PROGRESS: State of the Sandpoint: Progress, stability and strategic investment

As we move through 2026, I’m pleased to report that the city of Sandpoint continues to make steady, meaningful progress across a range of critical priorities. While challenges remain, particularly in infrastructure and long-term funding, we are approaching them with discipline, innovation, and a commitment to fairness for our residents.

Our most significant undertaking remains the estimated $130 million Wastewater Treatment Plant project. This is a generational investment, and we continue to work closely with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, as well as state and federal partners, to secure additional grant funding. To date, we have received approximately $3 million in state grant support. We continue to seek meaningful grant participation from the federal government, which to date has provided zero grant funding for this project.

We are also pursuing a potential design shift that could meaningfully reduce overall project costs. By exploring a “wet weather treatment” approach, we aim to safely manage high flows during rain-on-snow events without requiring those peak volumes to be processed through the full treatment system. If successful, this strategy could reduce the scale and cost of the facility by tens of millions of dollars. We anticipate advancing design revisions by late 2026.

Operationally, the city is performing exceptionally well. I ran on a platform centered on empowering qualified department heads, and that model is proving effective. Our administrative team is stable, accountable, and delivering results. Major projects are advancing, including the Cedar Street Reconstruction, Downtown Phase 3 / First Avenue improvements, and multiple water and sewer infrastructure upgrades. Behind the scenes, we have also modernized nearly all sewer lift stations with updated telemetry, alarms, and control systems — critical investments that improve reliability and response times.

On streets, I will present a balanced budget to City Council next month that includes one of the largest allocations in recent years — $1.5 million — for repair and maintenance. Residents should see tangible improvements through chip sealing, grinding, and overlays. However, we must be candid: this level of funding does not close the gap and is the result of interest earnings and other onetime monies. Our backlog remains in the tens of millions, due in part to legacy construction practices that left many streets without adequate base materials, resulting in ongoing deterioration.

We are preparing to implement paid parking at City Beach and downtown lots this July, pending council approval. While this change is not universally popular, it is necessary. These facilities are used by county residents, and regional users alike, yet until now, maintenance costs have fallen entirely on Sandpoint taxpayers. The proposed program is modest and includes discounted passes for residents, ensuring fairness while establishing a sustainable funding source to maintain these assets for future generations.

Several additional projects are moving forward. The City Beach RV park is entering the design phase, with plans to modernize and improve functionality while strengthening a key revenue stream for our parks system. On the housing front, we are seeing encouraging progress. The near completion of Farmin Flats will bring approximately 90 housing units into the downtown core, offering walkable, accessible living opportunities. In addition, a variety of new housing units are coming online through both modest relaxations to our residential zoning code — adding flexibility to building placement—and through new single-family and duplex construction throughout the city. Our Planning and Community Development team is also advancing updates to downtown and commercial zoning, including discussions around building heights and the potential creation of a historic district.

Public Works has initiated a citywide stormwater study to assess drainage basins and long-term needs. If a stormwater utility is ultimately adopted, it would provide a dedicated funding mechanism to address drainage issues—one of the primary drivers of road degradation.

Finally, the James E. Russell Sports Center has gained strong momentum and community support, appearing to be well on the way to long term success. City staff retention has dramatically improved, with minimal turnover in the past year—an important indicator of organizational health and stability.

Our police and fire departments remain fully staffed, highly professional, and deeply engaged in the community. Their preparedness and commitment are especially important as we approach what could be a challenging summer fire season.\Sandpoint is moving forward with purpose—focused on maintaining what we have, investing wisely, and building a stable foundation for the future.

    Grimm

Jeremy Grimm is mayor of the city of Sandpoint.