Whitefish City Council hearing deals with Haskill Basin easement

The purchase of a conservation easement for 3,020 acres of land in Haskill Basin involves a seven-part public hearing at the Whitefish City Council meeting on Tuesday.

The council is poised to adopt seven separate resolutions dealing with the easement purchase from F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. to protect the city’s water supply in Haskill Basin.

The city will use revenue from the extra 1 percent resort tax that voters approved last year to raise the remaining $8 million of a $17 million easement for the forested acreage where Whitefish gets 75 percent of its drinking water from Second and Third creeks.

The various resolutions authorize the easement purchase and approve a multi-resource management plan for the easement and public trail easement with Stoltze. One resolution approves a buy/sell agreement for a half-acre of land as an addition to the water treatment plant site.

Another public hearing on the agenda is a proposed ordinance that amends zoning regulations to add microdistilleries to the list of conditional uses in the limited business, secondary business, general business and industrial districts. It further amends the standards for accessory buildings and the definition for bar/lounge.

The council will consider a recommendation from Public Works Director Craig Workman to approve a contract with WGM to update the city’s bicycle and pedestrian master plan. The consulting work would not exceed $40,000, which is in the fiscal 2016 city budget.

There will be further discussion on the cost overrun for the City Hall and parking structure project. The city staff is asking the county to set a new total construction budget for the project and give direction on how to handle a $850,623 funding gap.

The council will hold a work session at 6 p.m. to review the proposed Whitefish Trail easement in Haskill Basin with Stoltze.

The regular meeting begins at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday; both meetings are at the interim City Hall, 1005 Baker Ave. The meetings are on Tuesday due to the holiday today.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.