City, county agree on skatepark at fairgrounds

The Ravalli County Commissioners signed onto a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Hamilton and Circle 13 Skatepark Project, Inc. last week that could lead to the donation of about half an acre of ground in the southeast corner of the Ravalli County Fairgrounds to the city for use as a public skatepark. The city would be responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of the skatepark and Circle 13 would be responsible for raising all the funds necessary to design and construct it.
The Ravalli County Economic Development Authority (RCEDA) has been working with the city and with Circle 13 under its own MOU since October 16, 2014. That MOU is set to expire on October 16, 2017, but also has a provision for renewal. According to that document, Circle 13 states that its aim is “to build a 13,000 square foot, public, permanent concrete skatepark for the youth and families of the Bitterroot Valley.” In that agreement, the fairgrounds property was only one of four potential sites under consideration. The other sites included Claudia Driscoll Park, the Vestor Wilson Athletic Complex and Kiwanis Park. Having a project location was necessary for grant applications and for fundraising efforts.
According to the recent MOU, the County is committed to the donation of the land, but that will not become finalized until it receives written notice from the City that sufficient funds have been raised, “as certified by RCEDA, sufficient to cover the construction of and any initial operating costs deemed necessary by the city for the skatepark.”
The city assumes responsibility for obtaining a survey, an environmental assessment, title report and title insurance if necessary. This MOU also terminates on October 16, 2017 or sooner if the money is raised and the property transferred before that.
Mahar responded to Councilor Joe Petrusaitis’ concerns about the project funding running out before the construction was completed. She said if the whole thing fell through the land would need to be returned to its original condition and ownership would revert to the county. She said some money would be spent on preliminary design work but no ground would be broken until the entire projected costs had been secured by Circle 13 and certified by RCEDA. Speaking to concerns about liability, Mahar said that she discussed the matter with the state’s Attorney General and with MMIA and that the property would essentially carry the same liability as any other city park. She said nationally there were fewer insurance claims over skateparks because it is considered a “high risk activity.”
The Hamilton City Council was scheduled to consider the matter at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, February 2.
Circle 13 board member Mary Vermillion said it was exciting news and once they get final approval from the City they will begin the fundraising efforts in earnest. She said, “Our hope and our goal would be to raise these funds within a year or so. But then, we didn’t know it would take this long to get the land.” She said that Circle 13 will take the rough plan they put together and identify the specific grants they want to apply for and set the fundraising plans into gear.