Riverbank land donated in Palouse

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Apr 12, 20180

A stretch of land has been given to the City of Palouse across the North Fork of the Palouse river from downtown.

The Chris Boyd family of Palouse made the gift last week of a one-eighth mile long, 50 to 70-foot wide strip from the riverbank up the hill to Shady Lane, the dirt path featured in the hay ride part of Haunted Palouse each October.

The strip begins at the South River Road bridge at the east end of Main Street, and ends at the footbridge, which spans the river across from the Post Office.

Initial plans are underway to make a four to six foot wide walking trail along the bank, along with a possible picnic area. The city has applied for a $54,000 grant from the county’s .09 economic development program, to be announced April 17.

Chris Boyd led the donation, along with his mother Nicka and children Tom and Kristine (Amanda). His father Lester had sold his share of the property earlier. Lester and Nicka first bought the tract in 1961.

Boyd was on the Palouse planning commission during the flood of 1996, a time which he remembers the proposals to encase the river in concrete to prevent future flooding.

“We did this donation to get people close to the river, so other people realize there’s otters, there’s beavers, there’s trout down there,” said Boyd. “This is the best thing to do with it.”

He soon had the idea to donate the family land, at some point, and discussed it at times over the years with Palouse mayor Michael Echanove.

“I have a lot of confidence in Michael Echanove, what he’s done for this town,” Boyd said.

The donation began its final stage in February when Boyd ran into Jay Iverson at McLeod’s Market in Palouse.

Iverson, a former planning commission member like Boyd, asked if he still planned to donate the land along the river. They got to talking and soon the mayor got a call.

“We think its an awesome opportunity,” said Echanove. “And it can serve our community for eternity because we own it.”