Council examines Cedar Street reconstruction

SANDPOINT — Sandpoint city councilors voiced concern Wednesday after staff presented a road reconstruction preliminary design Councilor Kyle Schreiber described as “not at all acceptable.” 

Councilors said they wanted staff to alter the design to mitigate speeding, protect mature trees along the roadway and offer a dedicated bicycling area for a five-block section of Cedar Street between Division and Lincoln avenues. Staff and officials agreed to coordinate a dedicated council workshop to consider the feedback. 

The Cedar Street Reconstruction Project is a $1.9 million initiative to repave and improve water and stormwater infrastructure on a poor condition road in a residential area of Sandpoint. 

After integrating input received in a November 2024 public workshop and from Sandpoint’s citizen advisory boards, staff generated a preliminary design that features a 6-foot sidewalk and green strip on either side of a road with two 12-foot lanes designed to be shared by motorists and cyclists. 

Councilor Rick Howarth expressed a desire to see cyclists receive additional protection and asked if dedicated bike lanes could be integrated into the design. 

“The bike lane is competing for space with the planter strip,” Holly Ellis, public works director, explained. “Ideally, we'd have a wider area so we could have separated bike lanes.” 

Ellis noted that the green strips featured in the design help filter and slow stormwater and serve as snow storage areas during the winter. 

“I ride a bike the streets of Sandpoint all over,” Howarth said. “I do not like the shared bicycle car path. I don't feel safe on it.” 

Howarth also suggested that the city should create and adopt road design standards “versus making custom decisions for every street.” 

City engineer Brandon Staglund said that staff are in the process of developing a road standard system that could be applied to similar projects in the future, adding that the standards would have “heavy input” from councilors before being codified. 

Schreiber told staff he believed the design should include narrower lanes and traffic calming measures to improve safety, and reiterated Howarth’s concern regarding bikers. 

“I agree that sharing the road with the cars, for a cyclist, is extremely dangerous, especially when you have freeway lane widths that are going to encourage people to speed,” Schreiber said. 

Councilor Pam Duquette told staff she wanted to see the plan revised to protect a large willow and a mature silver maple in the project area. 

City forester Erik Bush said he was confident construction crews would be able to work around the willow without damaging it. Ellis said city staff had explored rerouting the road or sidewalk to avoid removing the maple, but that “the opportunities to save this particular tree are just not available.” 

Mayor Jeremy Grimm said that if the project comes to fruition, he intends to make sure the tree’s materials go to good use. 

“I'd love to be able to dedicate that firewood to either needy families or adjacent property owners, if possible,” he said. “I look at that tree and see a year and a half of heating.” 

Grimm expressed support for the planned council workshop and encouraged staff and officials to reach a consensus on the initiative. 

“I would be very frustrated if we go further in the design and then reach an impasse and have to either delay or waste money redesigning it,” he said. 

Pending council approval, Ellis said the city intends to solicit bids for the project this spring and begin construction in late summer or early fall.