County parks master plan draft nearly completed

A draft of the new Flathead County Parks and Recreation Master Plan should be finished by May.

The document can be reviewed online as chapters are completed over the next few weeks, and can be downloaded from the county Web site at http://flathead.mt.gov/parks_rec/index.php

An open house and Planning Board public hearings will be scheduled after the draft is complete, according to consultant Kate McMahon. Comments on the draft can be e-mailed to McMahon at kate@appcom.net.

The Park Board meets April 20 to review draft chapters. The plan will provide a framework for decisions on park development, land acquisition, recreation programming and partnerships.

Flathead County's new growth policy recommended that a detailed parks and recreation master plan be undertaken and adopted as an appendix to the growth policy.

A SURVEY was taken several months ago to gauge public opinion about county parks. Nearly 60 percent of the respondents said the county should focus its parks efforts on acquiring land for future parks.

More than 58 percent said the most needed are linear parks and trail corridors. Protecting the environment was the top benefit of parks and open space.

About 45 percent of the respondents said they would support a countywide tax measure to maintain and improve existing parks, acquire more land and develop more trails. Just over 37 percent would support a park maintenance district.

Protecting natural areas such as wetlands, flood plains and wildlife areas is important to 61 percent of those who completed the survey.

The county will follow several guiding principles as it considers how parks and recreation facilities should be developed, McMahon said.

They include:

- Parks and facilities should be developed and maintained in a manner to meet their intended function that provides a safe and positive experience for users.

- Plans for parks and recreation facilities should be made in accordance with sound fiscal policy to develop parks in a cost-effective manner with adequate funding for long-term operation and maintenance.

- The county shall promote creative partnerships with other government agencies, citizens, schools, and non-profit groups to achieve the goals of the master plan.

- The parks district shall be good stewards of park lands by being a good neighbor to private property near parks and recognizing the conservation value of parks.

- County residents should have convenient access to a system of regional and local area parks and programs that are accessible to all segments of the population.

According to the county Web site, the county owns and operates 19 park facilities. Among the most well-known are the Conrad Complex in Kalispell, Foy's Lake Park, Iven Herron Memorial Park and Sliter's Park in downtown Bigfork.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com