Public input is still being taken as the Whitefish Park Board weighs the possibility of building a permanent stage in Depot Park.  

A group of community members, some involved in arts and performances, floated the idea in April. The proposal is sponsored by the Whitefish Lions Club.  

Ed Boggs, a local musician and vice president of the Lions Club, is spearheading the proposal. 

“It is to provide protection for performers from the elements and a ready-made space with access to power,” Boggs said, noting that he’s had electric equipment get rained on. “We don’t want to encroach on the existing space. We want to tuck it back by the trees.”  

Depot Park is a 2-acre park acquired by the city of Whitefish in 2009. It serves as a physical link to the historic train depot and its Amtrak station. The park hosts several popular events throughout the year, including weekly farmers markets, art festivals and Great Northwest Oktoberfest. 

In 2012, the city adopted a Depot Park Master Plan which generally recommends maintaining the park as a green space with preserved views and minimal non-living elements such as structures and concrete. The plan designates the pavilion to be the only permanent structure in the park. The city also has a Depot Park events policy which limits event frequency to allow the lawn time to recover between events. 

Boggs believes the master plan intended for the pavilion to be adequate for small performances but noted that the existing gazebo at the southeast corner of the park doesn’t work for that purpose.

The gazebo design and construction was estimated in 2016 to cost $161,700. It was completed in 2017, with Whitefish Rotary helping secure some funding for the project.

The proposed stage doesn’t have a finalized design or location. Boggs advocates for a simple and small three-walled structure in the northwest or northeast corner of the park. 

Shannon Fremont-Smith has been organizing the Whitefish Arts Festival for 16 years. She agrees with a compromise in moving the park's existing gazebo to Smith Fields and constructing the stage in its place. With that, she said she would also like to see mature trees planted in the central area of the park to provide shade to the southeast lawn. 

"Every event, people flock to the shade," she said. 

A community engagement meeting held Sept. 16 received mixed feedback on the proposal. Opponents generally argue for preserving green space and views and value the flexibility of the open lawn. Some are concerned with further wear and tear on the grass.  

Chris Schustrom, chair of the Heart of Whitefish, said the downtown group was involved in the 2012 master plan and remain opposed to the proposal.  

“It was the overwhelming consensus of the community to preserve Depot Park as an open green space, flexible for anyone to use,” Schustrom said.  

As an organizer of the Whitefish Farmers Market, Schustrom said the organization also prefers the informal pop-up nature for performances.  

Public comment received support from North Valley Music School, Whitefish Theatre Company, The Skola School, Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, Alpine Theatre Project and Big Sky Troubadours.  

The installation of the stage would be paid for by donors. Boggs said funding is secure. Once installed, the stage would become city property and be managed by Parks and Recreation. Boggs suggested an additional fundraiser to establish an endowment to pay for future maintenance.  

If the Park Board determines that the community does indeed want an additional structure in the park, the master plan would have to be amended. If a new design is contemplated in the same footprint as the existing gazebo, the plan would not have to be amended. Further public input would be needed to determine if the latter is a viable option, said Parks and Recreation Director Maria Butts.  

The Parks Board will provide city staff with direction during its Oct. 27 meeting. Public comment can be given during the meeting, held at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, or submitted online prior to the meeting at engagewhitefish.com.