PONDERAY – Landscape architects from Idaho and Montana are gathering in Ponderay and Sandpoint the first weekend of November to help locals design a trail to connect the communities along Lake Pend Oreille’s northwest shore.

The Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail “Charrette” will culminate in an open house where the public can review and provide feedback on the ideas and architectural renderings that result from the workshop. The open house is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7.

The proposed Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail would link Sandpoint, Ponderay and Kootenai with a trail on the lakeshore side of Burlington Northern-Sante Fe Railway’s tracks. The design workshop will explore options for the trail, including trailheads, linkages to existing trails and paths, education and interpretive opportunities, and trail location and design considerations.

“This is a great opportunity to roll up our sleeves with expert designers and explore how to maximize the possibilities of this trail corridor so that that it can be the pride and joy of residents throughout Bonner County, “ said Erik Brubaker, Ponderay’s city planner.

The results of the workshop will help guide redevelopment plans for the corridor. The rail-trail proposal along one of the last undeveloped stretches of northern shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille has brought the three cities, Bonner County and Idaho Department of Environmental Quality together in a coalition that successfully applied for a $650,000 federal Brownfields assessment grant.

The Environmental Protection Agency and Idaho DEQ signed a cooperative agreement with the cities and county on Sept. 24, and the funds have since been released through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

Assessment grants provide funding for a grant recipient to inventory, characterize and assess contaminated sites, to plan for cleanup and redevelopment, and to involve the community in that process. The charrette and open house on Nov. 7 will serve as the public kick-off for the project.

“We’d like to encourage folks to attend to get engaged in this project and help us evaluate some of the possibilities,” said Steve Gill, DEQ Brownfields specialist.

A charrette is an intense period of design activity, which results in architectural renderings and leads to further design and planning discussions. The Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail Charrette is made possible by the support of the National Park Service and the American Society of Landscape Architects, Idaho-Montana Chapter.

The design options will incorporate the potential for private development in the trail corridor. Currently, the property within the corridor is nearly all privately owned. The cities, county and partners are looking for ways to create safe public access to this shoreline corridor. Public input will help determine which designs will be included in a concept plan to guide trail development.

The open house on Nov. 7 will include refreshments and door prizes, featuring a classic Ross Hall print from Hallans Gallery.

Sponsors of the charrette and open house include the cities of Sandpoint, Ponderay, Kootenai, Bonner County, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail.

For more information, contact:
Susan Drumheller, Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail, (208) 265-9565
Erik Brubaker, Ponderay City Planner, (208) 265-5468
Steve Gill, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, (208) 666-4632