SANDPOINT — Bonner County may no longer be in charge of maintaining Dog Beach Park after learning that there’s no contract in place for the county to maintain a BNSF Railway right-of-way.  

In a business meeting Tuesday, parks and waterways director Matt Zoeller told the community that Dog Beach Park had been maintained by the city of Sandpoint years ago, until the city determined that it was the county’s responsibility to oversee park maintenance. While the reason for the shift is unknown, the county presumed duties over the park, doing an estimated $6,000 worth of work each year. 

Zoeller brought forth the discussion item to county commissioners, questioning whether it was worth it to pay to maintain a park that wasn’t county owned.  

After realizing that a contract had not been formed between BNSF and Bonner County, Zoeller approached the railway company requesting a formal agreement that would allow the county to access the property for free in exchange for maintaining the property. While BNSF agreed to considering a contract, their contract included a $1,500 application fee followed by a $4,500 annual lease, on top of the $6,000 maintenance costs — an estimated $10,000 cost per year for the county to maintain property that they didn’t own. BNSF was not in favor of allowing the county to resume maintenance on the property for free.  

Currently, BNSF has a right-of-way contract with the Idaho Transportation Department for access to the property where the park is located. If county staff went to ITD to request access for maintenance purposes, they would still be met with BNSF’s request for a costly contract.  

No further action has been taken regarding whether the county will still be responsible for maintaining the property, but the county may be taking a step back before a conclusion can be determined. Zoeller is expected to appear before the board during the May 27 business meeting with further steps.