Sandpoint parks staff outline Travis Park shelter, benches, skate shade, batting cages and City Beach improvements

Sandpoint parks staff provided a multi-project status update at the parks commission meeting, reporting that construction work at Travis Park is under way and multiple amenities at City Beach and other parks are in planning or production.

Jason, parks staff liaison, said crews have “put the foundation in, like, as we speak for the 24 by 36 picnic shelter,” and that “the concrete should be in by the end of this week.” He said the project is waiting for a structural engineer’s stamped drawings from the shelter manufacturer before the city can issue a building permit, and that the shelter is expected to be erected “in October” if permitting proceeds on schedule. The concrete pad will be used in the commission’s planned Oct. 4 grand-opening event as a demonstration of the shelter location.

Why it matters: the shelter is part of a broader set of low-cost and donor-supported park improvements intended to increase usable shade, seating and family amenities at the City Beach/Travis Park area.

Key details and next steps

- Picnic shelter and site amenities: Jason said Timberframe HQ (the supplier) is in a queue to provide the engineer stamp on the structure drawings; materials are staged off-site. Parks staff plan to install round picnic tables (five or six on the pad) and mockups are being fabricated by Kalispell Metal Works. The commission was told benches, bike racks and table mockups will be among the last site amenities to arrive.

- Bike racks: staff plan to replace a noncompliant “wave rack” in front of the James U.S. Sports Center with hairpin-style racks, and to install roughly 18 bike racks at the playground and building front once orders arrive.

- Ping-pong table: staff are evaluating a permanently installed ping-pong table (concrete or steel) to sit under the new shelter.

- Skate park shade and batting cages: staff reported the skate-park shade structure has been engineered and is in production and will be delivered this summer or fall, while Thompson Fence will install sleeves for batting-cage posts now and the batting cages and turf will be installed in spring when the baseball season resumes.

- HVAC screening for neighbors: staff said they are soliciting a quote to raise the fence around a sports-center HVAC unit after a nearby neighbor reported the early-morning noise was disruptive. Staff reported an engineering review found taller screening will not hinder airflow.

- Moving historic playground equipment: fall projects include removing older play equipment from Travis Park and reinstalling it at City Beach, including a swing set in a shaded grove near the lake.

- Historic sign and sculpture: the commission said a large carved wooden Lake Pend Oreille sign (previously at the Chamber kiosk) now in city custody will be refurbished and possibly installed at City Beach. Staff also reported an artist offered to fabricate a new base for a carved sculpture (the “flipper feet”) and suggested a location near the marina or Memorial Marina.

Community timeline and outreach

Jason said finishing touches and small amenities remain — bike racks, tables and a list of items compiled by an outgoing staff member — and that staff hope to show the finished shelter and some amenities at a community event on Oct. 4. Several projects are staged for fall installation or spring follow-up (batting cages, turf and fence post sleeves), and staff plan to continue community outreach about placement and donors.

Ending

Commissioners raised no formal objections during the update and thanked staff for the progress report. The commission will discuss related construction timing and donor recognition as the October grand opening approaches.