Kalispell council OKs first responder equipment purchases
The Kalispell City Council approved various new equipment additions for the city’s first responders at its Monday meeting.
The council accepted a $10,279 Justice Assistance Grant for the Kalispell Police Department to purchase a satellite phone with pre-purchased minutes, a drone and a mobile data terminal. Also approved was a $182,000 bid for a new Ford F-450 Type I ambulance from Sawtooth Emergency Vehicles, although council member Phil Giuffrida opposed approval because he “felt it was premature.”
The council also approved two resolutions related to the city’s stormwater system. They approved a new ordinance that combines two existing ordinances under the city’s five-year stormwater system permit from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. They also adopted a new enforcement response plan to address noncompliance with the city’s stormwater regulations.
Public Works Director Susie Turner said the “ultimate goal” of this plan is to “achiev[e] compliance via not polluting the stormwater systems, which then discharge to waters of the state.”
Mayor Mark Johnson asked Turner how the enforcement response plan would be carried out if someone was discovered making illegal discharges into the city’s water system. Turner explained anyone in this situation should call Public Works to investigate and there could be penalties if the noncompliant party did not clean up the discharge.
There was also a discussion about the Phase 2 plat request and $176,000 subdivision improvement agreement from Jackola Engineering on behalf of Team Development, LLC, for the Southside Estates development on Airport Road. Senior Planner Jarrod Nygren reported the first phase, originally approved in March 2018, had been completed.
“It’s a subdivision that has progressed to a point where they’d like to finish it up so that they could get to a point where they could sell the lots,” Nygren said.
Johnson asked if there was a possibility that another builder could purchase any of the lots and potentially build basements where they aren’t allowed, but a representative from Jackola Engineering confirmed they planned on building all of the homes themselves.
John Sandereger, a Kalispell resident who lives near the development, asked about traffic control in the area and if there would be a stoplight with the additional population growth there.
“This is a busy road,” he pointed out. “Some sort of light control system may be in order for that location.”
Nygren said in the near future there likely will be “public infrastructure improvements going on as far as sidewalks down Airport Road. Next spring there would be an actuated pedestrian crossing light at Merganser.”
The motion to approve the Phase 2 plat and subdivision improvement agreement passed unanimously.
The council’s final action item was a $200,000 grant application from the Airport Users Association for the city airport. City Manager Doug Russell explained the city entered into a management agreement for the airport with the Airport Users Association in 2017. The Users Association applied to the Montana Department of Transportation for a grant and loan for airport lighting last year, but they were informed the city had to make the request.
“It’s not something that’s unusual and there’s no fiscal obligation,” Russell pointed out. The motion passed unanimously.
During the public comment period of the meeting, representatives from the Flathead Valley Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America chapter spoke in favor of “gun safety measures.”
B. Bradford-Fenchak also returned to address homelessness in the city. “I would appreciate all of the consideration you can give to solving this issue,” she said. Councilor Kyle Waterman pointed out the county health department will be meeting to gather map data about the homelessness situation on Dec. 16.
Recipients of the 2019 Architectural Awards from the Kalispell Architectural Review Committee were presented with their honors during the meeting as well. Julia Pierrottet, the chairman of the committee, provided some history of the group and said, “Because we live in a beautiful place…we feel like the development that goes in this city should be of the highest quality.”
This year’s winners are Immanuel Lutheran’s Villas at Buffalo Hill, Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s Digestive Health Institute and Children’s Center, Great Northern Dental off of Whitefish Stage Road and Distillery Square on Sixth Avenue West.
At the end of the meeting, Johnson reminded drivers to stop for school buses and Russell stated the council’s upcoming work session on Nov. 25 would be “fairly intensive” with discussions of the Tax Increment Finance District policies and the water-rate setting process.
Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.