Clark Fork OKs development proposal

CLARK FORK — The City Council approved a development proposal Monday aimed at amplifying the town as a destination getaway.

The council’s approval of Kelly Kearns’ proposal clears the way for a new bar and grill, outdoor event center and expanded lodging opportunities.

“I’ve been working on different ideas to make this thing something that would be good for the community and would be profitable,” said Kearns, owner of the existing Clark Fork Lodge.

Kearns is seeking other investors for the project.

The expansion on the 9-acre parcel on the eastern edge of the city includes a 16-lot recreational vehicle park, a six-lot block of mini home sites and an outdoor bandstand along Mosquito Creek. A stocked fishing pond is already on the site.

The mini homes, which are gaining popularity, are small portable dwellings.

"They're geared for people who want a little vacation home but want low maintenance," said Kearns.

The 4,700-square-foot upscale bar will have food service and a large dance floor.

Kearns said the bar component ran into opposition during the public hearing. Some were uneasy with a new bar in Clark Fork.

"They made their voice heard at the City Council meeting," he said.

However, Kearns is working to assuage fears that the bar will be rowdy and obnoxious. It will be upscale and family-friendly, Kearns said.

"It would be a fun place with lots of outdoor activities and safe for kids and people to be around," he said.

Outdoor activities include bocce ball, bean bag tossing games, remote-controlled boat races and fishing derbies. The development would be adjacent to the nine-hole golf and disc golf course being developed for Clark Fork High School.

Kearns said ground was broken on the bar and grill on Wednesday and construction is expected to be complete in the next couple of months. The outdoor music venue is expected to be ready for use early next year.

"I've already booked things for June," Kearns said of the outdoor venue.?