Kalispell City Council to take public input on infrastructure projects

Kalispell City Council will open Monday a public hearing spanning multiple meetings to give residents a say on what infrastructure projects to prioritize if the municipality applies for newly available state funding.

The funding comes via the State Local Infrastructure Partnership Act of 2023, which made roughly $20 million available to municipalities for maintaining or repairing public infrastructure. Kalispell is eligible for $313,674, according to city documents. Municipalities have until March 31 to apply and must contribute a 25 percent cash match. 

City staff already have taken a crack at developing a list of projects officials could put the dollars toward. 

Suggestions include removing lead pipes in city water lines to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s updated guidelines at a cost of about $250,000; reconstructing two blocks of Ninth Street East, from Seventh Avenue East to Woodland Avenue, for about $633,000; reconstructing one and a half blocks of Meridian Court and improving the street drainage system for $453,000; replacing or upgrading over 7,000 feet of sewer lines for $750,000; a new playground at Lions Park for $170,000; and $60,000 to replace a boiler in the city’s Public Safety Building. 

In a memo, City Manager Doug Russell noted a delay in publishing public hearing notices. He suggested Council open the hearing Feb. 5 and continue it to the body’s Feb. 20 meeting. 

Following the public hearing, Council can establish a priority list for the projects and submit applications to the state Department of Commerce in time for the March 31 deadline.

COUNCIL IS also expected to add a question to the June 4 primary election ballot about undertaking a local government review. As mandated by the state, Council must pose the question to voters every 10 years.

If voters deem a review necessary, a five-person commission would be formed to study municipal government. The city could levy up to $150,000 to support the effort. 

Commission members would be elected during the Nov. 5 general election. Any changes proposed by the group would go before voters in 2026.

In 2014, Kalispell and Flathead County voters both rejected local government review while Whitefish and Columbia Falls voted in favor.  

Council will also weigh in on a Montana Historic Preservation grant application due Feb. 29 to the Montana Department of Commerce for improvements to the exterior of the Depot Park building. 

The project calls for installing a new roof and gutters, and giving the building a fresh paint job, according to city documents. 

The grant amount requested is $286,338 and would require a 20% city match, which officials put at $71,584. Altogether, the project would cost $357,922.  

The matching funds would come from the West Side – Core Area Tax Increment Finance District.

The building is currently undergoing refitting to become the future home of the city Parks and Recreation Department. It previously housed the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitor Bureau, but chamber officials opted to vacate the building last summer, citing security concerns. 

Upon completion of the move, the former Parks and Recreation building on First Avenue East will serve as evidence storage for the Kalispell Police Department.

As of Feb. 2, work crews are roughly 60% finished refurbishing the building’s interior, according the city manager’s report.

LASTLY, COUNCIL is expected to finalize a loan on a new solid waste truck, already purchased, by utilizing the Montana Board of Investments (BOI) Intercap Loan Program. City staff recommend the move as a way to keep cash flow consistent. 

The total cost of the truck is $457,178 and the first annual payment will be $107,665.

Public Works Director Susie Turner, in a recent presentation on the state of solid waste management in the city, highlighted an increase in personnel and capital costs, especially trucks. 

Turner reported via email that a sidearm truck, like those in Kalispell’s fleet, has grown from $290,749 in 2021.  

Reporter Carl Foster can be reached at 758-4407 or cfoster@dailyinterlake.com.