Kalispell Council OKs fee hikes for parks and rec programs
May 7—Public youth programs, pool fees and park reservations in Kalispell will undergo price hikes in the near future.
Kalispell City Council on Monday approved a request from the Parks and Recreation Department to make across-the-board fee increases intended to keep pace with mounting operational costs.
The hikes, ranging from roughly 8% to 20%, also take into account Kalispell Public Schools' plan to charge for use of its facilities. The Parks and Recreation Department historically has relied on the district's amenities to house after-school activities, camps and indoor sports programs.
The two entities have in the past stuck to an informal agreement where each can use the other's facilities for free.
All pool fees received an 8% increase and park reservation fees rose 8% as well.
Still, a cost increase is not an aberration, according to Parks and Recreation Director Chad Fincher. The department comes before Council every two to three years to adjust prices, he said.
Council was not keen on raising costs but saw it as a necessary measure to retain popular programs. Around 27,000 participants took part in youth programs between July 1, 2024 and present, according to Fincher.
COUNCIL SCHEDULED a public hearing on the Main Street Safety Action Plan for May 19 at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
The forum will give residents the opportunity to share their opinions on the long-planned project to transform Main Street before Council decides whether to seek a federal grant to fund it.
The plan was adopted by Council in August and identified high-risk intersections and streets downtown. Main Street, First Avenue East and First Avenue West were prioritized by Council to receive traffic safety measures including wider sidewalks, flashing and raised crosswalks, and bike lanes. Space for parallel parking will remain available on each corridor.
The plan also calls for slimming down Main Street to one lane of traffic headed in either direction and a dedicated left turn lane, which has drawn the ire of some residents and business owners.
Called road dieting, the widely used, low-cost practice is intended to enhance safety and access for road users, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
Dale Haarr, a former city councilor from 1990 to 1998, recalled a past renovation of Main Street's buildings and sidewalks.
"And for three months, me and the business community operated our businesses out of the alley," he told Council during the meeting's public comment period.
Haarr warned that if Main Street closed for construction, businesses would go under.
"I would say easily 30% of those businesses won't be in business," he said.
But Amber Roper, owner of Nature Baby Outfitter in downtown Kalispell, saw the Main Street Safety Action Plan as an investment in local business.
"Downtown is dying. Not because people don't care about downtown, but we have made it uninviting," she said, describing narrow sidewalks and limited parking along the thoroughfare.
"There are so many blocks that are sitting quiet filled with service offices and empty buildings instead of shops, cafes or gathering spaces and that vacuum is inviting loitering and transients, which is making the downtown less safe and less special," she added.
If approved by Council, the city will pursue a $25 million federal grant, which requires a 20% match.
FOUR MILE drive will get a new multi-use path along a portion of the road, although the price tag was heftier than expected.
The path will start from the existing sidewalk at Foxglove Drive, go along the Kidsports Complex and connect to another path at Champion Way to the east.
While estimated to cost around $700,000, the lowest bid came from Strods Contracting at just over $1 million. Council determined that rebidding would not bring about a lower cost, as the other bids were similar in price.
Instead, Council chose to increase its local match to $46,000 to help cover the cost, which is also being paid through a federal grant and partly by the nearby Bloomstone subdivision.
The city dollars will come out of a contingency pool in the general fund as well as previously unallocated Parks and Recreation funds.
COUNCIL ALSO OK'd the Montana Department of Transportation's request to build a 28,400-square-foot building in North Kalispell to store equipment and house mechanics and welding shops.
Council annexed the 9-acre plot of land into the city with initial zoning of P-1 (public) and a conditional use permit to allow for the facility located at 2905 U.S. 93 N., which is currently a maintenance yard.
The permit calls for a road connection from Rose Crossing north to Quail Lane. The private road that runs along the north side of the property and onto the highway will see southbound turns restricted.
Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.
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