Sandpoint finalizes Traverse Park shelter and prioritizes bike racks, tables

Chairman Taylor Long called the Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Commission to order and commissioners heard a staff update on final work at Traverse Park, including a timeline for the timber-frame picnic shelter and options for picnic tables, bike racks and outdoor games.

The commission was told the shelter’s construction drawings arrived from Timber Frame HQ and a building permit would be submitted immediately. Trevor, a Parks Department staff member, said, “we think 3 weeks from now, the shelter is gonna be done,” and outlined who will install the shelter framing, the roofing work and final site items.

The shelter’s roof materials and some labor will be subsidized by a $5,000 contribution from SkyRight Roofing, staff said. Thompson Fence will install deep piers and sleeves for a heavy shade structure and for new batting cage footings; staff said the shade’s foundation holes will be approximately 30 inches in diameter and 8 feet deep. Parks crew member Colton was present to explain crew capacity for some of the finishing tasks.

Commission discussion centered on balancing aesthetics, local sourcing and cost. Staff presented three options for picnic tables to fit under the 36-by-24-foot shelter: lower-cost manufactured tables, Uline-type suppliers and a locally made, custom round table from Kalispell Metal Works that would match existing benches. Commissioners repeated a preference for local fabrication when feasible but stressed the need to preserve limited Parks Capital Improvement Fund dollars for higher-priority items. Trevor said the picnic-table purchase would come from the Parks Capital Improvement Fund and cautioned that “if we spend an extra [$ amount] on picnic tables, that is going to mean there’s gonna be [$ amount] less for other parks improvements this year.”

Commissioners agreed to prioritize “need-to-have” items to complete the shelter area and the sports center frontage. Specifically, the commission supported buying ADA-accessible picnic tables (enough to accommodate wheelchairs), replacing temporary wave bike racks with conforming racks that provide two points of contact per bike, and installing painted table tops where required to finish the site. Commissioners recommended postponing higher-cost “nice-to-have” items — such as multiple artistic bike racks and a heavy, fixed concrete outdoor ping-pong table — until after budget priorities are set and possible sponsorship opportunities are explored.

Staff outlined specific quantities and cost context: roughly six picnic tables for the shelter footprint, about six bike racks in front of the shelter and another six in front of the building (each rack holding two bikes), and options that could range from roughly $2,400 for standard racks up to $7,000 for more decorative installations. Staff noted lead-time and shipping considerations for out-of-state suppliers and that Kalispell Metal Works could deliver locally without a shipping charge.

Commissioners suggested ways to offset costs, including sponsorships and a holiday “wish list” for donors; staff confirmed the city adopted a sponsorship policy earlier and said sponsorships have funded items such as a scoreboard at Memorial Field. Colton confirmed parks crews can perform some installation work in-house, reducing contractor costs for concrete and minor construction.

No formal vote was required. The commission’s direction to staff was to prioritize finishing items necessary to open and operate the site (painted tables and conforming bike racks), defer nonessential purchases pending a fuller budget review, and pursue sponsorship opportunities and targeted quotes for locally fabricated tables. Staff said they would return with cost estimates and contract details as purchases are finalized.