Sandpoint council green-lights City Beach RV-park renovation after residents urge protection of beach access
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Summary
After an extended public comment period where dozens of residents opposed giving marina slips or operational control to a private developer, the Sandpoint City Council voted to proceed with renovating City Beach RV Park using a $950,000 Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation grant, committing the site to RV use for 25 years under the grant terms.
Sandpoint— The City of Sandpoint will move forward with renovating the City Beach RV Park after the City Council voted Feb. 4 to accept the Parks and Recreation Commissionrecommendation and the results of recent public outreach. The decision follows more than two hours of public comment in which residents urged the council to preserve public access to the lake and reject concessions to a private developer, identified in public remarks as Averill Hospitality.
Mayor Jeremy Grama opened the councildiscussion by summarizing staff recommendations and saying the city seeks to protect its assets while remaining open to lawful partnerships. Jason Welker, the cityplanning and community development director, told the council that accepting the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) RV fund grant would commit the site to RV use for 25 years, and the state could request repayment of the $950,000 grant if the city converts the site within that term.
Speakers at the meeting voiced near-uniform concern about a developer proposal that, as residents described it, would reserve long-term slips and event-space privileges for the hotelowner. Julie Pichinski called the idea "deliberately and dangerously vague," saying municipal funds and public boat slips should remain available to locals. Jace Bordenave urged the council not to "subsidize" the developer with public land, arguing the private owner bought the property as-is and should not expect the city to make concessions. Multiple speakers also noted that the city already had secured a $950,000 grant intended to fund RV-park renovations.
Councilor Pam Duquette moved to accept the Parks & Recreation Commission recommendation and direct staff to proceed with renovation of the City Beach RV Park using the currently secured funding; Councilor Kyle Schreiber seconded. After brief council discussion about public process, legal constraints and community preferences, the presiding mayor announced the motion passed.
Welker said staff will reopen the request for proposals for design and engineering work and work with the city contracts administrator to solicit a design contractor with the intent of moving toward construction this fall and reopening a renovated RV park for the next camping season. He also noted the marinapolicy prohibits commercial use absent a specific lease agreement; the five slips historically leased to a hotel have no current lease and any future commercial use would require council approval.
The councilvote directs staff to proceed with the RV-park renovation using the IDPR grant and $50,000 in parks capital funds where appropriate. The decision preserves public ownership of the site while moving ahead on the grant-funded renovation; however, residents at the meeting asked the council to resist long-term concessions that would give the private hotel operator operational control of slips or event spaces.
What happens next: City staff will reissue the RFP for design and engineering, return to council with a contract recommendation and continue community outreach as design work proceeds. Any proposed lease or use agreement for marina slips or change of use would require separate council action.
