West side residents oppose parking proposal

The Kalispell City Council heard a line of public comments Monday at a marathon work session focused largely on one issue: Who should be allowed to park in neighborhoods around Flathead High School?

A proposed residential parking district has been a divisive issue on the west side for a while, occasionally pitting residents against the school. The discussion has simmered around neighborhood groups, the school board and the city’s Planning Board for nearly two years.

“This has been a long road,” Elma Giavasis, a neighborhood resident, told the council. “We’ve been looking at this problem for a very long time, as you know.”

The council heard a variety of comments on the proposed parking district but took no action Monday. The proposal would have created a 25-block district around Flathead High and Elrod Elementary schools for specialized parking rules. 

To start, five blocks would be designated for resident-only parking. People who live on those blocks would purchase permits that would cover the cost of enforcement and signs. Nonresidents, specifically high school students, would not be able to get permits.

City Planning and Building Director Tom Jentz said that staffers chose to start small for a few reasons. Cost is one — the required signs would run about $1,600 per block. Another is the nature of the proposal. Jentz said that after about 25 neighborhood meetings, the proposal is meant as a compromise between the schools and residents. By starting small, he said, the program could grow or shrink in the future.

As part of the plan, the school district has committed to add up to 38 parking spaces at Elrod and up to 25 at the high school.

Proponents highlighted that idea of a compromise. Opponents — most of them residents — showed up in force and spoke about tighter restrictions against student drivers.

“I also wish to remind you that the plan before you is not the plan designed by the original neighborhood members who met for two years to create it,” said Karlene Orosio-Khor, a Kalispell Planning Board member who spoke as a resident of the proposed district.

Others who live in the area bemoaned loud music, garbage and speeding from high school students. They told stories of tight quarters in areas such as Sixth Street West during the winter with cars lined up on both sides of the block. Some called for the entire 25-block area to be limited to resident parking. 

Another point of contention was the exclusion of streets. The proposal for a five-block resident parking area only would affect avenues.

One resident, George Giavasis, pointed out that the problem isn’t just parking. He said there needs to be room for the services that taxes pay for such as fire and police access. 

Devin Kuntz spoke about the safety concerns of crowded streets and high traffic. He also said that the permit process is a double tax, charging residents for a service that most people get simply as property owners. And with many renters in the area, it might be tough to maintain annual permit purchases. 

Having worked with the school and the city on behalf of residents, Kuntz pushed for compromise.

“Make sure that it fits the neighborhood and the school so we don’t continue to propagate the problem,” he said.

Kalispell Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Dan Zorn said some comments about the schools concerned him and were   inaccurate.

“We’ve been portrayed as not playing nice, I guess, in not providing any solutions,” he said.

Zorn pointed out that the creation of Glacier High School reduced the number of student drivers in the area. And in the current debate, he said the school has worked closely with the city and neighborhood residents. 

He too called the proposal a compromise, saying that outside the proposed five-block area, the congestion isn’t as bad as many suggested.

“It really represents government working well,” Zorn said. “Because what your planning commission did was brought two entities together that did not agree on an issue.”

The proposed parking district spans from Third Street West to 10th Street West and from Seventh Avenue West to Second Avenue West. The five-block resident-only area would be on Third and Fourth avenues. 

The area sits within Ward 3, which is represented on the council by Rod Kuntz and Jim Atkinson.

To finish the public comment period, Kuntz stepped down from the council desk and spoke as a resident. He reiterated the concerns of safety and service availability. As a quality-of-life issue, he asked the council to consider the options carefully since parking has created a rift between the high school and those who live around it.

“This is not going to be easy, but I encourage you to take the time,” he said.

After the public comment period, council members talked about the delicate nature of the situation. The next step would be for the council to pass the proposal up to an official meeting for a council vote.

Atkinson took a stand for action. He said that after a couple years of debate, it’s time to put a policy in place.

“I feel like we ought to move forward with this,” he said. “Set a price and take a whack at it. I don’t think we’re going to get a better offer [from] either side.”

Council members Wayne Saverud, Phil Guiffrida and Tim Kluesner and Mayor Mark Johnson pledged more research before coming to a conclusion.  

In the face of heavy public scrutiny, it was the hope that a more equitable compromise could be reached. Devin Kuntz  reminded people that no matter the outcome, the school and the surrounding residents have to get along.

“They’re going to be neighbors for a very long time, so let’s keep them at the table,” he said.

Reporter Matt Hudson may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at mhudson@dailyinterlake.com.