Boettcher Park eatery faces closure

Tiecha Broussard, owner of the five-decades-old Boardwalk Outdoor Café located at Boettcher Park, was informed earlier this month that the business’ lease with the city of Polson won’t be renewed.

According to a notice she received Jan. 4, Broussard has until April 1 — less than 90 days after the notice was issued and received — to remove the building “and all improvements” from the park.

The notice, dated Jan. 2, was sent by City Parks Manager Pat Nowlen, the same day Broussard said she left messages with Nowlen “pleading” to get the discussion started about her business’ lease.

Broussard said she has made a number of unsuccessful attempts over the last few months to speak with the city about the lease. She said her phone calls have not been returned and her request to get the issue on the Jan. 15 city commission agenda was unsuccessful.

City Manager Mark Shrives said the city had no comment at press time, but he was preparing information for the city commissioners about the non-renewal notice.

It was not immediately known if the topic will be included on the agenda for the next commissioners’ meeting on Feb. 5.

According to Broussard, two reasons were provided by Nowlen to explain the non-renewal: One being liability and the other that “you can’t get it for free.”

There is a $1 million insurance policy in place for the Boardwalk Outdoor Café, which Broussard has not had to make a claim in the time she’s owned it, she said.

As far as the “free” aspect, Broussard states there is an exchange of services in lieu of payment.

She said that she attends to the restrooms on site and helps maintain the nearby pavilion, utilizes a PA system to warn swimmers in sections of water “not properly roped off,” as well as maintaining the surrounding area, picking up litter, in addition to other agreements.

Broussard owns the building and all of its contents, she said.

Broussard said the non-renewal notice she received this month includes a number of discrepancies from her records, including that the last lease agreement expired on March 30, 2015.

“That date does not exist” in her copies of leases, Broussard claimed.

Broussard said the leases for 2016 and 2017 weren’t signed because they were not provided by the parks manager.

According to Broussard, the last lease expired on May 18, 2016, meaning it was signed in 2015. Prior to that, a lease was signed in April 2014, meaning it expired in April 2015.

Another discrepancy Broussard said she found in the non-renewal states the lease includes a clause that continuation is dependent on an agreement between the city of Polson and Boardwalk Cafe. While Broussard said the lease is yearly, it does not cite a continuation.

Broussard said she was going to hire a realtor this year to assist with the sale of the business, but was unable to move forward with the process because she wasn’t sure what was going on from the city’s end.

Had Broussard been told back in September about a non-renewal, it would have given her time to sell the building, she said.

Instead, she said the recent decision to end the lease has ruined her investment.

Broussard purchased the Boardwalk Outdoor Café six years ago, after moving to Polson with her two children following the 2010 death of her husband.

She said she took on the business to instill a work ethic in her children, as well as how to interact with the public.

While her children, then teenagers, came into adulthood, Broussard said she knew she would one day put the business up for sale once benefits from her deceased husband ran out, which is this month.

During the time she’s owned the Boardwalk, Broussard said the business has been featured in top spots on Trip Advisor and is slated to be featured this year on HGTV.