Locals get on board with plan for Wayfarers State Park

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks met with local community members May 20 to discuss proposed changes to Wayfarers State Park and the Harry Horn Day Use area.

Montana State Parks wishes to build a ranger station in the Harry Horn Day Use area, replace the public restrooms, install a new camp host site, and put in a new group day use shelter.

The Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork learned of the plan in February, and opposed the initial proposal. Since, they have been working with Montana State Parks to revise the plan.

After the meeting on May 20, CFBB president Paul Mutascio said he thought everyone walked away feeling better about the new proposal.

“Overall, it was much better than what they originally started with,” he said.

The proposal has the changes happening in two phases. The first would consist of construction of the ranger station and visitors center, which would be about 900 square feet, and be located in the Harry Horn Day Use Area. It would provide office space for the park manager and the Flathead Lake District park ranger, both of whom are currently stationed in Kalispell and commute to the park.

The existing restrooms, which aren’t up to code, would be removed, and the site converted to a park host site. New, disabled-accessible restrooms would be built near the visitors center.

The current maintenance building would also be expanded. Currently it is about the size of a single-car garage. Fish, Wildlife and Parks would like to add about 300 square feet, making it the size of a double-car garage adding more room for park maintenance equipment.

In the second phase of the plan a new picnic shelter would be built in the day-use area near the lake, and eight to 10 parking spaces would be added.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks hopes to start the first phase in the fall, and be completed with both phases by spring of 2015.

The proposal lists different alternatives for the location of the visitors center. Mutascio said the location on the south side of the park was the best option, providing for better traffic flow.

Park manager Jerry Sawyer said no decisions will be made until the public comment period concludes June 9.

“Public comment is important,” he said.

One of the CFBB’s initial concerns with the plan had to do with the wishes of the late Harry Horn, who donated about six acres of land to the Montana Department of Transportation in the mid-1990s, which was later transferred to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. He stipulated that the land be used for a children’s playground and rest area.

Horn’s son, Richard Horn, wrote a letter in support of the revised changes to the park.

He wrote that he was flexible with the changes as long as his father’s wishes are still carried out. He approved the south location for the ranger station and new restrooms, and wrote he would like to see new playground equipment installed near the picnic area.

If the ranger station is located on the south end of the day-use area, the playground equipment would be relocated with in the area.

Wayfarers State Park is one of five state parks that provide public access to Flathead Lake. It receives over 100,000 visitors annually, making it the busiest of the state parks around Flathead Lake. None of those parks has a ranger station.

“The parks around the lake have really grown in visitation,” Sawyer said. “To provide better services, we need to be more available.”

The visitor information center would be staffed about six to eight hours a day, seven days a week during the park’s peak season between May and September. In the off-season it would be staffed five days a week.

Sawyer said the visitor’s center will improve services to visitors, providing year-round staff and having people with decision-making authority on premises. In addition to providing information about the parks, the visitor’s center would also provide information about local amenities and things going on around the valley.

Sawyer also noted that Wayfarers is fairly active year-round with people using the trails, fishing, or just enjoying Flathead Lake.

“That park is busy even in the off-season,” he said.

Bob Keenan had expressed concerns with the original proposal. He said one of his biggest concerns was the residents in the neighboring Village Lane. He said it looks as if Fish, Wildlife and Parks has gone through a process that took into account those neighbors concerns.

Though he said he doesn’t think a state agency should be exempt from going through the planning and zoning process with the county, for the most part he’s pleased with the state parks actions.

“I’d have to commend Fish, Wildlife, and Parks for their outreach and accommodating their neighbors,” he said.

“It looks like it’s really going to help Wayfarers,” Mutascio said.

The full proposal can be found at stateparks.mt.gov. Public comment remains open until 5:39 p.m. on Monday, June 9. Sawyer said he has received about a dozen comments, and encourages the public to share their thoughts. Comments can be submitted online at stateparks.mt.gov, emailed to wayfarerscomments@mt.gov or mailed to Wayfarers Comments c/o Jerry Sawyer at FWP Region 1 Headquarters, 490 N. Meridian Road, Kalispell, MT 59901.

“We’ll take those comments into consideration when the decision is made,” Sawyer said.