Riverfront Park pathway proposed to help pedestrian access

A proposed path would be used to create a pedestrian pathway from California Avenue to Riverfront Park, and construction could begin as soon as next year.

The need for a pathway stems from the fact that Riverfront Park was never designed to be a walking destination, or have a connecting pathway with California Avenue, said Libby City Administrator Samuel Sikes.

City Engineer Mike Fraser is talking with the Montana Department of Transportation and conducting a feasibility analysis for the proposed walkway. If the project moves forward the city may begin engineering the project in Spring 2023.

The city is considering three main proposals.

One option involves constructing a tunnel connecting the park to Thomas Street. A second option involves a path running parallel to the city service road that enters the park and a third option would involve a switchbacked path connecting the Riverfront Park parking area to California Avenue.

According to a document shown at a recent city council meeting, the path must be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant, and so it can drop only 5 feet for every 100 feet of ground covered. There should also be minimal disruption to existing structures, landscapes or the asbestos cap that covers contaminants in the area. The project should also be low cost, and require minimal engineering, according to the document.

With the exception of the first proposal, which requires tunneling, the city is able to complete a large portion of the work required with materials and people that are already on hand, Sikes said. The main expense the city would need to cover would be asphalt, which is needed to pave the pathway. The city would also need to make the pathway ADA compliant, he said.

After the city receives more information from the state Department of Transportation it can move forward.

There was concern voiced at the Sept. 6 meeting by a member of the public, who was questioning the need to build more sidewalks. The opponent reasoned that the city’s existing sidewalks are not maintained as well as they would have liked.

The need for the Riverfront Park path is spurred by the fact that there is no safe way for a pedestrian to get down to the park, said Tabitha Viergutz, community officer for the Livability, Opportunity and Responsibility (LOR) Foundation.

“As people start walking (to the park) more and more it’s becoming an issue,” Viergutz said.

Both Viergutz and Sikes noted that when events are held in the park, such as Riverfront Blues, people are bussed into the park.

The LOR foundation began helping the community of Libby in June 2022. LOR is a philanthropic organization that helps communities through sponsorships and grants. LOR is one of the potential avenues the city may use to fund the riverfront pathway, Sikes said.

LOR and the city have had preliminary talks and LOR will look into all available options for helping the city construct the riverfront path, Viergutz said.

LOR has already used $62,150 in grants to help the community of Libby, and they currently have $30,000 more being reviewed.

“LOR is one of the only foundations of its kind,” Viergutz said.

Generally LOR aids a community for three-to-five years before moving to another. The organization usually grants between $50 and $30,000 for projects or sponsorships.

Depending on the engineering of the river path, which is still being calculated, this project may be outside of LOR’s budget.

Still, LOR has a team dedicated to finding grants that are available to communities such as Libby, and they will help the city to see what is possible.

LOR currently has six projects in Libby under review, and in LOR’s pilot community the organization has processed nearly 90 grants. They are open to other projects, policies or collaboration proposals that would benefit the city.

“We just want people to send us people to help,” Viergutz said of LOR’s mission.