A fish pond, other park improvements on the horizon

Columbia Falls could see more improvements to its parks in the coming months, including a fishing pond at River’s Edge Park.

City council learned Monday night the city has been selected for a $100,000 grant from the LOR Foundation. The funding has to go through a nonprofit and the Flathead Land Trust has been willing to partner up with the city on park improvements.

City leaders will hold a community meeting in the coming weeks to fully craft a project, but River’s Edge Park seems a likely candidate on several fronts.

For one, the city has already drilled test wells for a fishing pond at the park. It’s already had preliminary talks with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, which would provide free fish for the pond if it comes to fruition.

Additionally, the Bell family, which owns a plot of farmland adjacent to the park, has approached the city about selling most of their acreage to the city, which would be a valuable addition to the park if a deal can be struck.

On another front, city manager Susan Nicosia and councilman Darin Fisher recently attended a bike-pedestrian path planning conference in Butte, where they completed a preliminary plan to tie Columbus Park with River’s Edge Park via a path down the hillside.

In other city news:

- Resident Mark Cahill raised concerns about a city easement-path through his property along the Flathead River. The easement for the path is incomplete and Cahill said he’s had problems with trespassing on his property and other problems near the Old Red Bridge. Cahill wants the city to abandon the easement and threatened legal action. Mayor Don Barnhart asked Cahill if he’d be willing to pay back the city for lost tax revenue, because a portion of the property is assessed for less money because of the easement. Cahill said he’d have to see the figure first.

- Heard from a female resident who asked the city for a changing area in the women’s bathroom. The city said it would look into the matter, but Barnhart and council agreed it would probably be a good idea, for modesty’s sake.

- Continued a public hearing on parking regulations in the city. Resident Sam Kavanagh commended the city for taking up the matter. An avid cyclist, he said there have been close calls with people pulling out in front of him while he’s riding with his children, because people can’t see around cars parked on the streets. The city is looking to prohibit parking on the grass along city streets and prevent vehicle storage on roadsides. But another resident worried that people wouldn’t be able to park on the grass in front of their homes if the measure is passed as written.