Kidsports could get $1.5 million

This summer, a $1.5 million grant could become available for the increasingly popular Kidsports facility in north Kalispell.

State Sen. Mark Blasdel, R-Kalispell, told the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday that the funding was included in the Legislature’s main funding bill, House Bill 2, which was signed into law May 5 by Gov. Steve Bullock.

Although Bullock included a line-item veto along with his signature, the grant for a youth sports facility on school trust land remained in the final version of the 79-page bill. The budget language specifies a one-time “appropriation for capital improvements to youth recreational facilities on school trust lands.”

Blasdel said he believes three other youth sport facilities in Helena, Butte and Great Falls could potentially qualify for the grant, but he is optimistic about the north Kalispell sports complex’s chances at winning it.

“I think Kidsports has the most organization and is the most ready to go on this,” Blasdel said. “There’s about an eight-plus million-dollar return per year on that complex. ... Although the [grant] money isn’t specifically earmarked, we’ll wait and see how the Department of Commerce drafts the grants.”

Justin Sliter, the Kidsports treasurer, agreed, saying the organization that runs the complex will likely apply for the grant once it takes shape.

Although he said there are a number of infrastructure-related needs at the facility, what they ask for will depend on the final grant language.

Lacrosse fields are high on the list of possibilities, with the sport’s growing popularity and the fact that lacrosse fields require a bigger footprint than football or soccer fields.

“The demand for fields continues to grow. We have more kids than ever utilizing the facility,” Sliter said. “Another dream of ours is to put in a playground structure ... which would be constructed for use by physically disabled individuals, similar to the Miracle Field.”

Currently, Kidsports is home to 30 playing surfaces, including the Miracle Field, 11 baseball fields, seven primary soccer fields, seven softball fields, a cross-country track, a playground and Joel Heuscher Memorial Park.

The annual Three Blind Refs soccer tournament held at the end of May brought in 165 teams last year.

According to the Kidsports website, weeknights regularly see around 5,000 participants and family members at the facility, with about 7,000 people descending on Kidsports during peak weekends.

Securing the grant within the final budget wasn’t easy.

Blasdel said he attempted to insert similar language into a budget bill during the previous session, but it was ultimately stripped out by a budget amendment that he characterized as “retribution” toward an Appropriations Committee member who was absent for the vote. This session, Blasdel said he was determined to see the grant make it to the finish line.

“It was a motion put in by an appropriations subcommittee, and then it was a matter of maintaining it throughout the session,” Blasdel said, adding that there were discussions throughout the initial rounds of appropriations debates to remove the funding.

As the final budget negotiations between the Legislature and the Governor’s Office stretched out into the waning days of the session, Sen. Bob Keenan, R-Bigfork, was tasked with defending the money as both sides worked to hammer out a deal.

“That appropriation for Kidsports was a target for people who did not understand the finances behind it, that there were maneuvers within the Schweitzer administration that cost Kidsports money, and this money was a way to even out those expenses,” Keenan said.

“I got tired of explaining that this is a legitimate expense, both as an economic driver within the committee and because of the expenses have been put on Kidsports ... We sort of wore them down and let them know it wasn’t coming out of the budget.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Commerce did not immediately return phone calls, but Blasdel said the final grant language will likely be drafted by midsummer.

Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com