Kalispell street widening raises worries over impacts on trees

New curbs and gutters sound like something any neighborhood would be glad to have, but residents on one block in Kalispell fought to stop road construction this week because of fears it would damage and weaken mature trees that line the avenue.

Residents along Fourth Avenue East North met with Kalispell city officials throughout the week to voice their concerns about maples and other trees whose roots would possibly be cut during construction.

“Please take action to stop the demolition and revise the project,” resident Margot Connole wrote in an e-mail to the City Council and city manager. “This avenue is lined with historic homes and it should remain intact. A balance between new curb regulations and preserving historic areas and mature trees is needed.”

Construction has been ongoing for several weeks to replace a water main, but residents learned just last Friday — Sept. 26 — that the city planned to widen the road by 18 inches due to newer road guidelines. This would force them to cut the roots of many of the trees that line the historic 300 block, as most of the trees that line the street are within two to three feet of the previous curb line.

Residents and city officials have met several times in an attempt to brainstorm a solution for the street. So far, the city has agreed to use care and excavate the area around tree roots by hand. They began this process on Thursday, cutting into the area near the trees, much to the dismay of the residents along the street.

Residents believe the city will still need to cut roots in many areas. They could remove up to 25 percent of the tree’s foundation, according to one resident, Anthony Hirsch.

“Taking that much away from the roots could cause a lot of problems,” Hirsch said in a phone interview. “It exposes them to disease, and takes away the stability that they once had.”

Hirsch and other residents worry that if the trees that line the block become unstable, they could blow onto homes or cars during intense wind storms.

“We’re doing everything we can to minimize the damage,” said project manager Aaron McConkey with the Public Works Department. “The city does care about the trees.”

The trees already had their roots cut previously to install the water main, which runs down the east side of the avenue.

Hirsch said the residents were not properly informed about the curb and gutter construction. They had been informed of the water-main installation through mailed letters, but had not been told about the street widening. Instead, residents began hearing about the expansion from on-site workers last week.

Coincidentally, Inter Lake Managing Editor Frank Miele is a resident of the 300 block of Fourth Avenue East North, but has not been contacted by either residents or the city regarding the road expansion except in his official capacity as editor.

The road widening work was scheduled to start on Monday, but was postponed until Thursday.

“We’re doing everything we can to allay concern of the residents while completing our project,” McConkey said. “However, the city is moving ahead with the planned construction.”

The entire construction project was originally scheduled to be completed on Sept. 5; however, due to scheduling conflicts, the project has been continually lengthened. Construction is now verbally scheduled to be finished on Oct. 10, but an exact date for completion has not been set.

“We don’t want the construction to stop,” Hirsch said. “But we want to gain awareness as to what’s going on. Maybe next time, the city will pay more attention to the trees, and how to properly deal with them.”

Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com