CdA parks plan to be presented to council

Sat., Jan. 12, 2008

By Amy Cannata amyc@spokesman.com

A master plan envisioning $57 million worth of new and improved parks, trails and other outdoor amenities over the next two decades will be presented Tuesday for approval by the Coeur d’Alene City Council.

The Coeur d’Alene Parks Master Plan has been in the works for 18 months, with planners soliciting input from the public at dozens of community meetings and through many surveys.

On the list of proposed park improvements: a dog park, two new community parks, eight new neighborhood parks, trails and more.

“It’s going to help us meet the needs of the community for the next 10 to 20 years,” said Coeur d’Alene Parks Director Doug Eastwood.

First up are several projects envisioned to be completed over the next five years. They include the dog park (at a yet undetermined site), trail development on Canfield Mountain, a major renovation of Winton Park, improving the skate park and replacing the Memorial Field grandstand, among others. Sunshine Meadow Park will be built this year, Eastwood said.

In addition to a new dog park, changes in the park policies could positively impact Coeur d’Alene’s canine owners, Eastwood said. The department is examining a pilot plan to allow dogs on leads to walk on paths around the perimeter of some city parks. Right now dogs – even on leashes – are forbidden from parks with the exceptions of Tubbs Hill and the Centennial Trail.

The full cost of all the park improvements proposed in the 20-year plan totals $57 million, but the city will apply for state grants and ask for donations to reduce that figure, Eastwood said.

“That price tag could scare a lot of people, but if we look at what we already have, our park land now is valued at $136 million. We didn’t pay that much for it.”

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