Wednesday — February 18, 2004

Howard Property
sale finalized

Bellevue park and family memorial solidified

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"I am elated. It’s been a long process. When I walked into the land trust for help two years ago, I thought it was a long shot at best. But, it took on a life of its own. There are a lot of people who worked to make this happen. Now the real work, phase two begins. I encourage people to get involved this spring with the improvement process."

— JOHN BARTON, Mayor of Bellevue

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By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer

After facilitating nearly two years of negotiations, Dan Gilmore and Scott Boettger of the Wood River Land Trust stood by Tuesday as John Burton Howard II officially turned over his family’s 13-acre property fronting the Big Wood River to the City of Bellevue. The city thereby exercised an option to buy the property for a fixed price of $250,000 for the land, which borders the Big Wood River from Elm Street south to Chestnut Street.

The Bellevue City Council unanimously approved acquiring the property on the north end of the city Thursday, Feb. 12, and entered into a contractual agreement to take responsibility for maintaining the new public space.

A year ago council members agreed to provide the $250,000 short-term loan to purchase the land. That loan is being repaid to the city with grants and donations now that the final deal has been reached.

The parcel is commonly called the "Howard Property."

It is the largest remaining undeveloped piece of riverfront land in the city. The property will become a memorial property dedicated to the memory of Ellis and Lena Howard, J.B. Howard’s parents. There will be an honorary stone on the property with an inscription commemorating the couple’s commitment to the recreational value of the land. The parcel of riverside open space is planned to be a public park and nature preserve.

The city plans to maintain the land—which is predominantly cottonwood forest—and permit passive recreation, such as walking and fishing.

The land trust views the property as a key element of a larger plan to protect a corridor of riparian areas along the Big Wood River from Hailey south through Bellevue.

The organization so far has organized an $80,000 endowment for the project that will be used to pay for maintenance and protection of the land. Community fundraisers including an art auction called Art in the Garden at the Branching Out Nursery and a Company of Fools production of Shakespeare’s Tempest at the Liberty Theater in Hailey last year helped provide funds for the project.

"There will be another Art in the Garden fundraiser this year," volunteer Janet Barton said.

The goal is to continue building the endowment to maintain the park. The project includes a footbridge over the canal that runs through the property adjacent to the river to make it a safe place for people to access, Gilmore said. There will also be trail improvements, and interpretive signs.

"I am elated," said Mayor John Barton. "It’s been a long process. When I walked into the land trust for help two years ago I thought it was a long shot at best. But, it took on a life of its own. There are a lot of people who worked to make this happen. Now the real work, phase two begins. I encourage people to get involved this spring with the improvement process."

With the Hailey-based Wood River Land Trust as a partner, the city secured the option to purchase the 12.57-acre parcel in October 2002.

"It is nice to see it come to fruition," Gilmore said. "We will continue to work with the city to (prepare) the park."

The agreement between the city and the land trust stipulated that each party was responsible for half of the total purchase cost, but the city alone now holds clear title to the land.

Gilmore said the city’s commitment to buy the land gave the project an edge in acquiring the $150,000 state grant that went exclusively toward the purchase cost.

"I would like to ask everybody to consider what has gone into this," councilman Eric Allen said. "Everything that has created this has (been through the efforts of) volunteers."

The park designation was a family dream of the Howards, Gilmore said. The land will remain an open, natural preserve along the Big Wood River available for public recreation and wildlife habitat, he said.

The Howard family has long had ties to the Wood River Valley. J.B. Howard’s parents Ellis and Lena traveled often from California to visit Ellis’ mother and father, Cora and John Burton Howard, who had left Denmark to settle in Hailey. John worked as a miner. Cora’s brother lived near the present location of Mountain West Bank in Hailey. The Howards enjoyed many games of penny ante poker in the company of such locals as Bob Horn, Ollie Sheppard, and Roberta McKercher.

J.B., who is responsible for encouraging his parents to buy the property as a place for recreation, said his son, Mike, has fond memories of learning to fly-fish from Ellis on the property and camping with family and friends. He notes the family felt this was "not ‘our’ personal piece of paradise," but was a special place to many people—hikers, campers, and fishermen—and should remain so. When Ellis died, the family discussed developing the land, but it was decided to honor the wishes of Lena, now 91, who wanted the land to remain unspoiled. "This land is a testament to our family roots," she said, "and should always remain the same."

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