ORV park site search boundary extended

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

COEUR d'ALENE — Kootenai County will continue to explore possible sites for a future off-road vehicle park — and that includes looking into partnering with neighboring counties on options.

County commissioners on Wednesday gave Nick Snyder, the county's Parks and Waterways director, permission to work with other counties such as Bonner, Shoshone and Benewah on the concept he has been exploring off and on since 2007.

"We may never find the suitable property, but I'm hopeful that we will," Snyder said. "It may not even be in Kootenai County.

"The county is merely looking at this conceptually at this point. As of today, all options are on the table and I'm hoping user groups and individuals will step up and help us identify possible places where motorsports can go on without interrupting residential."

County commissioners Marc Eberlein and Chris Fillios were at the meeting while commissioner Bob Bingham was not present due to attending another meeting.

The conceptual plan includes riding trails for ATVs, dirt bikes, endurocross, snowcross and four-wheel drive vehicles, a children's ride area, training site, campground, oval flat track, RV parking, a small dog park, loading area and picnic site.

County commissioners in November gave Snyder permission to further explore 557 acres owned by the Idaho Department of Lands off Twete Road just south of Buttonhook Bay and southeast of Bayview.

Since Eberlein was the only current commissioner on the board at that time, Wednesday was the first time Fillios was introduced to the park concept in a public meeting.

Snyder said he hasn't even had a chance to give the Twete Road site a thorough look due to the heavy snowfall to see if it would be among the options. News that the county intended to merely explore the site sparked stiff opposition from neighboring property owners.

Snyder said when a site is actually being zeroed in on, a public hearing would be required and the county commissioners would ultimately have to approve it.

County commissioners and Snyder said the idea of an ORV park that would be constructed with grants and maintained by user fees remains a viable one in a region rich with outdoor recreation, but it will be difficult to find a site without upsetting neighbors fearing the noise or traffic will hamper their rural lifestyle.

"You have the concept," Eberlein told Snyder. "The where is the important part."

Eberlein said allowing Snyder to engage in discussions with other counties about the concept may open other site possibilities.

If the park would involve another county, the counties would split the revenue generated from the user fees.

Snyder said the perfect location would be roughly 1,500 acres, but a park could be built on a smaller site.

"There may not even be a suitable site in Kootenai County," he said. "But we think this project would be enjoyed by a lot of people."

Snyder said he believes he has done what he can to carry the ORV park concept ball and demanded the commissioners give him clear direction on where to go with it since it's become a hot-button issue.

"It's incumbent upon the users to come together to let the decisionmakers know if they want it or not," Snyder said. "I've done what I can conceptually. Some folks love the idea; some don't. It's the nature of the project."

Snyder said he has fielded many phone calls and emails from people who have concerns, particularly those living off Twete Road.

"I'm in the middle," he told commissioners, referring to why he needed their direction on the concept. "I have no problem (fielding calls), but I can't have the leadership being Switzerland on the issue. I can't be standing there when the music stops and there's no chair.

"It's the fortitude of the decisionmakers to decide if the benefit of a facility like this outweighs the interruption to others. I've been saying from day one that some folks are going to be upset just because we're looking."

Eberlein told Snyder it's best if users become more engaged in the concept at this point and, if he or the users find a strong site possibility, to bring it the board for consideration.

"If you find the right location, then I'd like to look at it," Eberlein said. "The most important part will be finding a piece of property."

Fillios added: "We're OK with you looking for property with the least amount of resistance and greatest amount of acceptance; that's what we're backing."