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County signals intent not to renew boat‑ramp lease; calls for stakeholder workshop on Bayview ramps
Summary
The commission discussed giving notice to Lakes Highway District that the county will not renew a lease governing management of Bayview boat ramps, and called for stakeholder workshops to identify long‑term solutions; Lakes Highway District chair and Bayview residents urged better early communication and collaborative planning.
The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners discussed a lease with Lakes Highway District covering Bayview and other county boat ramps and signaled intent to give the contract’s six‑month termination notice if no longer-term plan is agreed.
A commissioner said the lease in question included an atypical 180‑day termination clause and that the county had not engaged Lakes Highway District about longer-term plans since the lease was signed. The commissioner said it was appropriate to give advance notice so Lakes Highway District has time to find alternatives and to prompt stakeholder conversations rather than being forced into a late political scramble.
Public commenters from Bayview and other areas pressed the board for better courtesy communication and earlier stakeholder engagement. Gary McDonald of Bayview said county leaders had previously apologized for poor notice on related matters and called the current short-notice perception “poor practice.”
Rod Tweed, chairman of the Lakes Highway District board, told commissioners he was alarmed when he saw the agenda but said he is willing to sit down with county officials to craft a solution that protects the ramps. Other commenters, including Mike Gridley of Coeur D’Alene, described the ramps as countywide amenities that serve recreation and safety functions and urged preservation.
One commissioner stressed the launch program should be fee‑based rather than taxpayer‑subsidized if users cannot be charged, and that uniformity of service levels across the county should be a goal. Several commissioners expressed support for convening stakeholders and arranging workshops to inventory county resources and evaluate options. The meeting then proceeded to executive session; the agenda item was a discussion and no lease termination vote was taken at this meeting.
