Mayor’s Roundtable: State of the city — 2023

By Mayor Shelby Rognstad
Reader Contributor

It has been another busy year for the city of Sandpoint. The city is in a good state. The city started off 2022 by revising its five-year Strategic Plan. The plan focused on prioritizing city resources and balancing commitments across divisions. 

A number of initiatives were identified to support housing availability and affordability. Included among those were completion of an economic study assessing housing and land use in the city. This assessment, conducted by Leland Consulting, was completed last summer and provided significant insight into land use strategies to encourage more housing, housing affordability and economic development. Also included was a directive to complete the city Comprehensive Land Use Plan update, which has been underway for the past year and should be complete in the coming months. This effort will also help to meet housing needs and support economic development and quality of life in Sandpoint.

Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad.

Development of a Workforce Housing and Priority Plan was also identified. The city has initiated the process of developing a housing authority to create and implement such a plan, and we expect this process to be picking up steam by summer.

The strategic plan called for completion of the Watershed Recreation Plan, which has also been underway over the past year. A draft of the concept trails plan was just completed last week, and will be reviewed by stakeholders and the public before being presented to council for adoption in June. 

This is an exciting achievement, since the vision to open up the city’s 4,000 acres of forested watershed to recreation has been underway for a decade and will significantly contribute to public access to open space and recreation opportunities. 

Also ongoing is the updated Urban Area Transportation Plan, which was also identified as an objective in the Strategic Plan.

Lastly, the city initiated a downtown waterfront design competition to cast a vision for a downtown master plan built around the waterfront at Sand Creek and City Beach. Phase 1 was recently completed, in which the top three design teams were selected to move on to Phase 2, which will yield design concepts from each team. The designs will then be vetted by the public and selection jury before a winning concept is submitted to the council for consideration. 

The winning design team will have the opportunity to negotiate a contract for additional professional services toward a final design. 

The final master plan aspires to leave a legacy for Sandpoint’s future that plans for responsible growth, implements existing plans, and supports public and private investment consistent with our community values and character.                                                                                                           

In terms of infrastructure, the city completed the remodel of the City Council Chambers, city administration building and police station. Funded primarily from American Rescue Plan Act funds, the improvements dramatically improved the customer service experience, and facilitated better working conditions for police personnel and city staff. The city was also able to replace the roof at City Hall, which was needed.

The city received one the largest municipal donations in Idaho from the Russell family for construction of the James E. Russell Sports Center at Travers Park. The Russells donated $7.5 million for construction of a multi-use indoor facility located adjacent to the existing tennis courts. This project has been designed and contracted with ground-breaking expected later this spring. The final product will include a new splash pad inclusive playground with plans for expanded skatepark, cycle skills course and pump track.

The Strategic Plan called for creation of a five-year capital improvement plan that was completed last year. It was soon followed with an updated rate study to ensure that our utility services are properly funded into the future.

Implementation of the street and sidewalk improvements are underway, as identified in the Multimodal Transportation Master Plan. Council just approved more than $500,000 worth of pavement improvements on Ruth Avenue, Jefferson Avenue and Hickory Street this past Wednesday, April 19. It also approved going to bid for street and sidewalk improvements for improved safety on Division Avenue in front of the high school. 

Fortunately, voters approved a new local option tax last November, which dramatically increases the city’s streets, sidewalks and pathways budget so improvements like these become possible on an annual basis.

Workforce productivity is also a priority outlined in the Strategic Plan. The city is committed to building a performance-oriented, integrated culture with the support of employees who are trained and resilient. Likewise, it is the city’s commitment to support employees who live up to this high standard. The city is fortunate to have attracted and retained such talented, professional staff. The list of accomplishments outlined above attest to the level of productivity and commitment that city staff have maintained.