By Michael Howell
Despite the fact that the Stevensville Town Council approved the location of a proposed bicycle camp in Lewis and Clark Park at its June 25 meeting, in deference to the stiff opposition that was expressed against that location by many members of the public including a petition signed by 436 town and area residents, the Stevensville Bicycle Camp Committee (SBCC) has decided to drop that location in favor of a location on the grounds of the Stevensville Hotel.
One refrain in most of the opposition expressed at the meeting and in a few letters received afterward asking for reconsideration, was that they were not against a bike camp in town, just not in Lewis and Clark Park. Those in opposition were generally adamant against placing a campsite in a town park currently undergoing major upgrades to accommodate small children and skate boarders. The potential infringement of the bike camp on an area traditionally used by the youth soccer program was also a major concern echoed by many.
Mayor Gene Mim Mack, who broke the tie vote allowing for the camp in Lewis and Clark Park, also owns the Stevensville Hotel along with his wife and business partner, Robbie Springs. They stated in a letter to the town, read into the record at the July 9 council meeting, that a discussion with the SBCC was initiated about three months ago at one of the committee’s scheduled meetings concerning the potential of some kind of partnership in developing a bike camp on the hotel grounds.
“Given all that has transpired over this issue, both Robbie and I feel that this partnership needs to be brought forward now to advance the goals of all parties,” the letter states. Mim Mack and Springs noted that neither of them share the “stranger danger” concerns expressed by many in discussions of the bike camp. He said they are used to dealing with strangers at the hotel on a daily basis and do not consider them threats.
“The opportunity to host this facility is not driven by anything but another chance to add economic growth to the town that we have invested our entire net worth in. We believe in the economic future of Stevensville and feel that it is our obligation to continue to add value to the place we call home,” they wrote.
The proposal would require a permanent conditional use permit to allow the possible use of tent camping for bicycle tourists on the hotel grounds. The letter states that they are willing to invest thousands of dollars into building the necessary infrastructure for such camping.
“In the spirit of the bike camp committee,” they wrote, “all camping will be by donation. We have no doubt that the generosity of the bicycle tourist community will make this camp a success and the public will see the benefit of this type of tourism.”
SBCC member Kathleen Meyer said that she was pleased with the proposed merger with the Stevensville Hotel, especially since the owners have promised to preserve “the exemplary notion of a donation-based facility for touring cyclists.” She said details will be forthcoming as they are sorted out and agreed upon.
“Should the hotel-camp at some point become so successful it bursts the historic pink hospital’s seams, there will always be a two-inch thick binder residing at the Main Street Office with all the makings of ‘How to build a Bicycle Camp’. Meanwhile, SBCC will remain a nonprofit community arm, helping in areas that are beyond the hotel’s budget,” said Meyer.
Dan Ritter, President of the Stevensville Main Street Association (SMSA), read a letter of support for the SBCC and Stevensville Hotel venture, noting that in the public comment both in support and against the bike camp as was proposed the public agreed that the economic impact was important and should be supported. He also noted that there was additional comment that suggested the association of private business and the SBCC could be a positive solution to some of the concerns expressed by the public.
“The goal of the SMSA in support of the bike camp,” stated Ritter, “is to support tourism based economic development within Stevensville. It has been well established through survey by the State of Montana that the economic impact of bicycle tourism to small towns in Montana is significant. Small communities gain disproportionally because of the compact nature of the business district.”
Ritter called the proposed location at the Stevensville Hotel “a win-win for the residents of Stevensville and an opportunity for continued economic development of our vibrant downtown.”
In other business, the council approved moving forward with the construction schedule for the Skate Park to beginning in mid-September through November. Raymond Smith reported that the fundraising was about $70,000 shy of the projected $225,000 construction cost but the shortfall should not affect the projected starting date.
Park superintendent Ed Sutherlin said that overlapping construction projects for the Skate Park and the Bear Mountain Playground should not be a problem. He said there was enough separation between the project areas to accommodate construction at both sites.
The Council tabled the issue of creating a new job description for a Police Clerk. Currently Town Clerk Stacy Bartlett serves as Town Clerk and Court Clerk/Police Clerk. But Mayor Mim Mack stated the workload has mushroomed, making it impractical for one person to do all the work. Also the Montana Supreme Court has recommended that municipalities separate their Court Clerk positions from the Police Clerk positions to avoid problems with confidentiality requirements. The Council will consider whether to create the new job description as a full-time or part-time position at is July 23rd meeting.
The Council discussed a few different options for bathroom improvements at Lewis and Clark Park.
The council approved adding Rural firefighters and cadets to the Town’s roster in order to address inequities in the retirement fund benefits for all firefighters. Currently the Rural firefighters and the Town firefighters all respond to each other’s fire calls and actually work as a single combined department.
The mayor announced that three new Reserve Officers were sworn in on June 4. They were James “Eric” Burrows, Jessica Hayward and Mark Teynor. This brings the number of Reserve Officers up to six.