The Flathead County Weed/Parks and Recreation Board voted unanimously April 6 against recommending the renewal of the Sliter Park lease. 

The issue now moves to Flathead County commissioners, who will vote on renewal before the lease expires on July 31. While no date is currently set for the commissioners’ vote, the terms of the lease require a 30-day notice prior to lease termination, so commissioners must decide by the end of June.  

The board discussed budget challenges and staffing shortages within the Parks and Recreation Department and said these make it difficult to continue the Sliter Park lease. Other parks have increased in usage and require more staffing, which makes it more challenging to maintain Sliter. 

Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork and Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce both made comments urging the board to recommend renewing the lease.  

“While this outcome is deeply disappointing, it is unfortunately not unexpected,” wrote the Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce in a statement. “Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke out and submitted letters of support. We truly appreciate the community stepping up for this space.” 

Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork also expressed disappointment, along with their desire to continue working toward a solution for the park.  

“The CFBB is doing all that we can to figure this out,” said Foundation President Megan Shoultz. “Everybody involved wants it to remain a park. That is the goal, and that’s what PacifiCorp and the county want as well. As of right now, it’s still a park.” 

Sliter Park sits on the Swan River in downtown Bigfork. It has been at the center of a reluctant custody battle for the last several years. The property is owned by PacifiCorp, which operates the hydroelectric dam and keeps the park open to the public as part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee Agreement. 

Flathead County Parks and Recreation has leased the property from PacifiCorp for 45 years and operated Sliter Park as a county park. In 2013, the department first started to discuss stepping away from the lease, and Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork agreed to pay a share of the maintenance costs so the park would remain in the county parks system.  

County parks officials have said they no longer have the capacity to maintain Sliter Park, as the number of parks in the system and the number of visitors have both increased substantially in the five years since the last lease was signed. Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork is concerned events like the Riverbend Concert Series and the Whitewater Festival will no longer be able to use the space if the county does not renew the lease.  

While this year’s Whitewater Festival happens before the end of the current lease, the July 31 date falls halfway through the Riverbend Concert Series, leaving the fate of the second half of the season unclear. 

In communications with the Foundation, PacifiCorp indicated that if no one takes over the lease, Sliter Park will still be open to the public but may not operate as it has in the past. This could include a skeleton maintenance crew, limited hours and no events at the stage. 

The Foundation is considering taking over Sliter Park if the county does ultimately terminate the lease, but they are concerned about the financial burden that would place on the nonprofit.  

The Foundation already spends around $10,000 per year to maintain Sliter Park in partnership with the county and estimate it would cost an additional $9,000 annually to cover expenses shouldered by Parks and Recreation. In addition, PacifiCorp requires a $5 million insurance policy, which the Foundation is struggling to find.  

“Some comments were made about how it gives Bigfork the opportunity to take charge with the park and own it, and we can do what they see fit,” said Shoultz. “That’s fine, but all of that costs money, and we’re a nonprofit, so we’re trying to be financially responsible. We are working very hard to continue looking at different insurance options, pricing things out.”  

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.