Area cities deliver 'State' address

SANDPOINT — A lot is happening in the greater Sandpoint area, as was indicated by the State of the Cities address on Thursday.

The annual address, hosted by the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, covered projects and initiatives across four local cities — Dover, Kootenai, Ponderay and Sandpoint.

Dover City Council member Diane Brockway started off the presentations, filling in for Mayor Annie Shaha to give an update on the small riverside city.

First, she said, the city acquired some property last year across from Dover Joe’s, she said, where a new SPOT shelter will be built as the bus is increasing its stops in Dover. There is a two-year plan in the works to build a new post office and move it to that location as well, Brockway said. Council members approved a paving plan for the streets, with maintenance funds included in the 2020 fiscal year budget.

Dover city officials are also working with the county on re-addressing so that, eventually, all of the addresses in Dover will be in line with the Next Generation 911. The county has identified one Dover Bay neighborhood where the addressing project is expected to start any day, Brockway said.

Sewer and water are some of the biggest issues in any city, Brockway said, because “when they work well, they work great, and when they don’t, they don’t.” Because Dover has a state-of-the-art sewer plant, running on an effluent system, Brockway said the city would be willing to help out other local areas with sewer if there was an interest in regionalization.

“Because we are operating at 30-percent capacity, and the plant operates best at 70-percent capacity, we have lots of room to grow,” she said.

In addition, council approved a multi-year plan for improvements to the city’s water department. The city is also working on stormwater and recreational vehicle ordinances, and just passed fence and nuisance ordinances, she said.

***

Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad was up next as he outlined his priorities for the year, which primarily include master planning efforts.

“The city is undergoing this year a very robust master planning process,” Rognstad said, adding that there has been and will be a number of opportunities for public engagement throughout the process.

Rognstad divided the goals into three categories — quality of life, resilient economy, and responsive government.

The first priority, quality of life, Rognstad said includes things such as affordability, access to natural resources and recreation opportunities, public safety, sense of community, arts and culture and more. The city is preparing to start on an Arts and Culture Master Plan, he said, and has been in the process of a Parks and Recreation Master Plan for several months. The plan will include possible improvements and amenities for the City Beach area and other parks, including War Memorial Field, though the decision on whether to go with artificial or natural turf is still up in the air.

“Hopefully council will approve a plan to start construction on that next spring,” Rognstad said.

As he moved on to the second priority, Rognstad said a “resilient economy is what allows a community to prosper.” The Sandpoint Airport brings in more than $33 million per year in economic activity, he said. With three rezone requests near the airport recently, council approved a moratorium on any proposals because, Rognstad said, it is the only area available in the city for manufacturing or industrial activity.

“If we want to continue to support manufacturing in a diversified economy ... we need to protect those lands for that kind of development,” Rognstad said. “We need to encourage that residential growth in areas where it is most appropriate.”

Also significant in the area of economic vitality is the city’s fiber network, he said. It created competition, Rognstad said, bringing internet prices down with greater speeds, and attracted companies such as Ting to the community. In addition, the city is in the design and engineering phase of Great Northern Road to accommodate heavy truck traffic due to the amount of industrial and manufacturing in that area. Finally, city staff will be working with consultants in the coming year to update the city’s comprehensive plan, which Rognstad said will help guide future growth, and regulation of “every zone in every part of the city, well into the future.”

For the third priority, the city has been working toward government responsiveness by implementing technology such as the Engage Sandpoint app, and recording meetings to stream online for those who can’t attend in person, among other initiatives, Rognstad said. The city has also taken on the public outreach for projects, such as the downtown revitalization, rather than relying on contractors to do so.

Rognstad also hosts a Mayor’s Roundtable on the third Friday of every month to talk with people about different issues in the city.

***

The third speaker of the day was Kootenai city clerk, Ronda Whittaker, who filled in for Mayor Nancy Lewis. The first thing, she said, was the installation of new playground equipment at the city park, with support from the local community, as well as Union Pacific Railroad and Avista.

“It is just really well used and we are really excited to have that,” Whittaker said. “We had old playground equipment that was failing, so now it is just a safer place for the community in general to spend some nice quiet time outside.”

The city is also in the process of having an ADA swing built for the park, and Whittaker said she is looking into grants for a path to create easier access to the swing. The Easter egg hunt at the park was a success again this year as well, she said. Other events include an annual spring cleanup that Whittaker said is “very well received,” and they participate in the city of Ponderay’s Santa Sack program each year.

The city received two grants this year from the state, she said, which were no-match grants. One was a Children Pedestrian Safety Program grant for $140,000 to put sidewalks in on Sprague Street around the school. The other was a Local Strategic Initiatives Program grant for $240,000 that covered improvements to McGhee Road.

“The city is growing, so those funds are allowing us to have these opportunities to upgrade infrastructure in the city,” she said. “... Really, we are just keeping up with the city’s motto of a small city where families can grow.”

There are plans for more street improvements as well, she said, and like Dover, Kootenai is also working with the county on re-addressing.

***

The final speaker of the day was Ponderay Mayor Steve Geiger, who also outlined some of the city’s annual events, including the Santa Sack program, Easter Parade, spring cleanup and Ponderay Neighbor Day. As the city continues to grow, he said, a number of businesses moved in this past year, as well as Kitchen Ponderay and the Ponderay Dog Park.

Geiger detailed the two big projects the city is working on, which include gaining public access to the lake and a recreation site at the Field of Dreams. While the city sits along the shore of Lake Pend Oreille, there is no legal access to the water. The project would require a railroad underpass in the area behind the Hoot Owl Cafe, so the city is applying for a BUILD grant to help with funding, Geiger said. For the Field of Dreams project, the city received a $100,000 planning grant from the LOR Foundation, with another $400,000 possible depending on the outcome of the planning.

“It all boils down to money, and how do you do that with a city that has a budget of $2.3 million,” Geiger said.

To see the projects through, the city will need to secure additional funding, he said. Council members recently approved ballot language for a local option tax to be voted on by residents in the November election. If passed, the tax will help fund the city’s Field of Dreams and railroad underpass projects over the course of five years. The 1-percent additional tax to goods and services within the city would not apply to hotels or purchases larger than $999.99, Geiger said.

Also tying into the waterfront access, Ponderay also received a grant recently for the Black Rock area to remove and encapsulate all of the contaminated soil and materials, he said.

“We are looking to hopefully have a little beach area there and a pier for the kids to go fishing, and things like that,” Geiger said.

Ponderay Neighbor Day is held on the city-owned property behind the Hoot Owl, Harbison Field, in the area where the proposed underpass would give public access to the lake. The third annual event will be held this Saturday from 1-6 p.m. The free family-friendly event includes pony rides, a petting zoo, climbing wall, carnival games, kids crafts, raffle prizes and more.

Food vendors and a beer garden will be available as well.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.