Kalispell city manager suggests amending city fire code to address Outlaw Inn

City Manager Doug Russell suggested Monday that Kalispell City Council amend the municipality’s fire code to address a lack of security at the vacant Outlaw Inn.  

Russell recommended holding a work session next month to look at the city’s fire codes.  

The recommendation followed an article published by the Daily Inter Lake highlighting the shuttered south Kalispell property, which neighbors say has become an eyesore and poses a safety risk to the teenagers who explore the unsecured building.  

The 9-acre property, a former extended stay hotel, was bought by Oregan-based real estate enterprise, Fortify Holdings, in 2022 with a goal to convert it into 250 multi-family studio units.  

Fortify has a history of buying up dilapidated buildings and converting them into apartments in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and California. But the company also has bumped up against municipal nuisance laws. The city of Kennewick, Washington declared one of Fortify’s projects a public nuisance after the building was left vacant and unsecure. 

Russell told Council that condemning the property is impermissible if it hasn’t violated a city ordinance. Violations of the city fire code are considered criminal violations, Russell said. 

“That would provide a little bit more safety and securing of a building that is vacant and has some potential issues with it through the fire code mechanism,” Russell said. 

COUNCIL ALSO approved financing for a replacement water storage tank on Nov. 18.  

The new tank will replace an existing 1.7-million-gallon water tank. Located on the Buffalo Hill Golf Course, the tank is one of two that support the city’s water system in its lower pressure zone, said Public Works Director Susie Turner. The tank was constructed in 1914, and its wooden roofing has rotted in the intervening years, prompting the replacement project, according to Turner. 

The city accepted loans offered by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation amounting to about $7.9 million to partially fund the undertaking. The funding will come through the state agency’s Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Program.  

If the city complies with certain conditions, half of the loaned amount will be forgiven. The other half comes with a 2.5% annual interest rate for 30 years. To pay for the loans, Council will issue two series of bonds, each amounting to $3.9 million.  

The total project cost is estimated at $8.2 million, according to the city. Around $320,000 would come from Kalispell’s Water Fund.  

The existing tank has been drained and is set to be demolished, said Turner. Construction of the new tank will start by late spring. It is expected to be completed by March 2026.  

Turner said there may be a potential challenge with water storage capacity during the summer months when demand peaks, but wells built over the summer will help mitigate it. 

“We’re definitely going to be keeping an eye on it,” she said.   

COUNCIL RECEIVED kudos for revoking an overnight shelter’s conditional use permit from Carmen Cuthbertson, a Flathead County Library trustee and member of the Montana State Library Commission.  

She told Council her family operates a business north of the Flathead Warming Center, a low barrier shelter on North Meridian Road.  

“What the Warming Center tried to do was a good thing,” she said. “But their experiment, the way it was set up and the conditions placed on it in my mind did not work as intended. I think they should draw the consequences and try something different if they want to help the homeless.”  

The Flathead Warming Center reopened for overnight guests on Nov. 7 after a federal judge ruled that the North Meridian Road shelter could remain open amid its ongoing lawsuit against the city over the revocation of the permit.  

Council voted to revoke the Warming Center’s conditional use permit, which allowed it to operate as a homeless shelter, in September. Councilors cited neighbor complaints that individuals using the shelter were negatively affecting the neighborhood.  

THREE NEWLY appointed Kalispell police officers were sworn in and congratulated after completing their one-year probationary period. Mayor Mark Johnson pinned their badges after which they received a standing ovation from attending family members, councilors and other officers.  

Officer Jay Gillhouse is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and most recently worked at the Missoula Police Department. Officers Cole Gasner and Michael Stuhler are both military veterans.  

"Each of these officers have been an asset to Kalispell PD, exceeding expectations and serving the Kalispell community with pride and professionalism,” said Kalispell Police Chief Jordan Venezio.  

Russell announced nearly $2.5 million awarded through a Safe Streets for All grant dedicated for safety improvements to East Oregon Road. The award comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to Russell. 

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 or junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.