Commissioners accept park

Flathead County Commissioners agreed to accept and maintain the new lakefront park in Lakeside, donated and developed by a local couple.

The commissioners signed a memorandum of understanding with the limited liability company representing Lakeside residents Bruce Ennis and Margaret Davis agreeing to accept the title of the day-use park once completed and maintain it during the park season.

"There are no negatives here. It's all positive," Commissioner Jim Dupont said. "This will go on in Flathead County just being one of the most wonderful things a couple could do."

The couple has had a vision of this project since 2007, when Ennis and Davis first made an offer on the Mattson family property along U.S. Highway 93.

Since then, they've accumulated through purchases approximately 1.5 acres along Adams Street, including the property where the Bayshore Motel used to be.

The park's location at the center of Lakeside makes it an ideal location, Ennis said, as well as one of the safest locations, since it is near crosswalks and the blinking light on Highway 93.

Overflow parking could be found at Lakeside Elementary School during the summer and the Lakeside Water and Sewer District could service the facilities.

Stormwater will be maintained and treated on site, he said.

"This is the last place you'll ever find on Flathead Lake to put a park of this sort," Ennis said.

The lakefront provided by Davis and Ennis along with that owned by Flathead County will provide roughly 190 feet of Lake frontage for the park, and roughly the same amount along Highway 93.

The couple started the venture to address what they saw as an unsafe situation where children were swimming near the boat ramp because they did not have enough public access to the Lake nearby to swim.

Eight buildings have been removed from the property either by demolition or by being moved to another site. Four of these buildings stayed within the community, with three going to Youth With A Mission and one to the Lakeside Community Chapel.

The small office building remaining on the property is in use by Blacktail Mountain Ski Area as a ticket office and will be removed at the end of the ski season.

Plans for the park include a 60-person large pavilion, two smaller pavilions, "vandal-resistant" bathrooms and 37 parking spots. The couple also plans to replace the three existing docks that are in poor condition with two new docks and a permanent swim platform, partially to protect swimmers and serve as a barrier from boats. All of the park will be Americans with Disabilities Act complaint.

Commissioner Dale Lauman, who is a resident of Lakeside, said the biggest complaint he often hears about the county's current public dock in the town is the need for parking. He praised Ennis and Davis for helping alleviate that problem with the spots slated for the park.

"I think it will be a tremendous asset for the Lakeside community," he said.

Commissioner Joe Brenneman said words failed to describe the generosity of the gift.

"Our commitment to you is we will indeed take care of it," Brenneman said.

Should Lakeside become incorporated, the agreement allows for the city to then approach the county to take over management of the park.

The couple also retains the right to name the park and any features within it.

Last week, the commissioners also approved a permit to allow construction in the Lakeshore Protection Zone so the couple could get crews at work replacing the docks. With these two approvals in place, construction can now begin on the park, and both the contractors and the couple have been anxious to get to work so that it can be completed this fall.

"I'm excited and I'm relieved," Davis said.