Donations save small downtown Emmett park

A small impromptu park at downtown Emmett’s main intersection was recently acquired by the Kiwanis Club of Emmett.

The Kiwanis Aug. 16 acquisition with a donated $40,000 resolves the potential loss to development of this .33 acre Pioneer Park at Washington Avenue (Highway 52) and Main Street. The property was owned by Payette River LLC, an East Wenatchee, Washington, limited liability corporation that is in the process of selling 10 downtown Emmett properties it owns, including the park site.

The simple park emerged after a fire destroyed the building at that corner about 15 years ago.

The city of Emmett had a 10-year lease on the property that was assumed two years ago by Barbara Huguenin, who owns the building that borders the park. The lease was due to expire in November, Huguenin said.

Emmett Mayor Gordon Petrie is pleased that the prime downtown corner will remain an open area and he thanked Huguenin for taking over the lease as well as maintenance of the park.

“It was just an extra duty for us,” Petrie said. “Barbara is a business person who believes in growing the community and making the community as nice as she can. The fact we will have a service organization like the Kiwanis own it will be a plus for the city.”

Huguenin’s husband, Marty, is president-elect of the Kiwanis Club, and she will continue being the park’s de facto overseer as she has been for the past two years. Huguenin had done a number of fundraisers for park improvements, including $5,000 last year to install a flag pole.

“I was worried some day somebody would build something where the park is,” Huguenin said.

Huegening owns the two-story 1908 Burkhard Building that touches the park’s western’s edge. She acquired the structure in early 2015 and outfitted it as an art classroom and executive office space.

The art classroom houses a few tenants, including a pop-up restaurant called the Emmett Yacht Club, and there is also a commercial kitchen. One of the tenants lives in the 2,000-square-foot condo upstairs.

As Payette River LLC put 10 downtown Emmett properties, including the park, on the market, Huegenin called several local service organizations asking for $200 donations toward a park purchase. Local Ray A. Bowman offered $500.

Huguenin called Bowman, whom she did not know, and asked him if he would like to buy the park.

“He said he would buy it if we could donate it to the city,” Huguenin said.

The city didn’t want the park, and the Kiwanis Club could not accept a direct donation. In the end, Bowman bought the park for $40,000 and added $5,000 for park maintenance and donated it to the Kiwanis International Foundation, which transferred ownership to the Kiwanis Club of Emmett.

Steve Winger of Colliers International in Boise facilitated the transaction.

The park has been renamed Ray A. Bowman Family Memorial Park.

Pioneer Park had occasional use with events put on by the Gem County Chamber of Commerce and Gem County Recreation District. Huguenin said the Kiwanis will now stage events there, including an Oct. 7 Oktoberfest.