PF receives $750K grant for Black Bay Park improvements

POST FALLS — The city of Post Falls has received a $750,000 grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the first phase of improvement construction at Black Bay Park.

The grant received state approval in the past month nearly two years after it was first federally approved.

Post Falls Parks and Recreation Director Dave Fair said Friday he is relieved the grant was awarded after so much work has already been done to get to this point.

"There were some changes at the federal level," he said, including staffing changes, new procedures and more that required modifications to meet new guidelines.

The first phase of construction will take place around the bay and lower area of the park, Fair said. This phase is expected to begin next year and to be completed by the end of 2024.

"Next week the bid opening will happen for that and we’ll see how the bids come in," Fair said.

If a work bid is approved, it will be reviewed by city engineers, consultants and staff, then will go before the Post Falls City Council for approval.

Black Bay Park, at the 1200 block of East Third Avenue, is accessed through entrances off Third and at the end of Bay Street. The 56-acre park offers paved walking and biking trails that tie into the North Idaho Centennial Trail and offer access for fishing and scenic views of the Spokane River. It has a large shaded shelter, two smaller covered shelters along the looped trail, an upper and lower paved parking lot, a basketball court and two lighted tennis courts.

“It’s heavily used," Fair said. "With that use, you have a site that is being worn down. It's not able to handle the traffic."

Boat traffic in the area is also contributing to the park's wear and tear, eroding its shorelines and impacting paved paths.

"All of that will be redone," Fair said, and it will be brought to Americans with Disabilities Act standards, he said.

He said a big feature of work that will be done is an accessible boardwalk system at the water that will reshape the use of that area.

The lower parking lot entrance will also be redone and made accessible to all, Fair said.

Improvements to Black Bay Park will be made in four phases, with the first phase focusing on preliminary river-based enhancements, a comprehensive circulation network and more intimate passive rest areas that celebrate the unique qualities of the naturalized areas of the park. The first phase implements the most essential and desirable park enhancements for the community that will provide foundational pieces for Black Bay Park’s future, according to the Black Bay Park Vision Plan.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund acquires, develops and maintains outstanding property into perpetuity for outdoor recreation purposes.

Info: postfalls.gov/departments/parks-recreation/parks

    An early concept of the first phase of work to be done at Black Bay Park in Post Falls.