County, new rail park reap benefit of 'real-world' training

Students in the Flathead Valley Community College Heavy Equipment Operator’s class are gaining “real-world” experience working on the site of the new Glacier Rail Park this spring semester.

The class first began work on the old gravel pit off Whitefish Stage Road in Kalispell in December working to level the site, which is to become the new rail park.

The Glacier Rail Park is part of the Kalispell Core and Rail Redevelopment plan to relocate the railroad tracks in the downtown area to the old gravel pit in an effort to improve the flow of traffic while offering a new location for businesses serviced by the railroad, as well as open up land in the downtown and core area for redevelopment.

A total of 200,000 cubic yards of gravel has to be removed from the 40-acre property before tracks can be laid.

“It’s a real project, it’s something that needs to get done,” said Pete Wade, director for career and technical education at FVCC. “... The students learn something new each time.”

In previous years, Wade said the class has worked on projects for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Buffalo Hill golf course.

Wade said Kim Morisaki, director of marketing and business development for Montana West Economic Development, first approached the college with the idea for a partnership for the rail park about a year ago.

The Flathead County Economic Development Authority estimated that the average cost charged by commercial companies for gravel removal is $12 a cubic yard. FVCC charges $2.90 a cubic yard — just enough to cover the cost of vehicle maintenance, fuel and the required insurance, Wade said.

“We’re saving a little over $9 per cubic yard,” Morisaki said. “It’s one of the many public/private partnerships that has really benefited the county financially as well.”

Gravel from the site is being donated to the county to help offset the costs for other projects.

A portion of the gravel will go toward the restoration of the Kila trail. The gravel will be used to raise the trail to a safe elevation, which is considered to be 12 to 18 inches above the spring water level. Mark Crowley with Rails to Trails notes that the cost of gravel for the project would have been around $60,000 to $70,000.

The Heavy Equipment Operator class is a two-semester certificate program where students learn how to operate dozers, graders, loaders and other heavy equipment. The program offers certification from the National Center for Construction Education and Research and a commercial driver’s license through the Department of Transportation.

The hands-on experience and practice working on various construction sites helps students work toward these certifications, Wade said.

Prior to using the equipment, students receive safety training and instruction.

“It seems obvious, but how do you get on and off safely is very important,” Wade said, adding that most construction-related injuries happen when workers are getting in and out of the equipment.

The local KLJ engineering office did the initial survey work on the site, which the FVCC instructors then used to guide the students on where to dig.

Since beginning work on clearing the site, the class has been putting in full work days Monday through Friday. Although, Wade noted, the class is divided into two sections — with half of the class working Monday and Wednesday, and the other half working Tuesday and Thursday, with class time on Friday — so that no individual is working full time on the project.

The students deliver anywhere from 1,000 to 1,300 cubic yards to the county gravel pit each week, Morisaki said. At that rate, she estimates the students will have cleared 50,000 cubic yards, or a quarter of the overall gravel, by the time they are finished.

The Glacier Rail Park will go out to bid for development in April, but the FVCC class will continue working on the site until the new contractors are ready to take over.

“We find working with FVCC to be very beneficial, and we hope they do to,” Morisaki said. “I was really thrilled about how it came together.”

Through this partnership, FCEDA is able to stretch the dollars they have, students are able to gain practical experience and the county also gets free gravel, Wade said, “It’s a benefit to all concerned.”

Reporter Alyssa Gray may be reached at 758-4433 or by email at agray@dailyinterlake.com.