Council diary: a summary of city council actions on Monday night

COLUMBIA FALLS

— Discussed at length the intersection of Sixth Street and Nucleus Avenue.

Since the opening of North Fork Pizza, council members have noticed the difficulty for pedestrians to cross Nucleus at that intersection, which is at the top of a hill where there is less visibility.

Council member Dave Petersen suggested many options for both short term and long term. One is to make Sixth Street a one-way going west to City Hall and Fifth Street a one-way going east to Smith’s.

City Manager Susan Nicosia said one-way streets are expensive to install, and even more so to remove if they don’t work well. She noted the city is waiting for state funding to do a comprehensive transportation study.

— Approved a renewed franchise agreement with Charter Communications for 10 years with a fee of 5 percent of its gross revenue. The fee provides the city with $40,000 per year.

— In light of the lead contamination in Flint, Michigan, Mayor Don Barnhart confirmed that the oldest pipes in Columbia Falls are galvanized, not lead.

— Barnhart said he is concerned about trailers that are being parked — or rather stored — on city right-of-way for more than 72 hours. Homeowners are responsible for maintaining the right of way.

WHITEFISH

— Approved a $2,161,378 construction contract with LHC Inc. for the reconstruction of West Seventh Street.

— Approved two construction contracts related to the 2016 wastewater inflow and infiltration remediation project. One contract for $497,700 is with Planned & Engineer Construction for pipeline rehabilitation. The other contract is with Guildner Pipeline Maintenance, Inc. for $316,556 for manhole rehabilitation.

— Approved a $348,781 construction contract with Sandry Construction Co. for the Lion Mountain Loop Road water loop and the Columbia Avenue water main replacement projects.

— OK’d a resolution establishing a planned unit development regulations rewrite committee.

KALISPELL

— Accepted a $1,412,000 grant from the Montana Department of Commerce for $2.4 million in planned infrastructure improvements to the Kidsports facility in North Kalispell.

— Vacated a portion of Mission Street leading up to Immanuel Lutheran Communities, giving ownership and the responsibility for upkeep to the corporation.

— Approved a final plat for a new 14-lot townhouse subdivision within Glacier Village Greens.

— OK’d a final plat for the Meadows at Four Mile, where the owner is proposing to separate the undeveloped portion of the subdivision to follow through on development first proposed in 2006.