Shoshone County to develop North Fork parking lot

WALLACE – The Shoshone Board of County Commissioners is moving forward with plans to turn a large section of county-owned property in Enaville, near the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River, into a parking lot.

During a meeting last week, the board made the decision to keep, but no longer lease, the section of land just a few hundred yards northeast of the iconic Snake Pit restaurant along Coeur d'Alene River Road, and convert much of the 5-acre property into a parking lot.

Due to the natural topography of the land, the entire space couldn’t be used for parking, but the board is looking at this as an opportunity to potentially mitigate the negative impact of illegal parking and subsequent overcrowding along the river.

During a meeting Wednesday, the board began tentatively planning for the lot, which they hope will be a revenue generator for the county.

“We are planning a working visit to the site next week so we can get a look at what needs to be done physically to make the site function,” board chairman Dave Dose said. “We have to consider the privacy of the neighboring properties, trespass considerations, waste management, potential grading and gravel, flood considerations and funding for toilets and trash until we can get income rolling in.”

Trash and toilets along the North Fork, and abuse of these amenities during the summer months, have become a cause for concern over the years.

A parking lot will provide another centralized location for services that are easier to maintain and monitor.

Dose said he and the other commissioners aren’t trying to rush the project, but they understand the need calls for something to be done as soon as possible.

“Our goal is this summer, but that will be determined by funding, available manpower and ongoing research on the site,” Dose said. “We have also put in for a grant to develop this property to include toilets, dumpsters and controlled access so that we can charge for parking and help cover some of the costs of extra waste management and law enforcement needs up the river in the summer.”

The location of the property doesn’t allow for any sort of public access to the river, which the board hopes will encourage some entrepreneurial opportunities for folks looking to capitalize on people’s desires to enjoy the river without incurring the wrath of law enforcement personnel who are under strict orders tow vehicles that are illegally parked.

The board’s plan also shifts some of the financial burden for maintaining the North Fork area from Shoshone County taxpayers to people visiting for recreational purposes.

“We feel that because Shoshone County is a mostly free place to recreate, it attracts more visitors,” Dose said. “We think charging fees may help control some of the traffic we experience each summer and at the very least it will make the visitor pay for his own costs. It should also create opportunities for shuttle bus businesses to spring up, which would further alleviate some of the heavy traffic on the river. In the end, we are hoping to spread the costs of managing tourism up the river out to the visitors, whereas it is currently being covered with property taxes.”

While some concerns have been brought up on social media, nothing formal has been brought before the commissioners.