Whitefish Council looks at management of Haskill Basin trail

How events and commercial use should be managed on the Haskill Basin section of the Whitefish Trail is the topic of discussion before the Whitefish City Council on Monday.

Council is set to hold a discussion on trail usage during a work session beginning at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The nonprofit Whitefish Legacy Partners oversees the development and management of the trail in collaboration with other partners including the city, which owns the trail itself.

Up for discussion is a draft policy regarding managing the Haskill portion of the trail along with the Reservoir Trailhead and Big Mountain Trailhead. It would prohibit commercial use on that section and limit organized use to nonprofits with certain focuses.

The goal of the policy, according to the draft document, is to “ensure that commercial use, organized use, and events do not impede the general public’s ability to enjoy” the trailheads and trails in Haskill, which have been secured, constructed and managed with the purpose of free, multi-use, public recreation.

Nonprofits that would be allowed to hold organized use activities on the trail would be limited to those with missions that support outdoor recreation, education or conservation. And certain limitations would be placed on that usage to ensure public access to the tails.

As partners in the construction and maintenance of the trail, Whitefish Legacy Partners and Glacier Nordic Club would both be permitted to use the trail for youth and adult programming with certain guidelines.

All other organizations wishing to use the trail would have to secure a permit and would face certain limitations such as frequency of usage and limiting the number of participants. Organizations must also meet insurance requirements.

The policy sets out that events on the trail section would be limited to Flathead Valley nonprofits. Limitations also include two events occurring per year with greater than 100 participants — the Whitefish Trail Legacy Run would be one of the two — and five events per year with less than 100 participants.

Council is being asked to provide direction on the draft policy as part of a Haskill Basin management plan, including should any type of commercial use be permitted, do the parameters for the partner and other organized use make sense, and how many events should be allowed on the trail.

SEVERAL ITEMS appear on the regular meeting agenda. That begins at 7:10 p.m.

On the agenda, Council will consider a request from Peregrine Automotive for a preliminary plat for a seven-lot commercial subdivision. The request is for 1.743 acres in the 1800 block of Baker Avenue.

Council already held a public hearing on the request, but asked for clarification regarding a parking easement with the adjoining Baker at Commerce condominiums and how vehicular traffic would flow in the new subdivision.

Council will consider a request from Phil Wolf to amend an existing conditional use permit to remove a stipulation requiring landscaping at the rear portion of the lot at 6331 U.S. 93 for the Wolf Auto Group car dealership. The condition requires that prior to business operations that a 20-foot landscaping buffer be added along the eastern property line to buffer the use from the adjacent residential properties.

When the permit was approved, Council added the condition after hearing comments from neighbors asking for additional buffering between the commercial zone and the residential zone to the east. Since the approval, the property underwent a family transfer which separated the southern portion of the lot.

City planning staff is recommending denial of the request.

COUNCIL WILL consider approval of a proposed building remodel at the Whitefish Lake Golf Course. The Whitefish Lake Golf Club leases the golf course and buildings at the course from the city. That lease requires that any major alteration, additions or improvements to the premises costing more than $200,000 be approved by the city.

The golf club is planning a remodel and upgrade of the club house building and the cost is expected to exceed $200,000. The project involves the removal of the bag room storage area and rebuilding that section to provide offices for staff, as well as adding two golf simulators for members and guests. The plan also calls for relocating the existing restrooms.

The new construction will occupy the same footprint as the building now and include a second story where offices will be located. The project will not alter the front appearance or original log structure of the club house, according to a memo to Council.

For more information, visit the city’s website at https://www.cityofwhitefish.org/.

Features Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.