SANDPOINT — A simple wooden structure now greets visitors to the Pine Street Woods.

Spacious, with plenty of bench space and a bulletin board, the new welcome center offers a spot to get out of the rain, gather with friends before heading off on one of the woods' many hiking and biking trails, and a spot to check on what activities lie ahead.

The facility, built thanks to the Sandpoint Rotary, was celebrated at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony with everyone from community members to Rotary Club members to Kaniksu Land Trust officials celebrating the welcome center's addition.

"Projects like this would not be possible without the generosity of our community and Sandpoint Rotary in making things like this happen," KLT Executive Director Katie Cox said. "This is what creates the heart of [the Sandpoint area]. This place is amazing."

Cox said she is grateful for the community's support, saying that generosity and passion for helping others makes places like the Woods and the welcome shelter possible.

"It's absolutely beautiful," she said, gesturing toward the shelter and addressing Rotary Club members. "It's absolutely worth it. Anytime you come up here, I'm sure you'll be seeing little ones to big ones sitting on the benches, taking a rest under your shelter. It's a testament to your club and it's a testament to the community."

Cox thanked the Rotarians for their vision for the project, saying the club's members approached her after the Pine Street Woods opened in fall 2019 and said they saw the site being a community center, celebrating the outdoors and serving as a gathering spot. The club even held a fundraising picnic at the site, pledging the funds toward the project.

Given the club's history in Sandpoint, Cox said the welcome shelter seemed to be a fitting project for Rotary to be involved in. Club officials, she added, were immediately on board.

"I remember that beautiful luncheon in the meadow with everybody out there under the tents and the enthusiasm for this space, for what it would become," Cox told those gathered. "And now we're here, a few years later and look at what (the Pine Street Woods) has become and this structure really is the opening gem for this space and the trail system."

In a time when volunteerism seems to be on the decline, Cox said the Rotary Club is an exception with members actively engaged in the community and in projects to make the place where they live better.

"I would encourage us to look out to organizations like Rotary that are such an important staple in our community," she added. "And think to yourself, 'If I'm not volunteering, is there a place that I could that would provide me, you know, would provide me a sense of connection to the community.' I think being a volunteer, and being a part of your community in that way, it's really essential to create the vitality that we have here."

While the shelter was initially envisioned to provide a bit of cover in the event of rain, it serves an especially important role when area classes visit the Pine Street Woods. Amid the hustle and chaos of students getting on and off buses, everyone has a spot to gather safely. Large enough for classes to gather for a quick lesson before heading off to the meadow, the woods or the trails, Cox said she sees the shelter quickly becoming a popular addition, serving any number of roles.

"It is a place where you could tell your friend to meet you. You could sit here and wait while they go on a hike or go on a run," she added. "And so this structure will be a sheltering space for our community and the outdoors in perpetuity because it's beautifully built, constructed beautifully and it will remain here as long as this land will remain here, open to the community."

David Keyes, district governor-elect of Rotary International's District 5080, said the project was an easy one for Rotary to get involved with. Noting the shelter went through several incarnations, Keyes said the club was committed to building it and building it right — and loved the fact that it gave the club a chance to partner on another project with the land trust while giving something back to the community.

"Since 1966, Sandpoint Rotary has partnered and done some great things in our community and around the world," Keyes said, noting the club has raised more than $1 million for education through the CHAFE 150 ride and gives out tens of thousands of dollars each year in scholarships. "... Rotary is here to stay, and this is just a cool mark of what we can do together."

The nearby Rotary Trail and plans for a peace pole at the site are among future projects and the club looks forward to more collaboration with the land trust.

"We are so lucky to be partners with you guys," Keyes told KLT officials. "We're looking forward to great things."

KLT board president — and Rotarian — Jim Zuberbuhler said it was exciting to see the shelter completed, and is well worth the wait and any potential miscommunications that may have popped up along the way.

"Most importantly, I think this is going to benefit users for years to come. It's well built, it's in just the right place, and it will provide a central place for people to access this community forest," Zuberbuhler said, noting the complex that includes the Pine Street Woods, the Vélo Tout Terrain, the Sherwood Forest and the Sled Hill. "And it's growing. We're close to a square mile now."

A past Rotary president, Ken Wood joined Keyes in pledging their presidential dollars to the project. Both felt it was important, with the pair tag-teaming to make sure the project happened.

"I just loved watching something go from an idea where we were all out in the field over there talking through it to it actually becoming a reality, becoming something we can touch and see and that will be great for this community for years to come," Wood said. "I'm just thrilled. I'm absolutely thrilled to see this here, now, and done."

Credited with ensuring the project got over the finish line, Sandpoint Rotary president-elect Chris Chambers was serving as chair of the club's charitable trust and as a member of its finance committee when he asked about the project's status.

"I guess I spoke too loudly and said, 'How long is this going to sit on our balance sheet before something gets done,'" he joked. "And so that's the other side of the story. 'Well,' they said. 'Go finish it.'"

It was a project he was happy to be a part of, Chambers said, and immediately got to work. He began calling people already committed to the project. It didn't take long to get the project moving and the result sits before the group, he told those gathered.

"I know it probably wasn't the easiest thing we ever did ... but I hope it's an asset that the community can enjoy for years to come."

    Chris Chambers, Ken Wood, David Keyes, Jim Zuberbuhler and Katie Cox celebrate the grand opening of the Pine Street Woods' welcome shelter at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony.
  

    Sandpoint Rotary member, Kaniksu Land Trust officials and community members celebrate the addition of a welcome shelter to the Pine Street Woods at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 14.
  

    A look at the welcome shelter at the Pine Street Woods.