminate operational funding and move priorities elsewhere. Years afterward, the property, originally donated in to the university in 1912 by Humbird Lumber Mill for agricultural research, existed in a flux, its purpose unclear.

However, Charles Buck, the director of the University of Idaho’s northern facilities, believes community partnerships and a mixed-use operational philosophy may be the keys to resurrecting the property. Between the opening of The Box Golf Training Center and the hosting of a cyclocross competition, this weekend provided a potential preview for what that future could look like.   

“This is a great location to (seek out local partnerships) in, and it makes sense,” he said. “It doesn’t do us any good and it doesn’t do the community any good to leave the property just sitting here.”   

In its previous life as an agriculture research center, the facility served as a testing ground for the commercial production of huckleberries, bilberries, fir trees and the cancer-fighting qualities of blueberries. The university’s shuttering of the facility in 2010 left many local residents wondering about the property’s future.

As a key player during 2010 funding crisis, Sen. Shawn Keough worked with university officials extensively to generate new research or funding ideas. While the closing of the agricultural research center wasn’t ideal for the community, Keough believes the university property could still be an important local asset.

“It may just require a different model than what’s been done in the past,” she said.

According to Buck, the lack of site funding left him with few options. In response, he teamed up with local organizations to start generating ideas. Between 2011 and 2012, the first seeds of community involvement were planted by establishing folk school classes, a disc golf course, a cyclocross track and in the winter, a cross-country skiing course.

This year saw the property being utilized in a different direction when the university agreed to lease five acres to small start-up company The Box for a golf driving range. The driving range is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday until the snow flies at $5 for a bag of 60 balls, but The Box CEO Tim McDonnell said he has more in mind beyond commercial enterprise. He’s working with both the Sandpoint High School golf team and the university’s professional golf management program officials to set up internships and seminars.

Meanwhile, Buck said he’s also exploring future possibilities with the YMCA and Selkirk Outdoor Leadership and Education. This summer, the YMCA launched its first recreational summer camp for kids in Sandpoint, and Buck said that relationship is expected to continue and develop. As for SOLE, nonprofit officials may be setting up some on-site training structures.

“With some time, this property could develop into a real educational resource,” said Karl Dye of the Bonner County Economic Development Corporation.

There’s no telling whether the University of Idaho Sandpoint will ever return to its agricultural research roots. However, Buck said that demonstrating the property’s value as a self-sustaining educational and recreational resource will go a long way to preserving a University of Idaho presence in Sandpoint.