SANDPOINT — Bonner Park West will now have a food vendor seven days a week in place of a park host.  

County commissioners approved Charity Hinshaw to set up her food trailer at the park for a $300 monthly fee. In addition to being open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Hinshaw has agreed to maintain the park’s bathrooms twice a day and keep the park grounds clean. Her request to water and mow the grass in applicable areas was also approved.  

Hinshaw’s food trailer is expected to be open July 1 through Sept. 30.  

According to Matt Zoeller, parks and waterways director, the food vendor fee will help cover water and electricity at the site.  

The approved contract comes after a May 6 request from county commissioners to consider additional park host options that wouldn’t require the county to pay $1,200 a month for maintaining and cleaning the park.  

During that May 6 business meeting, Commissioner Asia Williams brought up the discussion of transferring ownership of Bonner Park West from Bonner County to the city of Priest River. According to Williams, the transfer of ownership wouldn’t change the usage of the park, but rather who would be performing the maintenance on it. The discussion was tabled until Priest River’s city council could vote on whether they would accept the park.  

As part of Tuesday’s meeting, Priest River Mayor Jeff Connolly made an appearance to inform the county of the city’s willingness to accept the park and utilize it in their Joslyn Park master plan.  

The park, according to Connolly would remain public property and free to county citizens, with the swimming area being projected to move an estimated 800 feet to accommodate a more efficient swimming area adjacent to the proposed marina that’s a part of the Joslyn Park plan.  

“It has to be public property forever, so it can't go away. And that's part of the gist of this whole thing; what's the best yield utilization for this,” said Connelly.  

No decisions have been made on whether the county will gift, sell or lease the park to Priest River. 

Despite the uncertainty of who will be maintaining the park down the road, the city of Priest River is continuing its efforts to draft plans for the Joslyn Park master plan, including plans with Bonner West Park and without it.  

The master plan suggests that the site, 38 acres along the banks of Priest River and the Pend Oreille River, will include an RV park, a marina (including a covered sheriff’s dock), waterfront trails, a playground, restrooms, a pavilion/concert venue and a swimming beach. 

The overall project is estimated to cost $20 million. 

    Priest River's Joslyn Park site