MY TURN: Full story of Kiwanis Park trail system
The Press has missed a golden opportunity to turn what seems to be a contentious set of actions into a positive one for everyone. In your May 9 article, "Post Falls decommissioning 'social' trails at Kiwanis Park" you have reported "the facts" of the project without completing the legwork to impart understanding to the community.
Surprisingly, no one ever reached out to The Kiwanis Club of Coeur d'Alene, who owns the park, for details or comment. As a member of this club, I was shocked to see such a negatively worded headline about the park that our club voluntarily provides to the community through the Post Falls Parks & Recreation Department.
I understand that some community members were not happy to see the trails being marked. Maybe they thought this was a bad thing because they enjoy the natural state of the park. However, a park full of mud, dirt and dust is not a beautiful or enjoyable park for anyone.
Improvements to Kiwanis Park’s trail system ensure continued enjoyment for all
History
Over 100 years ago, The Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene was chartered with the child-focused mission and vision of Kiwanis International.
In 1927, the club purchased the land where the park now sits for $7,500. It was only in the early 2000s, upon recognizing the value of opening the acres of river access to the community, did our members work tirelessly to develop and establish the park as it is today.
One of the club’s primary objectives in doing so was to provide a dedicated park for the Post Falls Parks & Recreation’s Summer Day Camp, Camp Ka-Mee-Lin. The school district also utilizes the established trails in the park for cross-country meets, and the trails provide a convenient escape to nature for all.
The Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene leases the park to the city of Post Falls for just $1 a year in return for the well-qualified maintenance and upkeep of the natural state of the property.
Trail Mapping Project
With the flood of newcomers in the past few years came an increase in foot traffic throughout the park. Community member and often-time park visitor Joseph Moran saw a need as the increase in disregard for the natural foliage was creating more erosion throughout the park. As a senior member of Trail Life Troop ID-04:12 in Coeur d'Alene, Mr. Moran saw an opportunity to serve his community.
With the input and oversight of the Post Falls Parks & Rec Department, Mr. Moran approached the club’s board with an official map of the trail system and his wish to mark the trails as the community service part of his Trail Life final award.
The benefits of an official trail system were clear to the board — walkers could choose how far they wanted to walk and follow a clearly marked, color-coded trail; visitors would know how to get to the pavilion, the river and the beach without traipsing through the native foliage because they didn’t know where they were going; further erosion and possible mitigation would hopefully be avoided.
The board of the Kiwanis Club of Coeur d’Alene gave the green light, and Mr. Moran along with his Trail Life Troop and the department completed the trail marking project in April. The club is happy to have provided an opportunity for these children to feel the satisfaction of providing a service to their community and a job well done!
• • •
Megan Tollackson is 2023-24 president, Kiwanis Club of Coeur d'Alene.