In search of a parking space

Nestled in a forested place where the Swan River tumbles under an historic one-lane bridge before it calms into a smooth sheet in Bigfork Bay, the Bigfork village has the charm and beauty of a children’s storybook. The downtown’s art galleries, eateries, pubs, unique gift shops and the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts line Electric and Osborne Avenues, the only major downtown streets that can squeeze in between the two waterways. Nature’s embrace is also a bit of a chokehold – especially for parking.

It became the Achilles heel of this quaint downtown area during the busy summer season, when the popular Bigfork Summer Playhouse filled the theatre and special events were held – like the famous Fourth of July parade, the Festival of the Arts, and the Rumble in the Bay. An unknown number of discouraged visitors may have continued down the road when they couldn’t find a parking place.

Then in 2018, BCPAF board member Walter Kuhn heard that a property on Grand Avenue, about a block from the theater, was being offered for sale. Because the BCPA 435-seat theater often created the biggest need for parking, Kuhn moved quickly and gained the support and approval of the BCPAF Board and the Bigfork Community Development Trust. Shortly afterward, the BCPAF purchased the property, which included five city lots, for $1,025,000. Broker Cherie Hansen donation of a portion of her commission and favorable financing by First Interstate Bank became a model for the numerous community members who would chip in to make this formidable project possible in an incorporated town.

“The real muscle behind this project was the Bigfork Community Development Trust, who over the term of this project donated over $760,000, nearly half of the total project cost,” said Kuhn.

At first glance, a parking lot might appear to be just a blank space, but the purchase of the property began a lengthy and expensive process before the dirt lot could be paved, striped, finished with concrete curbs and gutters and furnished with overhead lighting.

The parking lot’s design and engineering were done by Jackola Engineering at half their normal rate, which helped immensely in moving forward. Paying off the loan for the property was first priority the so there were meager funds left to begin construction.

Kuhn remedied that with the employment of the FVCC Heavy Equipment Operators School to prepare the lot, which allowed students to get on the job supervised training at a reduced cost for the preparation of the lot. FVCC students completed the grading and underground storm drain and retention system saving the BCPAF over $86,000 of the engineer’s original estimated cost of this portion of the project.

Meanwhile, donations began to pour in from individuals and businesses to help in nudging the project along. The support was encouraging and each stage was completed as funds were obtained. It was important to the BCPAF Board that it was done correctly and that ultimately it was not only a useful addition, but an attractive one as well.

The parking lot was built into a hillside, allowing it to have two levels of parking, separated by a 10-foot-high retaining wall. Materials for a handsome retaining wall were obtained from Diversified Materials of Missoula. The sand-colored blocks were fabricated to look like stone and installed by Randy Gembala Excavating Company at a discounted rate. Anderson Masonry also contributed with a donation of a forklift to unload the blocks once delivered to the site.

A grant of $166,000 from the Murdock Trust was made to the parking lot fund at a critical time allowing the final phase of the parking lot to be completed. The Flathead Electric Coop’s Roundup for Safety Program provided $10,000 for overhead lighting and the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork was one of the larger contributors with their $40,000 donation.

More than $525,000 in personal donations were also contributed. Those who contributed $25,000 or more will be recognized in special individual signs that will be erected in single spaces stating "This parking space made possible by the generous donation of (donor name)."

The final touches of paving, gutters, sidewalks and landscaping were completed by Knife River in May, just in time for the Whitewater Festival and Memorial Day weekend, kicking off Bigfork’s busy summer season with 74 new parking spaces. The parking lot will also provide space for special events when the shut down of through-traffic limits access to the parking lot, such as the Festival of the Arts held this past weekend.

The new parking lots additional 74 parking spaces could easily translate to hundreds of more parking places per day, meaning that hundreds of visitors and residents will find Bigfork more accessible and welcoming – and more like that enchanting storybook experience that people might expect.