SANDPOINT - It's been done before with great results, at least according to testimony from Sandpoint residents and business owners at Wednesday's city council meeting.

Allowing an organized group of well-heeled bicyclists to tent camp on City Beach Park is a boon for the city.

"The last time they were here it was fantastic," Steve Meyer, owner of Pend d'Oreille Winery, told the council.

The council - absent Councilman Bob Camp - voted unanimously to approve a temporary code modification to allow tent camping at the park to accommodate the nonprofit bicycle education group, Ride Idaho.

The riders have camped at the park twice in the past, in 2010 and 2013, each time spending money at local businesses. It's estimated they will drop as much as $32,000 into the local economy when they stay Aug. 20 and 21, according to Parks and Recreation Director Kim Woodruff.

The group donated $6,000 for a "beach cleaner" in 2013 that picks up, among other things, waterfowl droppings, helping to keep the park clean during the summer.

The approximately 400 bicyclists are mainly middle-aged, and have an average annual income of $90,000, according to Woodruff. Those riders come to Sandpoint - and spend money locally. It can have a exponential effect.

"One thing that gets the town going is events," Ivano's Ristorante owner Jim Lippi told council members. "It exposes our town to a number of (other) opportunities."

Lippi noted that many riders come back to Sandpoint to ski at Schweitzer Mountain Resort, or to even relocate permanently.

"The reason we like coming here is the way we are accepted," noted Ride Idaho founder and director Earl Grief of Boise.

Unlike previous modifications, this years is more open-ended. Rather than lifting the camping ban for a single event, it would allow camping between June 1 and Sept. 30 for organized groups, but only with specific prior approval of the City Council.

Ride Idaho will be charged a $300-per-day advance fee for use of the park.