Abandoned RV an expensive headache for Columbia Falls baseball

The Columbia Falls baseball association has an unwanted RV sitting in its parking lot that will likely cost several hundred dollars and plenty of labor to get rid of.

The RV was abandoned overnight a couple of months ago at the Sapa Johnsrud ballpark which the association leases from the state, association president Brad Nielsen said.

The Columbia Falls Police investigated the matter and the current owners could not be found. Now the association has to get rid of the RV on its own dime, which isn’t inexpensive, Nielsen noted.

For one, they have to remove all of the refrigerant, the air conditioning and the propane tanks. Then there’s the cost of taking it to the landfill and paying the tipping fees, which are expected to be $300 to $400, Nielsen noted.

A local towing company has said it will donate its time and labor to haul it away when it’s ready.

The city can’t really help because it’s on state land. 

The abandonment of RVs is becoming a growing problem in the Flathead Valley, as transients travel here in the summer, their rigs break down, and they just leave them.

Nielsen said the association also can’t put up a gate at the parking lot due to the conditions of its lease with the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Anyone who can help defray expenses can call Nielsen directly at 406-471-5935.