Future of Conrad Complex in question

Lease increase may force county to move out

With the lease for the Conrad Complex running out in September 2009, the Flathead County Parks and Recreation Department may strike out in a new direction.

Parks and Recreation Director Jed Fisher said discussions about a new lease started two years ago, but the negotiations "have gone nowhere."

The county has been paying one dollar a year on a 50-year lease with the Conrad Cemetery, but that number is about to go up. Way up.

According to Fisher, negotiations with the cemetery board of trustees have put the new price tag at $25,000 to $50,000 per year.

Fisher said the cemetery board is asking for that much money because that's approximately the lease fee for the Kidsports ballfield complex in north Kalispell.

Attorney Dan Johns said Kidsports - a nonprofit alliance of youth sports organizations - paid close to $40,000 to lease the state land this year.

The Kidsports facility has 22 fields on 134 acres (plus several new fields under construction) compared to the 27-acre, seven-field Conrad Complex east of Woodland Park.

"I personally don't think it's a fair comparison," Fisher said. "I think it's outrageous and unaffordable."

Adult softball teams currently pay $800 per team to play at Conrad, and that money covers basic utility costs. Fisher said that each complex user would have to pay an additional $20 to $40 to raise another $30,000, something Fisher believes could drive many users away, especially families that have a hard time paying the fees already.

The Park Board offered to pay $5,000 per year, but the cemetery board members weren't interested.

"We don't want to be unreasonable," cemetery board president Jack Hensley said. "For 40 years, we haven't gotten a dime. As trustees, we have a fiduciary responsibility to maintain the cemetery for perpetuity. We've got to have a fund built up to cover the costs of maintaining it."

Hensley said the cemetery board does not have any intention of selling the property or developing it, but said the commercial value of the land would be $3 million to $4 million.

"That's a pretty valuable piece of property," he said. "Jed wants it for nothing, and we don't think that's fair. We're not trying to jab anybody. The county shouldn't expect to get it for free."

Hensley said the decision to raise the rate is based on fair market value rather than a need for the adjacent cemetery to expand its borders.

"About 50 percent of our burials are cremations," Hensley said. "We've got space for awhile, maybe 20 years or longer."

If the two parties can't agree to a new lease, Fisher said that deconstruction of the complex would begin next fall.

"We'll have one more full season with some amenities going away," he said. "Fall softball and football would lose out because we'd have to get a jump start with deconstruction.

"Keep in mind the people who are going to be displaced: tee-ball kids, church leagues, softball leagues. We have no idea where we're going to put them."

To return the property back to the owners in its original state, the county estimates it will cost more than $100,000 to tear out fencing, dugouts, pavement, light poles, sprinkler systems and septic tanks.

Because the county does not own the property, it hasn't built up any equity in spite of hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on improvements.

"Since I got involved in 1997, we have consistently put in $20,000 to $50,000 per year," Fisher said. "An outfield fence is $6,000. A dugout is $2,000. We have several hundred thousands in pavement. This is all of our tax dollars we're talking about."

County Commissioner Gary Hall said he was disappointed that the cemetery board would make that kind of demand for payment.

"We're not able to pay that," Hall said. The complex "isn't a big money-maker for us. It's a chance to provide recreation for our citizens, and they are taking away that opportunity."

The potential loss of the Conrad Complex could have far-reaching effects on the county's recreation programs.

The Conrad Complex is the home softball field for the Flathead Bravettes. In exchange for free use by the softball team, Kalispell Public Schools give the county use of school gymnasiums for recreation programs.

If the county loses the ballfields, the Bravettes will be forced to find a new home and the county loses a bargaining chip to secure gym opportunities.

The county is working on the purchase of the Stillwater Christian School facilities and property, but that might not come about in time to make a smooth transition from the Conrad Complex to new facilities.

Recreation-league players might lose a season or two of play, which could reduce the number of players who return, which would in turn reduce revenue from league play and concessions.

"If we lose the use of the complex, that would be a sad day for the valley," Fisher said.

Reporter Michael Richeson may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at mricheson@dailyinterlake.com