Whitefish details uses for federal grant

The city of Whitefish has made a list of projects it plans to pay for with a $900,000 appropriation that Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. secured last year for the city’s new Emergency Services Center.

The federal allocation requires a $300,000 match from the city.

The money must be spent on equipment to improve emergency-services response time and operations.

The city’s contribution will come from a tax-increment bond issued last year for the Emergency Services Center.

At the Jan. 19 City Council meeting, City Manager Chuck Stearns clarified that grant program rules prevent the city from using the federal appropriation directly for the center. It’s instead geared to future projects.

Whitefish had to apply for uses of the appropriation by Jan. 15. Among the proposed uses are:

n A radio microwave link from the Emergency Services Center to the Big Mountain radio tower and back to the Flathead 911 dispatch center to provide a wireless redundant link for network communications; $92,076.

n Alternate 911 answering control system at the Whitefish center to provide backup for the 911 dispatch center. The Whitefish center will house a mobile, secondary 911 public safety answering point. Should the county 911 dispatch center become inoperable, the mobile system will provide essential emergency services in the event of a natural or manmade disaster; $187,895.

n Backup equipment for computer-aided dispatch; $78,783.

n Solar hot water system as an addition to the Whitefish center after occupancy of the building; $250,000.

n Fire department computers, radios, vehicle GPS locators and thermal imagers for firefighting; $321,067.

n Police department computers, digital voice logging system for calls, new radio base station for both police and fire, field reporting citation software and hardware and miscellaneous other equipment; $225,179.