City to break ground on Phase 2 of Travers skatepark expansion

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

The city of Sandpoint will join Dreamland Skateparks and the Bonner County Skatepark Association on Thursday, May 30 for a 3:30 p.m. groundbreaking on Phase 2 of the skatepark expansion project at Travers Park.

Dreamland has begun construction on the second phase of the expansion, which comes 19 years after completion of Phase 1 — a.k.a., “the Concrete Lake.” 

According to Sandpoint Community Planning and Development Director Jason Welker, the skatepark will double in size over the next two months, “with a new ‘street’ skate area being built directly north of the Concrete Lake.”

A rendering of how the James E. Russell Sports Center will look after completion. Courtesy of ALSC Architects.

The $402,000 expansion is funded from the city’s Parks Capital Improvement Fund and a $52,00 donation from the Bonner County Skatepark Association.

The city also has grant applications pending in the hopes of raising about $70,000 for LED lighting that — while not budgeted for — would enable the park to stay open after dark.

“We invite anyone who values this awesome amenity to attend the groundbreaking ceremony,” Welker told the Reader in an email. 

Crews are expected to complete the work at the skatepark by the end of August and the newly expanded skatepark should be open by early September. The Concrete Lake will remain open for the duration of the project.

Meanwhile, the City Council recently approved a bid from Ginno Construction for the Travers Park playground project, which will result in a 20,000-square-foot playground with more than a dozen play structures, a splash pad and donated sculptures. 

“We’re also working with the Sandpoint Rotary club on an effort to either rehab and reinstall or possibly build a completely new Rotary pavilion to incorporate into the playground,” Welker said.

Ginno Construction’s bid came in below the $1.2 million budget for the project, with half of the funding provided by a Land Water Conservation Fund grant awarded to the city in 2023.

Construction on the playground is expected to kick off in June or July, with completion estimated in the fall — other than the splash pad, which isn’t expected to be open until 2025.

Finally, Legacy Building Solutions finished construction of the core structure of the James E. Russell Center and work has moved on to interior finishings, with subcontractors focused on HVAC, lighting, framing for the lobby and reception areas, as well as restrooms and the community room.

“[S]oon we’ll start to see interior walls go up, along with windows, overhead doors on three of the four sides of the building and other interior work that will bring the building toward its final completion,” Welker said.

That includes the epoxy and striping for the four tennis courts and 14 pickleball courts housed by the 40,000-square-foot building, which is paid for with a $7.5 million private gift from the Russell family. 

Infrastructure work is continuing in front of the building, with trenching for a stormwater drain connecting to the city’s sewer system on Pine Street and continuing toward the southeast corner of the building in the next week. During that time, parking and pedestrian access will be disrupted to the rest of the park, though officials expect that will be restored within a week and a half. 

Welker said that “work is ahead of schedule” for the Russell building, and it remains within the original $7.5 million budget — despite “some unforeseen change orders relating to site excavation and rising material costs.”

Once interior work is concluded, the final phase will include exterior finishes and landscaping, including a steel-and-wood facade on the front of the building, with lumber donated by Idaho Forest Group. 

A 40-foot steel awning with tongue-and-groove wood paneling will also be installed, intended to provide about 6,000 square feet of covered outdoor public space.

Ultimately, Welker added that the project is on track to be open to the public no later than Thanksgiving 2024, and “likely earlier.”