Parking lot headed to county-owned property

WALLACE –– The Shoshone Board of County Commissioners is moving forward with plans to turn a large section of county-owned property into a paid parking lot in Enaville near the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

During a meeting last week, the board made the decision to keep, but no longer lease the section of land that is just a few hundred yards to the northeast of the iconic Snake Pit restaurant along the Coeur d'Alene River Road, and convert much of the five-acre property into a parking lot.

Due to the natural topography of the land, the entire space couldn’t be used for parking, but the board is looking at this as an opportunity to potentially mitigate the negative impact that is being made by people illegally parking along the river as well as the overcrowding that is caused by that.

During a meeting on Wednesday, the board began tentatively planning for the lot – which they hope will be a revenue generator for the county.

“We are planning a working visit to the site next week so we can get a look at what needs to be done physically to make the site function,” BOCC chairman Dave Dose said. “We have to consider the privacy of the neighboring properties, trespass considerations, waste management, potential grading and gravel, flood considerations, and funding for toilets and trash until we can get income rolling in.”

Trash and toilets along the North Fork have become a cause for concern over the years – and while fingers tend to be pointed in every which direction, the fact of the matter is that people abuse the amenities that are provided along the North Fork during the summer months.

Getting a parking lot up and running should be another step in mitigating some of these problems as it will provide another centralized location for services that are easier to maintain and easier to keep an eye on.

Dose and his fellow commissioners aren’t trying to rush the project, but they understand that the sooner they get something set up will ease the potential burden on law enforcement during the long summer camping season.

“Our goal is this summer, but that will be determined by funding, available manpower, and ongoing research on the site,” Dose stated. “We have also put in for a grant to develop this property to include toilets, dumpsters, and controlled access so that we can charge for parking and help cover some of the costs of extra waste management and law enforcement needs up the river in the summer.”

The location of the property doesn’t allow for any sort of public access to the river, which the board hopes will encourage some entrepreneurial opportunities for folks looking to capitalize on people’s desires to enjoy the river without incurring the wrath of law enforcement – who is under strict orders to have any vehicle illegally parked, towed.

The board’s plan also shifts some of the financial burden accompanying the maintenance of patrolling of the North Fork off of the Shoshone County’s taxpayers and onto the folks who are coming to recreate here.

“We feel that because Shoshone County is a mostly free place to recreate, it attracts more visitors,” Dose said. “We think charging fees may help control some of the traffic we experience each summer and at the very least it will make the visitor pay for his own costs. It should also create opportunities for shuttle bus businesses to spring up which would further alleviate some of the heavy traffic on the river. In the end, we are hoping to spread the costs of managing tourism up the river out to the visitors whereas it is currently being covered with property taxes.”

While some concerns have been brought up on social media, nothing formal has been brought before the commissioners.