Park Board talks infrastructure, Beaver Lodge rebuild funding

Members of the Hill County Park Board met Monday evening and discussed employee pay and heard updates regarding work on park infrastructure and park conditions.

During the meeting Beaver Creek Park Superintendent Chad Edgar said the Kiwanis Chapel sustained some damage during a high water flow event and he's been looking into the best way to repair it.

He said he did get an estimate from a contractor of $16,300 for repairs, but he wants the board to give him more time to explore funding options.

He said the chapel is in the National Registry of Historic Places and as such may be eligible for a historic preservation grant, and he'd like more time to explore that possibility, as the damage does not threaten the foundation or integrity of the structure.

Edgar said repair costs may rise in the next year, but he thinks it's worth it to take the time to look for another funding opportunity.

Park Board member Mark Peterson, also a Hill County commissioner, said something similar happened years ago and asked if they can raise the road to try to prevent something like this from happening again.

Edgar said they have already raised the road once for that reason, and he doesn't really see what else can be done at this point.

Edgar also talked about a bridge on the Eagles Campground that has sagged and become a safety hazard, one that is also restricting flow of the creek.

He said the bridge has been worked on through the past year, but it needs a more comprehensive fix which he would like the board's blessing to do.

He said it will take some work, but it's a fairly simple project that he already has a permit for and the Eagles have agreed to pay for materials.

The board granted its approval for the project.

As for the new Camp Kiwanis Beaver Lodge, he said, he is still waiting on an estimate on the contractors, and little progress has been made at finding funding methods other than the levy passed for the project.

He said they can use a bond to fund the project more immediately with the levy, but in talking with Bear Paw Development Corp. it doesn't seem like there is much grant funding available for this kind of project.

Despite this, he said, he wants to thank the Friends of Beaver Creek Park for doing their own work looking for grants, which has been helpful to him.

Edgar also talked about current park conditions, which he said are dry despite some snow this month.

He said he's hoping for some rain so they can catch up on moisture this year.

Business has been slow overall with the cool weather, he said, though they have seen a fair few fishers.

He said he suspects things will start picking up this month as weather improves.

Edgar said recently he's been working on repairing damage cabins have accrued over the past year.

He also said Gary & Leo's Fresh Foods has begun selling park passes, which the park staff is excited about.

During the meeting, members also had a lengthy discussion about the wording of the policy governing their new Finance and Rules Committee, clearing up language regarding the schedule of membership appointment, when they are required to meet and more.

Also at the meeting, Edgar asked the board to look at something they can do for employees to cover the substantial costs they incur having to drive so far to get to their jobs, something that is making it hard for him to hire workers.

Edgar said it is very difficult to compete in the local job market when they pay what they do for a job that requires a 20-mile minimum drive every day.

Beyond the concern of getting new employees, he said, it's also a matter of fairness, as the gas costs for this necessarily long commute are substantial.

"I just want to be fair and be competitive with the job market," he said.

Edgar said he's not sure what the best way is to do this, but he feels something needs to be done to help the situation, and board members seemed to agree, though many were not at the Monday meeting.

Board member Peterson said, doing the math on his vehicle, going out the park every day for work would cost around $2,100 a year in gas alone, to say nothing of car maintenance.

Board members discussed the possibility of a pay raise or mileage payments, but both would require changes in county policy to work, which may be difficult.

Edgar said policy also requires workers to clock-in only once they arrive at their worksite, so counting their commute as work is not possible under current county rules.

Board member Pam Wilson said the park is a unique entity within the county and she thinks it's justifiable to carve out a piece of policy that gives them the flexibility to take care of the issue.

Wilson said any direct raise in pay will be taxed, which isn't ideal as a solution, so some kind of separate payment would be better in her opinion.

Board member Lou Hagener suggested carpooling as a way to reduce costs, but Edgar said the schedule of work at the park makes that impractical.

Hagener also suggested paying for gas directly, but that idea didn't seem popular either.

Peterson said that would require either that they install a gas meter on the park and figure out a system for giving employees gas, or using gas cards, which he said have seen a lot of abuse when used by the county.

Despite his skepticism regarding these proposals, he said he's glad people are thinking creatively and wants them to keep doing so until they find a solution to this problem.

Edgar said he would do some research on the logistics of a bunch of different proposals and come back to the board at their meeting next month, encouraging anyone with ideas to get in touch.

At the end of the meeting, Hagener said he wanted to thank the commission for getting notices out about board and committee seats and clearing up their procedures for appointments.

He said he also wanted to thank Beaver Creek Park Administrative Assistant Danielle Eldrige for putting a calendar online for the park.

He said he knows there are limitations about what can be put on there, but thinks it will be a great help for people in the community.

He also said he wants the board to be aware that Montana State University-Northern Biology Professor Terri Hildebrand will be doing a presentation April 17 from noon to 1 p.m. at Hensler Auditorium at Northern on vegetation and water quality studies she's conducted on the park.