Kidsports is a key city asset

It appears the Kalispell City Council is poised to become the cavalry to the rescue for the immeasurably valuable Kidsports youth athletic complex on the north side of town.

Although it’s far from settled, council members are considering pitching in roughly $2.3 million to purchase a permanent lease for the 123 acres that have supported thousands of local kids for the last 15 years in baseball, football, softball, soccer and cross country, not to mention the thousands of out-of-area kids and their parents who have juiced the local economy for years during sporting events.

Without the city’s involvement, using funds from an airport tax increment finance district, the Kidsports organization would likely be looking at years of fundraising efforts to secure the land. With the city’s immediate support, Kidsports would be obliged to pay for much needed improvements, most notably improved access to the facility. Also with the city’s support, Kidsports would be much more capable of paying for those improvements just by not having to pay lease fees and payments over time.

It could be an entirely worthwhile opportunity to seize upon.

The land was appraised for about $7,000 an acre back in 1995, and now it is appraised at $18,515 an acre. Obviously, if the State  Land Board’s current $2.3 million offer isn’t taken up, the cost of securing the land down the road could be considerably higher.

This is an idea that deserves serious attention.

CONGRATULATIONS to the kings of Class A soccer: the Whitefish Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs, perennial powers on the pitch, turned in a typical dominant effort in crushing Billings Central 4-1 to win their latest state title.

The championship-game win concluded a sterling 15-0 season for the Bulldogs as they defended their state title.

The Whitefish trophy conquest capped a soccer championship weekend in the Flathead Valley with 20 teams competing at three different venues.

In Columbia Falls, the Wildkats achieved second place in Class A girls soccer as they were turned back in the title game by Billings Central.

Kalispell, meanwhile, hosted the three-day Class AA state tournament. The lone local entry, the Glacier Wolfpack girls, won two of their three games and finished as the top Western AA team at state.