Lewiston council debates proposed Jewett Park lease, requests clearer terms and cost breakdowns

The Lewiston City Council heard a detailed presentation and debate April 7 over a proposed lease from Northwest Children’s Home for Jewett Park and asked city staff and the home to provide clearer, itemized terms before finalizing any agreement.

Councilors pressed Northwest Children’s Home leaders for specifics after the organization’s executive director and board chair said the home wants a written lease primarily for liability and risk-management reasons and is proposing $10,000 in annual rent, not including utilities. Brian Pope, executive director of Northwest Children’s Home, told the council the site has needed capital work — including a walking path, parking improvements and reassessment or replacement of older playground equipment — and that the home had expected capital improvements to be planned with city staff but was now seeking funds to begin repairs.

Councilors said the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission had reviewed the home’s draft and recommended against accepting the $10,000 annual payment as written because the commission feared losing control over how park funds are prioritized. Councilors repeatedly asked for a line-item list of capital projects the lease payment would fund, and for clarity about which party — the city or the lessee — would be responsible for particular improvements and utilities.

John Keith, chair of the Northwest Children’s Home board, told the council the home believes $10,000 annually is a reasonable sum to address deferred capital needs on the roughly 2.5-acre park property. Councilors noted the city has been maintaining the park without a current written lease since at least 2011 and that the original lease relationship dates to 1971.

Several councilors and staff highlighted inconsistencies between the draft lease the home provided and earlier versions. Councilor questions focused on whether the lease should (a) state a lump-sum annual payment that the lessee would control, (b) require the city to perform identified capital improvements, or (c) retain a structure in which the city and parks commission review and approve specific capital projects — for example, by adding annual addenda listing prioritized improvements and estimated costs.

City Attorney Jennifer Zingano said she had not yet reviewed the current draft and recommended an initial legal review to identify terms that might raise issues for the city as a public entity. Councilors asked staff to provide comparisons with other park leases the city holds (for example, agreements involving Harris Park and the Corps of Engineers) so the council could see how responsibilities and costs were allocated elsewhere.

Council action and next steps: Councilor Schroeder moved, and Councilor Forsman seconded, a motion directing staff and the city attorney to work with the Northwest Children’s Home to draft an adequate lease. That motion was later withdrawn to allow staff and the home time to assemble the clearer, itemized information councilors requested. Councilors directed staff to return with (a) a redlined lease or a clarified draft, (b) an itemized list of proposed capital projects and estimated costs, and (c) comparisons to other city leases. Brian Pope said he would take the request back to his board.

Why it matters: Councilors said they need to determine whether Jewett Park should remain part of the city’s long-term parks system and, if so, how to protect public safety and fiscal priorities through clearly defined lease terms. Several councilors pressed that a lease should not simply divert existing parks funding away from system-wide priorities without explicit oversight and line-item accountability.

The council did not adopt a lease at the April 7 work session and left the matter open while staff and the Northwest Children’s Home return with clarified terms and cost estimates for further council review.