Board meets Monday to review document

Should Flathead County provide more gymnasium space for recreation programs?

What kinds of new parks should be developed? What about a countywide collaborative trail system?

Where will the money come from to expand and maintain parks?

A new Flathead County Parks and Recreation Master Plan draft mulls myriad possibilities for future park development and sets the framework for decision-making regarding not only park development and land acquisition but also recreation programming and partnerships.

The 94-page draft will be reviewed by the county Parks & Recreation Board on Monday, June 8, at 8 a.m. at the Parks & Recreation conference office at 309 FFA Drive in Kalispell.

Anyone interested in commenting on the plan may attend the meeting, or comments can be e-mailed to project consultant Kate McMahon of Applied Communications at [email protected].

A complete copy of the draft can be downloaded at http://flathead.mt.gov/parks_rec/index.php

Following the board's review and after consideration of public comments, the plan will be finalized and then forwarded to the Planning Board for a public hearing.

The Planning Board, in turn, will issue a recommendation to the county commissioners, who will have the final say on the master plan.

The county's Growth Policy recommended that a detailed parks and recreation master plan be adopted as an appendix to the Growth Policy.

The master plan was initiated last year by the county Park Board along with the Parks & Recreation Department. It outlines existing facilities and sets out an action plan that identifies the steps, roles, responsibilities and financial strategies for park development.

The county has 515 acres of park land, of which 383 acres are developed. It has 70 sites, of which 32 are developed.

Paying for park development is a major concern, the plan states, noting that the current budget is not sufficient to meet the growing demands on the park system. Funding already lags behind recommended spending levels.

"The county must investigate new and innovative funding mechanisms to support the parks and recreation program," it advises.

The plan suggests establishing a park land acquisition fund with revenue from cash-in-lieu of dedicated land from developers, impact fees (if implemented), grants, fundraising and donations.

One of the most pressing needs is more gymnasium space for county recreation programs, and the Park Board is assessing the feasibility of a recreation center to provide more space.

A portion of the cash-in-lieu revenue could be used to leverage money for the construction of a gym. Once a feasibility study is completed, capital costs of a rec center/gym should be funded through a financial package that combines a variety of funding sources.

The plan outlines 18 steps in its action plan, including the creation of a sports advisory committee and separate advisory groups for Columbia Falls and Kila.

Other recommendations include:

n Complete and adopt a trails master plan.

n Establish a volunteer program and an adopt-a-park/trail program.

n Work with community groups to establish a park foundation or fund for charitable donations.

n Develop an online scheduling/reservation system for use of park facilities and sports fields.

n Evaluate user fees and revise according to policies in the plan.

As part of the master plan process, a survey was conducted to gauge public opinion about county parks. Nearly 60 percent of the respondents said the county should focus its efforts on acquiring land for future parks.

About 45 percent said they would support a countywide tax measure to maintain and improve existing parks and acquire more land and develop more trails.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at [email protected]