Sandpoint staff weigh using $100,000 in CIP funds to buy design-ready parking-lot plans after WIF offer declined

Parks staff told commissioners Aug. 13 that City Council has accepted a $950,000 RB fund grant for City Beach and that the parks department declined a separate Waterways Improvement Fund (WIF) offer because the WIF award would have required a $100,000 local match.

Staff proposed using $100,000 currently in the parks capital improvement fund as match money to pay for design and engineering for the existing City Beach parking lot and to combine that scope with planned design work for the RV park. Staff said the combined design contract would produce bid-ready documents for both projects, making future grant applications and contractor procurement faster and more competitive.

Staff explained that the WIF reviewer declined the city’s larger WIF application because reviewers concluded the parking lot did not primarily serve boaters; the state offered roughly $105,000 instead. Parks staff said they rejected that offer because it carried an approximate $100,000 local match requirement and because the city lacked the conceptual renderings the WIF reviewer wanted to see.

Commission discussion focused on scope and cost. Staff and commissioners gave cost examples: basic resurfacing and restriping might require $15,000–$30,000 for engineering and survey work, while a fuller redesign that addresses stormwater treatment, lighting, landscaping, bus turnarounds and circulation for boat trailers could reach or exceed $100,000 in professional fees. Staff said their intent is to seek a single design and engineering firm to cover both the RV park and parking-lot scopes to generate synergy and avoid duplicate costs.

Staff also told the commission that a nearby hotel application could produce in-lieu parking fees — depending on final permit timing and a recently announced fee increase — of roughly $400,000 to $1,000,000 that could supply later construction funding for parking. Staff said council is motivated to use paid-parking revenue and parking in-lieu fees to fund construction of parking improvements.

Commissioners and members of the public suggested coordination with prior conceptual drawings — including a roundabout concept discussed by a waterfront design team — and emphasized that bid-ready engineering will improve competitiveness for state grants that target boat ramps, docks and boat parking.

No commission vote was taken at the Aug. 13 meeting; staff asked commissioners for feedback and proposed bringing a follow-up update in a future meeting after consulting state agency timelines and potential external funding partners.

Ending: Staff said they will pursue more detailed scope and cost estimates, coordinate with state agencies and stakeholders, and return to the commission with updates and grant-strategy recommendations. The commission asked staff to circulate conceptual materials and to contact state agency project leads before the next meeting.