New C-Falls apartments already full

The second phase of the Highline Apartments in Columbia Falls is proving to be just as popular as the first phase.

Like the first phase, the second phase, which included 108 more units, was leased before the buildings were even finished.

“We just really lucked out,” developer Brent Brown of Greenway Capital said last week. “We anticipated it would be good.”

Brown said the second phase tweaked the apartment layouts, featuring more two-bedroom units, where demand at the time seems to be the greatest.

The complex, located off Bills Lane has a host of amenities as well, including a clubhouse, a playground and a dog park. Unlike other apartment complexes in the valley, the Highline allows pets, making them even more attractive.

Brown said the tenants are a diverse group of renters, from young families to retirees who no longer want to own a home.

Since the coronavirus pandemic, folks are also leaving cities, at least for the time being.

The apartments are relatively affordable. The studio units rent for $750 monthly for a 400-square-foot space; one-bedroom units are $895 and two-bedrooms are $1,100.

Greenway also has plans for a similar project in Kalispell, which should break ground soon.

— Hungry Horse News

Polson resort tax set for January special election

The Polson City Commission on Sept. 9 unanimously approved a resolution to send a 20-year, 3% resort tax on a specific set of goods and services to a public vote during a special election in late January. Money raised by such a tax would largely be devoted to street repairs. In 2009, voters overwhelmingly rejected a resort-tax measure placed on the ballot, and the City Commission denied a plan to bring the issue to a vote in 2016.

Polson’s Economic Development Council recommended the tax, with most of the revenue — 80% — going toward city street maintenance and improvements, while 17% would be returned to city residents through a property tax rebate. The remaining 3% would cover administrative fees associated with the tax.

A resort tax is only an option for resort towns — defined as an incorporated city with a population of less than 5,500 residents with tourism making up a significant portion of the town’s economic base. The 2010 census listed Polson’s population at 4,488.

Based on lodging alone, Dooley estimated that Polson could raise $213,000 annually through a 3 percent tax.

— Lake County Leader

Lincoln County plans to hire disease intervention specialist

The Lincoln County Health Department may soon be hiring a disease intervention specialist.

The Lincoln County commissioners unanimously accepted a grant Sept. 9 from the state Department of Public Health and Human Services to pay for the position for two years. With the vote, health officials can spend up to $91,000 a year on the individual.

Jennifer McCully, the county public health manager, told the commissioners the specialist would assist mostly with coronavirus-related duties. They also plan to use the individual, likely a nurse, to help with immunizations in Libby, Troy and Eureka.

County Commissioner Mark Peck suggested the department also could use the disease intervention specialist for outreach at the local public schools.

— The Western News