FAQs

Depot Park is a two-acre park located south of the train depot in Downtown Whitefish. This park was acquired by the city in 2009.

In 2012, a DEPOT PARK MASTER PLAN was adopted by the city through the efforts of a steering committee, stakeholders’ groups, and three public open houses. The master plan generally recommends greatly expanded open lawn areas and improving views by the removal of once existing structures and revitalizing streetscapes surrounding the park. The Depot Park Master Plan has goals which prioritize maintaining the park as a green space with maximum flexibility for diverse users, with the only permanent structure to be a gazebo at the southeast corner of the park. The plan also says hardscaped areas within the park should be minimized. “Hardscape” refers to non-living elements of outdoor spaces such as sidewalks, patios, concrete, brick, or stone. This contrasts with "softscape," which includes living elements such as plants, trees, and turf.

You can read this plan HERE. 

Depot Park has become very popular for community events. Subsequently, the city has developed a DEPOT PARK EVENT POLICY to balance special events with irrigation, turf maintenance and repair needs. Currently, events in Depot Park, such as the Farmer’s Market, Stumptown Get Down, Hootenanny, and Oktoberfest use a temporary performance area consisting of a portable stage and tent. As per the policy, the current number of annual events in Depot Park leaves limited availability for additional events in the summer months.

You can see this policy HERE. 

In April of this year, the city was approached by a community group interested in constructing a permanent stage in Depot Park to be used by current and potential event organizers. This group completed their own public survey of 302 respondents who predominantly showed support for the project.  These results were provided to the Park Board during their July meeting.  As a result, the Whitefish Park Board has directed city staff to initiate a robust city-wide community engagement process to determine whether public opinion has changed since the adoption of the 2012 master plan and whether the community supports a new permanent facility for outdoor performances and events, including new structures and / or additional hardscape. If there is community support, the Park Board may direct staff to amend the master plan accordingly and a public design process for the facility could occur.

Being here is a good start! See the newsfeed and the "key dates" for upcoming meetings. Subscribe to this site, and you will be notified whenever there are updates relating to this project, including any surveys or documents.  You can also give us feedback in the "guestbook" section toward the middle of this site.