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Sandpoint pauses RV‑park renovation; council asks for community workshops after Averill family request
Summary
After a letter from the Averill family and a contested council hearing, Sandpoint staff proposed community charrettes and a survey to re‑examine a state‑funded $950,000 RV‑park renovation. Staff warned that abandoning the RV option would forfeit the grant and reduce parks CIP revenue by roughly $115,000–$80,000/year unless replaced by alternate funding.
Chairman Taylor Long and city staff said the Sandpoint City Council has asked for additional community engagement before choosing whether to proceed with a planned renovation of the City Beach RV park site.
Jason Welker, community planning and development staff, told the Parks and Recreation Commission that the Averill family sent a letter asking council to reconsider improvements and that council, after two hours of public comment at its Nov. 5 meeting, amended a motion to deny the current lease or sale request and to pursue community workshops and broader public outreach instead. “We have an RV park in this park, and we have 1000000 dollars of state dollars to to renovate that,” Welker said, noting the state grant timeline and financial tradeoffs.
Why it matters: the city has been offered roughly $950,000 in state grant funding to renovate the existing RV park; staff said the existing RV operation generates about $80,000 net annually for the parks capital improvement fund and estimated a loss of about $115,000 per year in CIP revenue if the site is repurposed without replacement funding. Welker said the state generally expects grantees to show forward progress by May–June next year and could reassign the grant if the city remains undecided.
Options and next steps: staff outlined three potential outcomes to present to the newly seated council in January: (1) amend the parks master plan and renovate the RV park in its current location and reopen solicitations (staff estimates breaking ground in 2026 is still feasible); (2) amend the plan to convert the uplands to boat‑trailer parking (removing relocated boat launches) if an agreement with the Averill family to fund the work is finalized; or (3) adopt a new park asset or additional parking at the site, which would forfeit the state RV grant and require replacement funding. Welker cautioned that any agreement with private funders must respect an existing railroad covenant that restricts use to public park purposes.
Public comments at the commission meeting reflected community divisions. A resident who identified themselves during public comment said, “It was not for the city to remain in the RV park business,” urging more robust public involvement before changing the site. Commissioners proposed holding a charrette — a facilitated town‑hall style workshop — and circulating a survey to reach more residents; staff proposed preparing materials in December and running workshops before a council decision in January.
Staff emphasized constraints: the 2020 parks master plan is a long‑term vision that requires funding, and a 2021 local option tax to fund implementation was rejected by voters. Welker said boat‑launch dredging or relocation would cost millions and that short‑term decisions should focus on maintaining and improving existing assets when funding is limited.
What’s next: staff plans to draft engagement materials, rehearse the workshop at the parks commission meeting scheduled for December, and hold community charrettes before presenting options to council in January. If council opts for a non‑RV use, staff said replacement revenue or a contract with the hotel or other funder would be needed to avoid a reduction in parks capital funds.
