Sandpoint City Council OKs ‘essential’ RV park renovation

Revamped facility would be ready for summer ’27, but needs $270K from parks fund

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

The long-discussed City Beach RV park reconstruction project will move forward, after the Sandpoint City Council voted 4-2 on Sept. 16 to pursue the most basic option, which includes new utility infrastructure, improved traffic circulation and improvements to the site including landscaping.

Referred to as the “essential” level in planning documents, the option preferred by the council majority does not include a shower and restroom facility — nor a suite of other amenities identified by the public after two years of feedback — but the former features would be added added at a later date, pending further funding.

As it is, the city received an Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation grant of $950,000 in 2024 dedicated to improving the RV park, augmented with a $50,000 local match. Based on engineering assessments, the top-tier design (referred to as the “destination RV resort”) would cost about $1.8 million, far exceeding the available funds. 

The “essential” RV park would still likely cost more than the budgeted amount, with an estimated cost of just more than $1.1 million.

The motion to approve the “essential” option from Council President Deb Ruehle — and seconded by Councilor Pam Duquette — also authorized the transfer of about $269,000 from the Parks Capital Improvement Fund toward the project, excluding the restroom and shower facility to be paid for with additional grant dollars.

In her motion, Ruehle stated that the city should “come back next year, working on some more grants to get the restrooms.” 

“I’d also like to point out as I make that motion, I think a big part of the reworking of the RV park is also to manage our stormwater and to keep our lake clean,” she added.

Councilors Joel Aispuro and Kyle Schreiber objected, emphasizing the centrality of the restroom and shower facilities to the project and its usefulness to the community.

“I would definitely encourage the council, no matter which route we go, to definitely pursue permanent bathrooms of a sort,” Aispuro said. “It’d be very convenient for, especially, the little kids because in that area it’s shallow and that’s where a lot of moms love to take their kids.”

Schreiber put an even finer point on the issue. 

“Something that bothers me is that we’re already — without even being out of the gate — over budget on this and we’re pulling money from a line item in our budget that’s for park master plan-identified projects, which this project is not identified in our master plan,” he said. “It shows it as a parking lot in our master plan. So borrowing $300,000 from that line item when it doesn’t fit the description of that line item doesn’t sit right with me. 

“I think we could break ground on the bathrooms this year, stay under budget, see if we get the additional grants next year and I think produce a better experience for the people staying there and for the people — as Councilor Aispuro pointed out — who are just visiting the park without tapping into that other money,” he added. “We have to think about every other park in town that that money could do good in.”

Sandpoint Planning and Community Development Director Jason Welker said that the city is well positioned to secure additional Parks and Recreation grant funding, and potentially introduce the restroom and shower facilities as an early-phase improvement.

“There are winners and losers of the current challenges at the federal government level, but one of the winners, ironically, is that local and county and state applicants for these sorts of grants are far more competitive,” he said, adding that while grants from the RV fund typically went to the U.S. Forest Service for campground improvements, “In the last two years, they’ve received zero Forest Service applications. And last year, every single applicant for an RV fund grant received their award. So, it’s looking pretty good for us to get another round of RV fund grant dollars.”

Based on the Sept. 16 vote, the construction timeline for the City Beach RV park project would see dirt being turned beginning in the winter of 2026 and completion in time for the 2027 summer season.