By Michael Howell
Stevensville Mayor Gene Mim Mack broke a tie vote last week to approve the location of a proposed bicycle camp at Lewis and Clark Park. Not only was the council split on the issue, public comment was also about evenly divided with 13 people commenting in favor of the location and 13 people speaking against it.
Stevensville Bicycle Camp Committee member Kathleen Meyer gave an initial presentation about the proposed facility. The development will include construction of a hut and a covered picnic and bike repair area, twenty lockers for storing bikes and gear, and showers. The total cost of the improvements is roughly estimated at about $63,000. Plans call for making a grant application for $42,000 from the Montana Department of Tourism that would require a $21,000 local match.
Meyer touted the facility primarily as an economic boost for the community, noting that a recent study by University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research, done in conjunction with Adventure Cycling, shows that bicycle tourists in Montana, in 2013 spent between $75 and $102 per person per day and stayed eight nights, or more. While in contrast, the average out-of-state vacationer spent $69.12 per person per day, during a stay of 6.17 nights.
In response to questions, Mayor Mim Mack explained that the facility when completed would be the property of the Town of Stevensville, like the recently approved Skate Park and Bear Mountain Playground.
Almost everyone who spoke in opposition to the bike camp said that they did not oppose the idea of a bike camp but were opposed to the location in Lewis and Clark Park. The primary concern expressed was danger of having out-of-town strangers camping in a park utilized by children. It was suggested that the bike camp would attract homeless people and transients who may present a danger to children in the park. Other complaints included using taxpayer money to support local businesses, potential decreases in adjacent property values, and displacing much needed soccer fields.
Local legislator Ed Greef supported the camp idea, stating that the economic numbers were real and that bicycle tourism was real. He said, “Bicycle touring is a big deal. It’s a growing thing.”
Committee member Amy Leach, a graduate in sociology, said that she asked a few of her professors about the notion that a bike camp might constitute a danger to children in the park and quoted one of the country’s top experts in the field who stated, “the notion that molesters use public venues or approach unknown children is misleading.” She said research shows that 25% of molesters of children are family members and 60% are someone known by the victim.
Clayton Floyd presented a petition against the Lewis and Clark Park location that he claims contains 436 signatures. Floyd and Council member Jim Crews both claimed that the placement of a “camping area” in the park would be a violation of the deed restriction which states that the Town of Stevensville “shall hold the property and keep it for use by the public as a community public park or a playground.” Both Floyd and Crews interpreted this to mean that a “camping area” did not fit the described purpose.
The town’s attorney disagreed. In a memo to the Council about the issue he stated that allowing camping in the park would not be in conflict with the dedicated purpose of having a public park. He said if the Town was to lease or dispose of the property for any reason it would be an issue, but if the Town is retaining ownership and authority it is not an issue.
A few people insinuated that the Town staff purposely tried to minimize public comment and attendance at the meeting by failing to send out the usual e-mail notices about the meeting to individuals on the town’s e-mail list. Mayor Mim Mack made some stern remarks in response.
He noted that former council member Clayton Floyd, who turned in the petition with 436 signatures in opposition to the location, had stated that discussion about a bike camp in town started about four years ago. He said the current council was aware when they took office that a committee was looking at the possibility of a bike camp in Lewis and Clark Park. Mim Mack noted that he and two town councilors attended a workshop hosted by the Main Street Association that was well publicized concerning bicycle tourism and the potential of a bike camp.
He said that all the legal public notice requirements were met regarding that night’s meeting, but admitted that the “courtesy” emails that were usually sent out did not get sent but that it was not an intentional omission. He said he resented the inference that his staff and his administration intentionally tried to hide the fact that a properly noticed public meeting had been scheduled.
“It is disgusting to me that this group of people in general in the back row, and you know who I’m talking about, bring this up with no foundation. I’m ashamed of you as community members that you can continually accuse this administration and this staff,” he said, precipitating an uproar in which one person yelled, “You are an arrogant jerk.”
Mim Mack said that he had reached his limit and after listening to unfounded accusations night after night he was going to defend his staff. He said there was nothing unusual or sudden about the process they were going through over the bike camp. He said it was exactly the same process that was used to approve the Skate Park and the Bear Mountain Playground. He said the conflict with the soccer fields was a valid issue and could be worked out.
“No one is looking to jeopardize the youth soccer program in the community,” he said.
In council comments, Councilor Tim Hunter said that he had some experience entertaining bicyclists at the bed-and-breakfast he operated in town for a number of years. He said they were all great people and he never had any trouble.
“When you have a bed-and-breakfast you have strange people in your house every night,” he said. He said he did not believe that a bike camp constituted a threat to children. He expressed some concerns about the location if it was going to negatively affect the soccer program.
Councilor Bill Perrin said that in the little town of Custer, where he was raised, that a person from the town would get a call and open the park for bicyclists to camp overnight and that a minimum of 20 to 30 cyclists would camp over the summer and that after ten years there had never been a problem. He said that he believed allowing bicyclists to camp would make the park safer and that vandalism would probably decrease. He said the soccer fields would have to be considered and should be kept.
Councilor Crews expressed concerns about the property deed restrictions and repeated his concern that a camping area did not fit in the definition of a public park.
“A campground is not a park,” he said. He said community property could not be restricted to one use and that the camping area was being restricted to bicycle use only. He said he was not against a bike camp, but that it should be done on private property. He said he did not see many bikers in Stevensville anyway.
Councilor Robin Holcomb said that she had once suggested to some bicycle tourists that they go into town and enjoy the restaurants and other businesses in town and the people said they were not interested. She said that she was not against a bike camp, “but this is not the place to put it.”
The vote was split two to two with Crews and Holcomb casting the dissenting votes and Hunter and Perrin approving it.
Mayor Mim Mack said that he found the opposition to the camp location “irrational.” He said most everyone in opposition claimed to be in favor of a bike camp but not in the proposed location because it was a threat to the safety of the children. He said bike campers were either a danger and constituted a threat or they were not. He said if they are a threat then how could a bike camp be supported in some other location.
“You are just asking me to transfer the threat somewhere else,” he said. He said that he did not believe that bicycle campers constituted a threat and broke the tie vote, approving the location in Lewis and Clark Park.