Zinke seeks money for Kalispell infrastructure project

Federal money for community infrastructure projects in Kalispell and on the Blackfeet Reservation may come within the year.

The funding requests, brought forward by Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke through the Transportation Housing and Urban Development legislation, passed through the House Appropriations Committee on July 19.

Locally, the legislation would grant $3.3 million for the Kalispell Two Mile Drainage Improvement Project. The project looks to extend stormwater infrastructure, reconstruct the road and add a sidewalk to connect existing infrastructure. The section of road, originally built as a county road, needs upgrades given the expansion of city limits with the growth in housing developments in the area.

Zinke described the projects as justifiable use of taxpayer dollars given Northwest Montana’s rapid population. The Flathead Valley is growing faster than infrastructure can be built, Zinke said. The Kalispell Two Mile Drainage Project is a prime example of working to alleviate that crunch and improve safety, he added.

“It is my backyard,” Zinke said. “Ultimately, this is a good example of a local project.”

Another request would see the Blackfeet Nation awarded $20 million to build a multi-use Tribal Center dedicated to improving socioeconomic outcomes for at-risk youths and assisting the senior population.

“This was a promise made and a promise kept,” Zinke said, noting his previous meetings with Blackfeet Nation officials.

More than 37% of the Blackfeet people live at or below the poverty line, according to Montana State University’s poverty report card. In 2022, the Tribal Business Council declared a State of Emergency in response to the opioid epidemic. The multi-use center would focus on improving tribal members’ quality of life by creating a safe, drug-free and stable place to spend time, Zinke said.

There are four other project requests in Western Montana, including the relocation of Powell County’s new central maintenance facility, the Yellowstone National Park bridge consolidation project, the Ravalli County Ricketts Road improvement project and the Beaverhead County bridge rehabilitation project.

The requests for the six projects would run more than $31.5 million in funding. Community funding projects do not increase federal spending as the funding is allocated from previously authorized grant accounts, according to Zinke’s office.

“[What we’re doing in] the House, despite the odds … there's a lot of boundaries out there, but at every juncture we're doing our duty,” Zinke said.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.

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