County parks plan called 'a workable tool for the decades'

Buoyed by an outpouring of public support, the new Flathead County Parks & Recreation Master Plan won unanimous approval from the county Planning Board on Wednesday.

The board will recommend approval of the plan to the county commissioners, who have the final say.

The plan provides a framework for decisions on park development, land acquisition, recreation programming and partnerships. A separate trails master plan will be forthcoming.

Flathead County's growth policy recommended that a detailed parks and recreation master plan be undertaken and adopted as an appendix to the growth policy. Applied Communications of Whitefish was hired to write the parks plan.

County Park Board member Jim Watson told the board that 426 written comments were received as the parks master plan was being drafted.

Five workshops were held across the valley to glean community input. A survey also was taken to gauge public opinion about county parks.

"This plan sits on a very firm foundation," Watson said.

Dave Renfrow, a representative of Columbia Falls' First Best Place Task Force, called the master plan "a workable tool for the decades."

Mike Baker, Parks and Recreation director for the city of Kalispell, also sang praises for the plan.

"These documents are a road map for us," Baker said.

Acknowledging the county's limited resources for park development, the plan encourages expanded use of public-private partnerships that have been used on projects such as the Foys to Blacktail Trail project, Herron Park and the Conrad Complex.

Among the recommendations for engaging citizen volunteers at county parks, the plan recommends the county explore the development of a memorandum of understanding for programs such as adopt-a-park/trail for community groups that want to undertake such efforts.

Currently, liability issues preclude the county from being able to use private volunteers for park maintenance.

"The only way you can work in a park is if you've been convicted of something," County Parks Director Jed Fisher said, referring to inmates who are assigned community-service projects at local parks.

The plan also recommends exploring the creation of a nonprofit organization to support parks, recreation and trails through fundraising, grant writing and volunteer development.

Flathead County has built up $400,000 in its cash-in-lieu of parkland fund. Subdivision regulations require a developer to either dedicate a cash donation or provide land for park space. Generally, 85 percent of cash-in-lieu funds are invested in the area from which they're generated, Fisher said.

By law, 50 percent of cash-in-lieu funds can be used for maintenance and 50 percent can go toward parkland purchases.

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