Council tackles light pollution, Whitefish Stage sewer issues
The Kalispell City Council could soon be taking steps to address a growing light pollution problem. It's also moving to extend municipal utilities north along Whitefish Stage Road.
Both issues were discussed during a council work session on Monday.
Light pollution has gotten increasing attention around the nation in recent years, as various municipalities try to encourage new commercial and residential developments to use lighting that's directed at a specific area, rather than being "broadcast" across the countryside.
A group of local citizens recently asked the Kalispell council to consider adopting an outdoor lighting ordinance. Several council members said they also receive frequent complaints about the type of lighting that was allowed to go in at Home Depot and other commercial complexes.
"I think this issue has come up because we've had so much development recently," noted Narda Wilson, senior planner with the Tri-City Planning Office, during Monday's workshop.
Wilson recommended that the council refer this issue to the Kalispell City Planning Board and allow the board to investigate and develop specific standards for commercial parking lot and building lighting, and for residential street lights. The board would hold a public hearing on any proposal before forwarding the matter back to the council for final action.
The council accepted Wilson's recommendation. It also directed the city staff to find out if any federal or other money is available to help replace Kalispell's existing 175-watt mercury vapor street lights with less intrusive 100-watt sodium lights.
In other action, the council ordered a preliminary engineering report that will provided detailed information about the costs and impacts of extending municipal sewer lines north along Whitefish Stage Road.
It's still undecided whether the city would pay for the extension, or whether a developer or developers would extend the lines and be reimbursed in the future. Either way, though, a majority of the council seems to feel the move is critical to Kalispell's future.
"I think this is probably one of the most important decisions the council will ever make," noted City Manager Jim Patrick. "This area [north of Reserve Drive] is going to be the commercial and retail growth center for the next 20 years."
Council members Bob Hafferman and Hank Olson urged the council to move cautiously, lest taxpayers and utility ratepayers end up paying for a line that might not be used.
However, Councilman Bob Herron suggested that if Kalispell extends utilities up Whitefish Stage to Rose Crossing, it would prompt Bucky Wolford to request annexation for his Glacier Mall proposal, which would be located southeast of the Whitefish Stage/Rose Crossing intersection.
Other potential customers include the major property owners in the area. Several of them recently joined together to request a master plan amendment that would allow higher-density development on more than 1,800 acres. Although some areas would still be built out at rural densities, most of the requested land uses would require some sort of public sewer service.
"With a little initiative, we can make this happen," Herron said. "This project [extending the utilities up Whitefish Stage] will pay for itself, or we can screw around for another five years and these property owners will build their own treatment plant."
Kalispell Chamber of Commerce President Joe Unterreiner and incoming chamber board chairman Steve Clawson both encouraged the council to extend the utilities.
"This seems like a great opportunity for Kalispell to be proactive about dealing with growth," Unterreiner noted.
Public Works Director Jim Hansz indicated that a preliminary engineering report would cost about $50,000. The council is expected to approve the expenditure at its next meeting on Dec. 6. The report would be completed in time to start extending the sewer lines next spring.
Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com