Two new civic projects grace Kalispell
Kalispell is celebrating the recent opening of two new amenities that are sure to be well received by the entire valley.
Last weekend the long-planned Foys to Blacktail Trail reached the finish line and officially opened nearly 40 miles of trail to the public. A decade in the making, this beautiful multi-use trail stretches from Herron Park all the way to Blacktail Mountain and Lakeside. Over half the funding for the $3 million project came from local residents who saw the value of such an effort.
As Foys to Blacktail Vice Chairman Jim Watson said, “We didn’t have any silver knight come riding in with a big checkbook. It’s the community that made this happen.”
Public access to open spaces and recreational opportunities is an invaluable asset, and the perseverance and hard work from the many folks behind this project is to be commended.
Also opening this week is Kalispell’s first off-leash dog park at Begg Park in South Kalispell, a much-needed project that has been in the works for more than four years.
Kalispell put $40,000 in city funding toward the 3.5-acre park, with additional funding coming from Paws to Play, the nonprofit behind the effort. The park includes benches, waste disposal stations, walking trails and open fields.
Paws to Play estimates that more than 60 percent of homeowners have a dog, so this amenity is likely to be enjoyed by thousands of our furry friends and their owners every day.
Congratulations and thank you to everyone who made both of these fine additions to our valley a reality.
KGEZ’s towering presence in local history
Meanwhile, one of the oldest partners in Kalispell’s civic history is in need of a community partner to come to its aid in time of need.
KGEZ, which celebrated its 90th year on the air in March of this year, has been a source of entertainment, news, sports and inspiration for so many years that perhaps it is natural to take it for granted today. The broadcasting company, which also brought the first local television channel to the valley in 1957, is today confronted by changing times and changing attitudes.
KGEZ and its towering antennae have been located in a field south of Kalispell for decades, but now the land’s owner has asked the station to move to accommodate new development. Getting the office downtown hasn’t been a problem, but finding a new home for the station’s broadcast towers has proven, shall we say, a wee bit difficult.
The Flathead County Board of Adjustment last week rejected KGEZ’s request for a conditional-use permit to erect two 325-foot transmission towers on farmland at the northwest corner of Farm to Market Road and Clark Drive near Kalispell. KGEZ station owner John Hendricks said he would not pursue the West Valley location any longer, but he has limited time to solve the problem.
“We’ll have to look for alternatives, and I’m open to suggestions,” Hendricks said. We certainly hope that someone will step forward with an idea that will give a new lease on life for one of the valley’s oldest businesses and biggest boosters.