At a regular meeting on August 3, the Ravalli County Commissioners voted 4 to 0 to deed a 1.52 acre piece of land located at the northwest corner of the Stevensville bridge to the Town of Stevensville for development as a park with fishing access.
Deputy County Attorney Howard Recht confirmed that the law does give the county the authority to transfer land to another government entity at no cost for the purpose of establishing a park, recreational ground or cemetery, but the deed must carry a clause that if the town does not use the land as a park for five years in succession the land will revert to county ownership.
The county acquired the land when it approved the River View Commercial Village development in 1973 as part of the subdivision’s park dedication. The Montana Department of Transportation owns the adjoining parcel of land that would also need to be acquired for development of the Fishing Access Site.
Stevensville Mayor Jim Crews thanked the county for agreeing to transfer the land. He said the town would be working with FWP to develop a boat launch on the site.
According to one FWP official, conversations with MDT about participating in the project have been very positive. He also cautioned that the design and construction personnel believe the project is feasible but a thorough examination of the site was still needed to ensure that there are no obstacles in the way that could scuttle the project.