Kalispell plans for future of city's park system

Kalispell is seeking a consultant to help it put together a master plan to maintain and improve the city's parks.

Proposals are due Oct. 21, with a consultant tentatively expected to be picked by Nov. 14. The city government hopes to have a 10-year master plan adopted in spring or summer 2006.

Right now, Kalispell does not have a master plan to govern what's in the parks and what should be added as the city grows. Kalispell has 30 parks that cover a total of 338 acres.

That's a better ratio than the national standard of 10 acres per 1,000 people in a city, said Mike Baker, the city's parks director.

But while Kalispell has roughly 17,000 people, about 40,000 live in the city or close enough to be considered potential park users, Baker said.

Last summer, the City Council appropriated roughly $40,000 to set up a parks master plan. "What we're trying to accomplish here is to identify the community's needs," Baker said.

The plan is supposed to inventory what the city has in land and equipment, to identify what new open space and parks will be needed as Kalispell grows, and to map out and budget what capital improvements should be tackled.

The city currently has three types of parks:

-Neighborhood parks - usually one acre with playgrounds and basketball courts.

-Community parks - usually five to 10 acres with baseball fields and facilities for organized activities.

. Regional parks - usually 20 to 40 acres with extras such as a swimming pool, nature trails or ballfields. The city has three: Woodland Park, Lawrence Park and Kidsports.

Kalispell's parks department operates with 12 full-time employees, roughly 100 seasonal and part-time workers and an annual budget of about $1.5 million.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com