An effort by the city of Twin Falls to build a new municipal park in the Snake River Canyon should get some more support today when President Obama, as expected, signs a package of more than 170 lands bills into law.

One of the bills cedes about 165 acres of federal land to the city for its Auger Falls park project, but the area won't be opened to the public for some time, a lead engineer on the project said Friday.

A timeline for building the park depends on how quickly the city and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management finish a host of environmental studies, said Lee Glaesemann, the city's project coordinator.

Glaesemann said he originally thought basic work would be done on the park after the city bought the land in 2002 for $1.3 million. He declined Friday to speculate on a current timetable.

A committee Glaesemann described as "an alphabet soup of agencies and people" sketched out a master plan to turn the site into a park. Idaho's congressional delegation, particularly Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, secured $1.5 million in federal grants and the scattered BLM land.

The studies aren't finished, though. Mike Courtney, field manager of the BLM's Burley office, said Friday that he wouldn't be sure how much more environmental analysis is needed until he reviews the lands bill.

A narrow, difficult road to the site is blocked by a locked fence in an attempt to keep it pristine. The city, however, had to change the locks in 2007 when copies leaked out into the public.

Glaesemann's office showcases hope to develop the property. Maps on walls include shots of the land and a diagram of the eventual park with walking and bicycle paths. Motorized vehicles will be prohibited in most of the park, said Twin Falls Parks and Recreation Director Dennis Bowyer.

The city intends to repair a shrunken lake depicted in a series of photos. Additional images stored on Glaesemann's computer and in filing cabinets show an abandoned gravel pit with walls containing large boulders partway up - remnants of the Bonneville Flood 15,000 years ago.

Studies from the BLM will identify and preserve historical sites in the park, such as an old gold mine the city plans to mark with signs and background information.

The work is coming along, Glaesemann said. Once the city is cleared to actually construct the site, an expanded, improved road is the first priority - to give the public access, and to let the city construct piping to divert wastewater for a wetlands project.

"We're working hard to get the park opened up," he said.