City, county collaborate on new park

SANDPOINT — City and county officials are collaborating on a new park to give northern residents a little more fun in their lives.

Council members authorized Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Director Kim Woodruff to work with the Bonner County commissioners and the Bonner County Fair Board in developing a park for the fairgrounds. The project is the result of long discussions between Woodruff, the fair board and county officials.

“It’s actually been about a year process trying to get this to happen,” Woodruff.

Construction costs will be covered by a combination of a $200,000 gift from a foundation and $70,000 from the city’s parks improvement fund — a tax dollar-free account. As for the day-to-day care, Woodruff hopes it will be folded into the regular fairgrounds maintenance routine.

“Basically, we get a park for no tax dollars, and we get to cooperate with another government entity and maximize the use of our public land, which is a vision I’ve had for a long time,” Woodruff said.

According to Woodruff, the park will be located near Schweitzer Cutoff Road and Boyer Avenue by the old juvenile probation building. It will likely be large enough to accommodate about 100 kids ages 5 through 12 plus a smaller area for ages 2 through 5. Woodruff hopes to include features like a full-size basketball court, swings and more, envisioning a total size somewhat more condensed than Hickory Park. However, as the project moves forward and planners collect local opinions, the size, shape, location and features may change.

“I don’t want to go in with my preconceived (notions),” Woodruff said. “I know what I think they want, but I really want to ask the neighbors what they want.”

The park will target an under-served portion of the city’s population, Woodruff said. For instance, a neighborhood to the west is full of children who only have a small play area in the immediate vicinity. Similarly, there are other neighborhoods scattered around Schweitzer Cutoff Road and North Boyer Road.

Council members unanimously authorized Woodruff to continue developing the project. The only concern was voiced by meeting attendee Christian Schwab, who wondered if kids might get into fights or other mischief at the park given the area’s comparatively sparse population density.

“I know how hard (Woodruff) has worked on this,” said Councilman Bill Aitken. “Getting the stars to align on this has not been easy.”