New neighborhood group holds initial gathering

Kalispell's Eastside Kalispell Group hosts its inaugural neighborhood association event Sunday from 4-6 p.m. at Hedges Elementary School.

Residents of the eastside neighborhood are welcome to attend and bring a dish to share at the potluck. The association will provide live music and door prizes.

Group organizers plan to hold quarterly social events and plan neighborhood projects, such as park beautification plans or helping senior neighbors with snow shoveling.

The organizers initially met when the contentious Courthouse East project came up. Neighbors and developers clashed over plans to build a 24-unit duplex townhouse subdivision on the property.

But the Eastside Kalispell Group is unrelated to that property, organizer Robyn Balcom said.

"It's going to to be a neutral forum where everyone can be heard," she says.

The association will try to keep the neighborhood informed of issues, such as development, that come up in the area, but the group also will organize social events and service projects.

For more information, call Balcom at 755-2247.