Whitefish to name day after Olympic rugby player

Whitefish's mayor is poised to declare Friday, July 23, 2021, "Nicole Heavirland Day" in honor of the local woman gearing up to play rugby in the Tokyo Olympics.

Mayor John Muhlfeld is scheduled to issue the proclamation during a Whitefish City Council meeting Monday evening. The proclamation notes Heavirland, 26, was a multisport standout at Glacier High School, where she picked up rugby as a freshman, before playing Division I basketball and becoming a USA Rugby All-American at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

"While she relocated to California to train full time at the Elite Athlete Training Center alongside fellow Olympians, she still calls Whitefish home, and returns often to spend time with family and enjoy mountain biking and fly fishing in the Big Sky State," the proclamation states.

"Heavirland is a strong proponent off the field for health and local entrepreneurship and has facilitated co-branded opportunities to advance Whitefish businesses and causes," it states. "Heavirland is proud of her Whitefish roots and looks forward to proudly representing her hometown on the global stage for Team USA in Tokyo this summer."

THE COUNCIL will consider proposed changes to the city's short-term rental requirements and enforcement updates during a work session starting at 6:15 p.m. Monday. No formal decisions may be made during work sessions.

The council's regular meeting will begin at 7:10 p.m. and it will consider:

• A request from Dan Nelson for preliminary plat approval for a four-lot subdivision at 736 Wisconsin Ave.
• A request from Heather Burnham for a conditional-use permit for the construction of a guest house at 810 Colorado Ave.
• A request from Karen Bunker for preliminary plat approval for a four-lot subdivision at the corner of O'Brien and Sawtooth avenues.
• A request from Sarah Canepa and other property owners to rezone three blocks of the west side of Kalispell Avenue between Third and Sixth streets from WR-4 (high-density multifamily residential district) to WR-2 (two-family residential district).

The council will meet at City Hall; the public also can participate via Webex video conferencing. Instructions for tuning in, as well as the council's meeting agenda and other documents, can be found on the city's website.

Assistant editor Chad Sokol may be reached at 406-758-4439 or csokol@dailyinterlake.com.