Atlas Mill Park opens for public access
The kayak and paddleboard launch is but one of the newest features of the 4000-foot-long Atlas Mill Park, a park that includes grottos, a gazebo, ADA-accessible amenities and a dog park. (CRAIG NORTHRUP/Press)
The Atlas Mill Park's grottos were empty on a gloomy and rainy Monday. The park got a soft opening over the weekend, as the 4,000-foot-long stretch along the Spokane River is now open to the public. (CRAIG NORTHRUP/Press)
A jogger enjoys the Atlas Mill Park Monday, the newest addition to Coeur d'Alene's park system.
Even though the Atlas Mill Park didn’t get the grand opening it deserves — a grand opening delayed by a summer of natural disasters — the newest addition to the Coeur d’Alene park system is now open.
The orange plastic safety fencing has been removed through almost all of the park, save a few patches near the gazebo where new seed still needs time to grow.
The West Suzanne Road access point is now open: Visitors can follow John Loop past the Citylink Riverstone Transit Center and drive down the 128-stall parking lot, or those strolling along Centennial Trail just west of Riverstone Park can take a quick detour south toward the Spokane River.
That river will be parkgoers’ constant reminder of how fortunate we are to live where we live, said Bill Greenwood, the city’s Parks and Recreation director.
“I think the critical part of all this is the forethought our City Council and ignite cda had to create this 4,000-foot stretch of waterfront property for the public to enjoy," Greenwood said. "This is probably the last bastion of public waterfront access we might ever get to call our own.”
While Greenwood, construction crews and other city leaders were optimistic about a possible July opening, an unprecedented summer led to a series of delays that pushed those hopes to late August, then once again to late September.
Greenwood said the COVID-19 pandemic caused supply interruptions that simply became unavoidable. But most of those delays are resolved.
“We’re putting in the trash cans for the dog park,” Greenwood said. “There’s a beautiful awning there: That piece turned out really nice. The gazebo and the playground are open now, and all the trails are open. It’s all available for everyone to enjoy.”
Sort of. With November being November, the restrooms have been winterized and are closed until spring. The docks have been removed and will sit in storage for the winter. And while most of the grass is planted, Greenwood pointed out that “open” is not the same as “finished."
“We were really looking forward to laying down this micro-clover,” Greenwood said of the seed his department was hoping to install. “But not only did the facility where they grow this have to get evacuated from the Oregon fires, but I think part of their facilities were damaged in the fire.”
Crews put down an annual rye in its place, giving the park a temporary lawn while also protecting it from erosion. Greenwood said he hopes to lay down micro-clover in the spring. In the meantime, he added, people are welcome to enjoy the Atlas Mill Park.
“The thing I’m really excited about is the American Disabilities Act piece of this,” he said. “The ADA launch for access to the water, the swim area, the ADA trails, the dog park: This is something the community really spoke up about in the public workshops, and I think they’re really going to enjoy it.”
