City begins Depot Park upgrades
Work has already begun on a gazebo in the southeast corner of Depot Park.
Depot Park is set to undergo some major changes this summer as the city of Whitefish continues the implementation of the park’s master plan.
The largest project is the removal of the existing building in Depot Park and the adjacent parking lot. The building houses the city’s parks and recreation and planning departments, which will move into the new City Hall building set for completion this month. After the building is removed in June, the area will be leveled and sod installed.
The construction of a gazebo in the southeast corner of the park and the removal of some hazardous trees are also part of the work planned for this summer.
“We know there will be some impact to special events, but we’re trying to make it as minimal as possible,” Parks and Recreation Director Maria Butts said.
The downtown Farmers Market is set to open its season at the park on May 30, and the first major event at the park is set for July 7-9 for the Whitefish Arts Festival.
Depot Park hosts roughly eight major events and many smaller events during the year. Butts said the city continues to communicate with event organizers so they can plan accordingly around the construction projects happening in the park.
The Depot Park master plan approved five years ago calls for multiple phases for updating and improving the park.
Last year the pond was drained and filled in, but that has created some drainage issues in the park. When the building is removed new drainage will be installed in that spot.
“The whole park drains right to that area,” Butts said. “We’re going to install drainage and fill that in. As long as we’re digging to level the spot of the building it made sense to do that all at one time.”
The tentative plan is to have that area of the park re-opened by mid-July, but Butts noted that schedule is weather dependent as the grass has to be established before it can be used.
The removal of the building will require addressing utility services in the park for events. A water source will be established on the south side of the park and an electrical box will be moved near the new gazebo.
Concrete work for the gazebo is expected to begin in the next few weeks and the gazebo is set to be completed by the end of June. The gazebo will be 24 feet in size, be handicap accessible and have up-lighting.
“It’s a basic, simple gazebo,” Butts said. “It will be a place to have a picnic or get out of the rain.”
Two large willows on the west side of the park and the willow in the north central part of the park are expected to be taken down by the end of May.
“The willows are hazardous,” Butts said. “They drop branches during wind storms and it seems like we always have wind storms on Tuesdays during Farmers Market. We needed to remove those to address that.”
The Depot Park master plan calls for an estimated $2.5 million in improvements to the park. The Park Board is reviewing an update to that original plan. The funds for the work will come from the city’s tax increment finance fund, and will have to be completed before the TIF district sunsets in 2020.
Work set for the next few years is expected to include installing a tent area on the east edge of the park that includes permanent fixtures to place tent poles into, widening and changes to the sidewalks around the park, and widening of Central Avenue and Spokane Avenue streets on each side of the park.
“We know the construction may deter some people who want to seek an alternative location and we have many other parks,” Butts said. “The good news is that the master plan is being implemented. There will be growing pains dealing with the construction, but then it will be complete.”