Beaver Creek Park weathered 2020 remarkably well

Beaver Creek Park Superintendent Chad Edgar said, in spite of all that happened, 2020 was a great year for Beaver Creek Park especially when it came to park permits.

“We sold well over a record number of park permits last year,” Edgar said during a Hill County Park Board meeting Monday. “Despite everything... we survived quite well.”

He said he suspected the park would get hit hard by a lack of use for Camp Kiwanis because of COVID-19 restrictions. But there was an unexpected number of events held there including weddings, he said, and it preformed much better then expected.

The park’s campgrounds saw a similar situation, having been used far more than was initially anticipated at the start of last year.

Edgar said the past month’s park usage has been slow, but it picked up recently with the nice weather.

He said Bear Paw Lake has been particularly busy with people ice fishing and hiking new trails even with some snow on the ground.

“It’s been a really nice month out in the park despite the wind,” he said.

Park permits weren’t the only record-breaking aspect of last year for Beaver Creek Park.

Edgar said last year’s cattle season, which ended last month, was also uncommonly smooth with only one animal having been hit on the highway this year, the lowest its ever been.

He also said the park’s new reservation system is working very well, selling weekends instead of by day, which he said has cut down on lost revenue from people gaming the previous system.

However, Edgar’s news wasn’t all good.

He said the park’s garbage truck needed repairs again. He said it’s the same problem the truck has previously had, so he’s hoping this latest fix won’t be expensive.

Edgar also mentioned that he’s been making new garbage cans for the park, and is looking to get a garbage can rack made in the near future, with the help of a professor at Montana State University Northern who said he could get one made for material cost only.

He said he’s also been building “No Hunting” signs, because there have been people hunting on the park recently, which needs to be addressed.

Edgar also said someone is looking to install a memorial bench on the Bear Paw Nature Trail, but he doesn’t have a proposal to give to the board just yet.

He also gave an update on the eventual construction of the south cross-fence which he said he’s looking for more bids on.

He said as long as the snow on the park continues to clear off and further estimates can be made the board might have some bids in front of them by February.

Assistant Superintendent Aubrey Williams said recent cabin inspections have turned up a couple of properties that were deemed deficient and their owners are being notified.

Before the meeting was adjourned, June Grabofsky announced her immediate departure from the board. Her term runs until 2022, but her statement said she wouldn’t be able to serve the rest of that term, a difficult decision on her part.

Members of the board thanked her for her service.