SANDPOINT — Sandpoint City Council will be holding a special meeting June 25 at 5:30 p.m. after its June 18 bi-monthly council meeting was cancelled due to a lack of quorum.   

Council members are expected to discuss a laundry list of agenda items, including an updated operation status of James E. Russell Sports Center, a resolution request for the adoption of a parking management plan and an emergency declaration request to the North Boyer Road culvert.  

According to an agenda report, community planning and development director Jason Welker will present a community input summary of an online survey that was shared with attendees of a May 28 special council workshop at the Russell Center. The survey, completed by 73 people, asked participants what they believed the best direction for the center would be, choosing from three options discussed during the May 28 meeting; allow for the center to be adapted for multiple sports like basketball and volleyball, keep the center the same or allow a third-party operator to run the facility.  

A majority of survey participants, 36, voted in favor of utilizing the Russell Center for multiple sports outside of tennis and pickleball.  

Twenty-four people voted in favor of keeping the center the same, and 13 favored bringing in a third-party operator.  

Welker will also be expected to discuss a parking management plan which implements paid parking throughout downtown Sandpoint. According to an agenda report, the plan includes paid hourly parking in major downtown areas, in addition to a tiered parking pass program for downtown employees, residents, marina slip occupants and Bonner County residents.  

The plan is the result of a six-month data analysis of the city’s current parking structure. 

The city is also expected to vote on an official declaration of emergency related to the recent potential failure of Little Sand Creek Culvert beneath North Boyer Road.  

Declaring an emergency would allow the city to execute necessary purchasing documents in an expedited manner. Construction of the culvert is estimated to cost $200,000, with other costs to be refined once a repair method is determined.  

Funds for the expected repair will come from a general fund emergency reserve, an account utilized to cover unexpected events within the city.  

    Little Sand Creek Culvert