Federal funding should keep park open through 2027

Local park district commissioners have secured funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to help keep North Dam Park alive for several years to come, provided matching funding can be secured for a park that is the center of community-wide events.

“It looks like we have done it, mission accomplished,” Commissioner Kevin Portch of the Coulee Area Parks and Recreation District said Aug. 31 in an email to the other commissioners and interested parties, including The Star.

CAPRD, which manages North Dam Park, located on USBR land, was in some financial dire straits this year as its previous contract with the bureau had expired and money was running out.

This prompted a GoFundMe page to be created by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce for CAPRD that raised $5,700 from local donations, with CAPRD receiving an additional $900 in private donations.

This money helped buy the district time as its volunteer commissioners worked on securing a new contract with the bureau.

After months of working on it, Portch said he was told by the bureau specialist working on the grant that everything is now in place for the new contract, with only some final documentation still needed.

The $152,200 contract includes, over five years, up to $73,000 from the bureau, matched by CAPRD at $73,000, with an additional $6,200 coming from park user fees.

The bureau will give CAPRD $7,000 for the remainder of 2022, plus $13,200 each year from 2023-2027 for a total of $73,000, with CAPRD needing to match that. 

CAPRD is also reliant on lodging tax money from the cities of Grand Coulee and Electric City, as well as private donations, to fill out its budget for the park. The park district can also help match the bureau funding with volunteer hours to reach the $13,200 goal in order to get that from USBR.

That combined $26,400 is roughly enough for general park maintenance, such as watering and mowing the grass, weed control, garbage service and more, Portch explained to The Star.

CAPRD is also going after grants from outside sources in order to make improvements to the park.

“Now we need to go after construction or project grants to actually get something built,” Portch wrote in his email.

CAPRD has previously discussed other projects they’d like to see happen at North Dam, including building a full basketball court, making playground upgrades, and more. 

CAPRD’s next commissioner meeting is scheduled for Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the former middle school in Grand Coulee.