Kalispell considers sewer extension as leverage on Two Rivers project

One topic. Two separate meetings. Many potential ramifications.

Both the Kalispell City Council and the planning board will tackle the issue of future growth tied to the Two Rivers project during their regular meetings this week.

The city and Flathead County have expressed interest in working together on guiding growth in that area.

On Monday night the city will vote on the first step toward a $1.84 million plan to extend sewer services north of West Reserve Drive.

Extending the sewer could give the council some say in how Two Rivers - a planned 1,836-acre multi-use project - develops.

If the council approves the resolution, Kalispell will start looking for partners from the private sector to help fund the project and will put out bids for the project in the near future.

On Tuesday night, the Kalispell planning board will hear a presentation on Two Rivers from Flathead County Planning Board President Don Hines. The Kalispell board and Tri-City Planning Office staff plan to submit their comments on the project to the county board within a week of the Tuesday meeting.

The city planning board will not take any action on the Two Rivers project Tuesday night, but the meeting shows the county wants Kalispell's opinion on what is the largest landowner-proposed growth policy amendment in the Flathead Valley's history.

Landowners in the Two Rivers area want to change the land-use designation from agricultural to an assortment of commercial, residential, industrial and open-space uses. The development is under review by the Flathead County Planning Board, which has asked city officials if municipal sewer and water services could be extended.

The City Council has discussed Two Rivers at length and has used the words "sewer" and "destiny" almost interchangeably in recent meetings. Foresight and planning have been among the council's top concerns.

Several council members have said Kalispell might lose its say in future growth if it doesn't extend the sewer to the Two Rivers area.

"I think we need to be looking ahead - and peripherally," councilwoman Kari Gabriel said. "Tunnel vision is a terrible thing."

On Monday night the council wil consider a resolution of intent to advertise for and solicit proposals from the private sector for help funding the $1.84 million sewer project.

If the council approves the resolution, the city is not obligated to go any further with the project. The resolution simply states the council is serious about considering the sewer extension.

The matter is not up for a public hearing Monday, but the public can address the council during the general comment period near the beginning of the meeting.

Several council members and Mayor Pam Kennedy say the city must extend the sewer line to have a say in how the area north of the city develops. Finding partners to share the financial load is an important consideration.

"Why can't we partner with someone and then everyone is happy?" councilman Hank Olson asked.

Councilman Bob Hafferman, however, has been vocal in his opposition. The city shouldn't put money into sewer extensions because developers should pay the full amount of such projects, he said.

"That's the proper way to go," he said.

Hafferman doesn't object to the project because it's outside city limits. He said he feels developers, not the city, should cover costs associated with growth.

The city has system development fees in place in place that would pay for the project, Public Works Director Jim Hansz said. New users pay the fees when they connect to city services, and a portion is reserved for growth-related projects.

"Current ratepayers don't pay for this," Hansz said.

The city likely would sell bonds to cover costs before money from new users started coming in, Hansz said. And development partners could provide up-front money that would bring down the city's price tag.

Kalispell and Flathead County could be on their way toward a better relationship when officials meet Tuesday night to talk about the Two Rivers project.

"It marks the beginning of the thaw between the city and the county," Kalispell City Planning Board President George Taylor said.

The city and county have had chilly relationships during the past several years, but Two Rivers might be the project that brings them back to joint planning, Taylor said.

The project is within county jurisdiction, so Kalispell has no official say in the matter. But the city "inevitably" will inherit the Two Rivers area through annexation as Kalispell continues to grow, said Hines, the county planning board's president.

The Kalispell City Council has talked about annexation generally, but has made no decisions, councilwoman Gabriel said.

It's in the community's best interest for the city and the county to work together now and in the future, Hines said.

"It's time the city and the county tried to have some open dialogue and work toward a common goal - and that's Flathead Valley, not the county, not the city," he said.

Taylor and Hines hope the meeting is a sign Kalispell and the county will work cooperatively in the future.

"We're reaching out," Hines said. "And this is a big decision."

The county planning board reviews the Two Rivers project on March 30 at 6 p.m. when the board meets in the second-floor conference room of the Earl Bennett Building in Kalispell. Hines encourages people to submit comments on the project to the county planning board in advance of the meeting so the board has ample time to review them.

Reporter Camden Easterling can be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at ceasterling@dailyinterlake.com