Kalispell council to accept EPA grant tonight
At tonight’s meeting, the Kalispell City Council will formally accept a $400,000 Environmental Protection Agency grant that will help property owners with redevelopment.
The city applied for the grant in December 20215, and was notified of the grant award on May 20.
The funding would allow a Kalispell property owner to approach the city with environmental concerns that hinder the ability to redevelop their property. City officials could then provide a phase one environmental assessment. That process compiles information such as historic use of the property as well as past title holders.
If the phase one assessment finds the property or structure could contain potentially hazardous materials, such as lead paint or asbestos, the federal grant also will cover a phase two assessment, where samples would be taken in order to determine the next step.
The city’s grant is a small slice of the $55.2 million total funds allocated to 131 communities across the country.
Although grant recipients were announced in late May, the money hasn’t been accessible as the city worked to finish requirements tied to the grant, which included hiring an environmental professional to conduct the assessments.
The city received an identical $400,000 grant in 2009 to initiate redevelopment of Kalispell’s blighted properties. Property owners were able to use the funding for about four years before the grant dried up.
The most recent grant is good news as the city works to complete its Core Area Plan, which was adopted by the city in 2012 and set in motion plans to update the look and purpose of the once industrial main hub of the city.
Along with encouraging redevelopment along storefronts, the plan includes removing the railroad tracks from downtown, reconnecting disjointed streets and building a pathway system linking pedestrians to shops and parks.
Council members are also scheduled to hear the first reading of amendments made to the city’s disturbing-the-peace ordinance.
The issue was first discussed during a Sept. 12 regular workshop meeting, which was prodded by a citizen who approached the council with complaints of loud construction noises early in the morning.
Current city ordinances do not provide a specific time frame on noise-related activities, making it more difficult for officials and law enforcement to enforce when noisy activities constitute a disturbance.
The citizen asked the council to consider adopting an ordinance similar to Whitefish, which prohibits certain activities — including construction — until 7 a.m.
As the council reviewed the current ordinance, members said there was a need to bring the wording up-to-date before additions were made.
In other business, the council will decide whether to pass an annexation request from Mann Mortgage LLC to bring a 4.5 acre parcel into the city, zoned for general business.
The piece of land is located at 837 West Reserve Drive, just east of U.S. 93 North. The property is currently undeveloped, however, if granted the extended annexation, the owners are proposing to build a 24,00 square-foot office building.
The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 201 First Avenue East. For a full agenda, go to http://www.kalispell.com/mayor_and_city_council/agenda.php.
Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.