04/01/2026
Sliters Park Update - Submit Your Public Comment
The future of Sliters Park is up for discussion at the upcoming Flathead County Parks and Recreation Board meeting on April 6 at 8:30am. If the item is not heard at that meeting, it will be on their May agenda.
Flathead County has historically held the lease for this property from PacifiCorp. The Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork has reimbursed the County for the lease and shared maintenance costs. The lease is now up for renewal, and the County is considering stepping away from all leased properties, with Sliters Park being one of two.
Sliters Park is a vital part of Bigfork. It serves as a gathering place, a playground, and greenspace in downtown. It also supports local events such as the Riverbend Concert Series and contributes to the vitality of our local economy and the overall desirability of our community.
For decades, the Bigfork Community Foundation Board has been grateful partnered with Flathead County to help share the financial responsibility of maintaining the park. To our understanding, this is the only County Park where a private organization helps offset both lease and maintenance costs in this way.
The Bigfork Community Foundation Board is currently working to better understand what a sustainable path forward could look like, including taking over the lease or partnering with another organization, and will be asking the County to continue holding the lease in the near term to allow time for that process. If the County declines, the future of the Sliters Park will be uncertain.
If Sliters Park is important to you, take a few minutes to share your thoughts with the Flathead County Parks and Recreation Board. Community voices matter, and public input can play a meaningful role in shaping what happens next.
Send comments to [email protected] no later than this Friday, April 3rd, at 5pm.
The board meeting will take place on Monday, April 6th at 8:30am and 309 FFA Drive in
Kalispell.
Check out this Bigfork Eagle article for more details. We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available.
