Council approves parks master plan
Kalispell's City Council approved Monday a master plan calling for $7.75 million in land purchases and improvements over the next six years.
The plan maps out how parks should be improved to deal with Kalispell's rapid growth through 2020.
Ideally, the city should invest $59.5 million in parks through 2020, which is more than the city can realistically pay, the adopted master plan said.
Consequently, the plan targets what the staff recommends should be tackled in the next six years - putting a $7.75 million price tag on those recommendations. Most that money would be earmarked to buy land for new parks as the city's borders expand.
Right now, Kalispell's 20,000 residents have 321 acres of parks, 73 acres of natural open space and another 12 acres of undeveloped land.
These parks hold 10 adult baseball and softball fields, 22 youth baseball fields, 10 soccer fields, five football fields, 17 tennis courts and one outdoor swimming pool.
The plan contends that by 2020, the city will need another 230 acres of greenway for trails, five adult ballfields, 21 youth ballfields, seven soccer fields and another 841 square feet of swimming-pool space.
A major question mark in this proposed master plan is paying for the project - even the reduced, top-priority list with its $7.75 million price tag.
The plan proposes two funding options.
One choice is to pay as the money become available from the general fund and future park impact fees.
The city's general fund is expected to provide $930,000 for parks during the next six years. The city is studying whether to set up parks impact fees to be assessed against new homes and buildings that Kalispell absorbs through construction or annexation - to offset the costs of the extra needed parks. Between the potential impact fees and some grants, the city staff believes it can raise another $3.75 million for parks improvements.
The second choice is to raise $7.75 million through a bond sale. That would translate to a property owner paying an extra 40 cents annually in taxes for each $1,000 in assessed value to repay the borrowed funds.
Such a bond sale would pay for everything on the city's initial six-year wish list, plus land for three extra parks and part of one greenway, the plan said. However, no money would be available to develop those three extra parks and the partial greenway until seven to 12 years from now.
Also Monday, the council:
. Gave preliminary approval to creating a drug and alcohol treatment court as part of Kalispell's Municipal Court.
National studies show that these types of courts help reduce crime with extensive monitoring and treatment of substance-abusing criminals, according to a memo from Municipal Judge Heidi Ulbricht, Adjutant City Attorney Rich Hickel, and City Manager Jim Patrick.
Most of the funding is expected to come from federal grants, according to the memo, with court fees also providing money. Ulbricht might seek a city appropriation in the next fiscal year.
. Voted 6-1 not to annex 8 1/2 acres - dubbed Ashley Heights - on the south side of Sunnyside Drive. Mayor Pam Kennedy cast the dissenting vote.
Earlier, the Kalispell Planning Board recommended that if the area is annexed , it should be zoned for the least-dense concentration of single-family houses.
The council wants the developers, Wade and Hubert Turner to submit plans to the city that would reflect the planning board's recommendation. The Turners had submitted a plan calling for zoning to allow the densest-possible concentration of single-family houses.