Depot Park plans move forward

The

Depot Park steering committee unanimously approved last week a

draft master plan for a complete overhaul of Whitefish’s prominent

downtown green space. The proposal goes to the Park Board Feb. 14

where the committee will recommend that phase I of the plan be

implemented as early as this spring.

Major proposed changes to Depot Park on

the north end of downtown include the removal of the bank building

currently being used by the city’s planning and parks departments,

and the removal of the pond.

The committee set out with the goal of

maximizing available space for the steady stream of events that

happen in the park. The bulk of the park will remain an open,

flexible lawn area with updated turf reinforcement, and re-grading

and leveling for better drainage and event staging. A large area on

the east side will be kept open as a tent space for events such as

the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce’s Oktoberfest.

Twelve trees will be removed, five of

which were identified as dead and four in poor condition. Four new

trees are proposed to be added to the remaining 20 trees, including

a holiday tree on the south side. Only one of the existing conifers

will remain.

A public restroom could be added to the

outside of the O’Shaughnessy Center on Railway Street, or to the

west side of the Community Library.

Sidewalks around the perimeter of the

park will be widened to 11.5 feet and hardscaped seating areas will

be at each corner. A 24-foot wide gazebo is planned on the

southeast hardscaped corner, which could be used as a small

performance space. A historical interpretive area will go on the

northeast corner near the Depot. New streetlights with flower

baskets and banner arms are planned.

A new, smaller water feature is

proposed for the middle of the park. The feature would be flush

with the lawn surface with jets to move water and possibly lights

that could be activated. Design team landscape architect Bruce

Boody says the water feature will be made of a dark blue-grey

stone. Even with the water turned on, pedestrians could walk across

the feature with shoes on.

The design team will be working with

the Parks Board on cost estimates for the park overhaul. The

project could be funded with TIF money. Upon city council approval,

the project will go out for construction bids.

Depending on funding, the project could

be broken down into phases. The first phase would involve removing

the drive-thru portion of the bank building. The steering committee

voted unanimously to recommend to the Park Board to start phase I

as soon as possible.

The remaining phases are likely

dependent on the construction of a new city hall, Boody said, since

the bank building is currently being used by two city

departments.

The committee remains concerned about

the amount of use the park gets in the summer. With events stacked

from weekend to weekend, there is not enough recovery time for the

turf. Committee member John Phelps suggested a rotating schedule of

alternate event locations within the park.

They briefly discussed the possibility

of a name change for the park, including Depot Square, Central Park

or Great Northern Square.