Beaver Creek Park seeking letters of support for lodge project

Beaver Creek Park is looking for letters of support to help get a grant to pay for a badly needed stabilization and remodeling project on the Beaver Creek Park Beaver Lodge at Camp Kiwanis.

Park Superintendent Chad Edgar said the lodge's walls are shifting and sagging, and while recent repairs will allow them to operate for a few more seasons, this is a problem in need of a long-term solution, one that will have a large bill, possibly more than $250,000.

Edgar said this problem of the walls shifting has been an issue for many years, but the movement was so slow and took place over such a long time that it was hard to notice.

However, he said, last year's November snow caused noticeable shifts, and the problem is becoming more and more apparent.

He said they've had an engineer look at the building and they determined that the cause of the problem was the fact that all of the weight from the roof was on the walls, and to take some of that weight off they would need to erect some pillars underneath the roof beams to carry that weight so the walls can be straightened.

Local Architect Becki Miller, who's been working on the plans for the project, said that, when the lodge was constructed in 1974, it evidently wasn't done with the best practices, and this project is one that needs to be done.

Edgar said age has taken its toll on the walls through snow, high winds and general wear and tear.

"We've noticed the cracks, we've seen the spaces between the logs, we've had windows that have had a hard time shutting," he said.

He said Miller has drawn up plans for the stabilization, but one of the necessary elements of the project is a pillar in front of the lodge's bathrooms, necessitating some changes and renovations.

Edgar said this is an opportunity to improve the bathrooms and make them more accessible, but they're also looking to use this project as an opportunity to improve other things that are in need of updates as well, which the project's engineer has told him is the right thing to do in this case.

"We're planning on doing some improvements while we're doing this, because, you know, when are we gonna do another project of this scope on that building?" he said.

He said they're planning to make improvements to the building's electricity, make some changes to the kitchen area, and maybe install new cabinets depending on how the wall straightening affects the ones already there.

Edgar also said they will be adding new flooring because cutting the concrete in the building to install the pillars will likely leave the floor looking quite ugly.

He said they might also install new countertops and do some work on the staircase.

Miller said a structural engineer is reviewing the plans that she's drawn up, and once they are approved she can get started working on drawing up plans for the electrical improvements as well.

However, in order to do all of this the park is applying for a U.S Economic Development Adminsitration grant, one that they will need some help from the community to get, he said.

Edgar said the park is requesting letters of support from the community to help show that the lodge is important for the people of the area and every piece of support they receive will be helpful in getting this grant.

He said if people are willing to talk about how they've made use of the facility over the years and how important it is to them and the community, they can write a letter and leave it with the park or the Hill County Commission.

He said he knows the park stimulates the local economy and if business owners in the area want to voice their support for the project from that perspective it would certainly be welcome.

Miller echoed Edgar's sentiments.

"I think Beaver Creek Lodge and Beaver Creek Park play a tremendous role in our local economy," she said. "People are coming from all over, whether they're staying at the park or staying in Havre they're buying groceries, buying gas, maybe staying at a hotel room, eating out, and that's just the outside tourism dollars. ... It's a great community asset."

Edgar said the park is working with Bear Paw Development Corp. on the grant application, which is due by the end of January 2022, however, he doesn't want to wait until the last minute to get the application in.

While he estimated the project to have a price tag of around $250,000, he said once official estimates come in they'll have a better idea of what they will need from this grant, as well as what the match will look like.

Miller said she's hoping work can begin on the project next fall.