Land exchange in final stages
State Land Board will consider proposal Dec. 15
The Daily Inter Lake
The city of Whitefish and Flathead Gateway Partners have reached an agreement with Whitefish philanthropist Michael Goguen that will jump-start construction of the Trail Runs Through It trail system around Whitefish.
The deal confirms Goguen's donation of $3 million to the public-private trail partnership to begin construction of the extensive trail project and secure easements on state lands for permanent trail corridors.
Goguen also will provide an easement for a trail corridor across portions of his property and will construct and maintain a 3-mile stretch of trail from Two Bear Road to Beaver Lake Road.
A land-exchange proposal to swap 570 acres of Goguen's land in the Lupfer Road area with 435 acres of state land also has been solidified and goes to the state Land Board for consideration on Dec. 15.
Also included in the swap is a 30-acre parcel owned by Goguen at Livermore Flats that connects two unconnected state parcels, and Goguen's downtown property in the Railway District that will give the trail partnership a newly constructed townhome-style commercial building for use as an additional revenue source.
Both the land exchange and recreational loop trail have been in the works for more than five years.
Local stakeholders have mapped out the project through the Whitefish School Trust Neighborhood Plan and the Trail Runs Through It master plan. The state trust lands affected by the land-use and trail plans include Spencer Lake, Beaver Lake/Skyles, Stillwater, Swift Creek, Haskill Basin, and Happy Valley/KM areas.
"I am pleased to support the community values of conservation and recreation through this unique partnership," Goguen said in a prepared statement. "I was able to walk the flagged sections of the first phase of the trail this week and I am extremely excited - it's a beautiful trail with awesome views."
Lin Akey, a member of the Trail Runs Through It steering committee, called Goguen's contribution an "outstanding gift to the people of the Flathead Valley."
The trail project was spearheaded by a memorandum of understanding between the city of Whitefish and the nonprofit Flathead Gateway Partners.
The partnership worked with citizen committees and various government agencies to develop the trail master plan two years ago.
Community members can provide comments on the exchange to the State Land Board prior to Dec. 15 by e-mailing lrichards@mt.gov. For more information, go to www.trailrunsthroughit.org.