Latest news with #MainStreetSafetyActionPlan
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kalispell City Council to decide on pursuing grant for Main Street redesign
Jun. 2—Kalispell City Council on Monday is expected to decide whether to apply for a federal grant to reconfigure Main Street. Council meets June 2 at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. The Main Street Safety Action Plan, adopted by Council last summer, identified high-risk intersections and streets downtown. Main Street, First Avenue East and First Avenue West were prioritized to receive an array of traffic safety upgrades. The three thoroughfares saw a combined 379 crashes between 2018 and 2022, and traffic has grown dramatically in part because of increased tourism and population growth in the Flathead Valley, according to the resolution to apply for the grant. But aspects of the plan have sparked heated debate among residents and business owners, predominantly its proposal to slim down Main Street to lanes in either direction separated by a dedicated left-turn lane. The space freed up by the loss of pavement would be used for wider sidewalks spanning up to 10 feet. Parallel parking access would remain along the downtown strip. Council invited the community to a May 19 public hearing regarding the project. There, community members expressed concern over the potential for traffic congestion caused by the lane reduction to spill onto surrounding roads. Others warned that fewer lanes would do little to quell reckless driving, whereas tougher traffic enforcement might curb poor behavior. According to a city study, the reduction would delay traffic by 30 to 60 seconds. The delay is projected to increase to between 60 and 90 seconds by 2045. Supporters of the project argued that the wider sidewalks and reduced lanes would generate more business for downtown shops and restaurants. Residents on both sides of the argument agreed that Main Street storefronts don't see enough foot traffic. Frustration with a lack of parking also emerged many times during the hearing, but the grant program can only be used for traffic safety improvements, not parking construction. If approved by Council, the city will ask for $25 million from the Safe Streets and Roads for All competitive grant program. Established under former President Joe Biden, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law set aside $5 billion in grants to support regional, local and tribal initiatives to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. Council will decide on Monday night whether to move forward with applying for the grant, which councilors appeared inclined to do during past meetings. The grant also requires a 20% match, which would come from a mix of downtown and westside tax increment funds, according to the memo. More info about the Main Street Safety Action Plan can be found at ALSO ON the agenda, Council is expected to accept a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks grant that would go toward improvements to city-owned aquatics facilities, updated signs and fund construction of a climbing wall. The grant, which was awarded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, amounts to around $126,000, according to a city memo. Council will also vote on whether to schedule a public hearing on changes to police and fire impact fees for June 16. The fees were last adjusted in 2015 and were adjusted again to forecast for the next 20 years. The increased fees are intended to help cover capital improvement costs tied to the public safety levy passed by voters in March 2024. For example, the updated fire impact fees would help pay for an eventual fourth fire station. Council is expected to contract Process Wastewater Technologies LLC for $839,000 to procure equipment for upgrades to the city's wastewater treatment plant. The city is moving away from sending its biosolids to Glacier Gold Composting amid its closure but must first pay for facility upgrades and new equipment to meet the Flathead County Landfill's standards, where biosolids will eventually be sent. Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kalispell residents invited to weigh in on Main Street road diet
May 19—Kalispell residents can weigh in on City Hall's plan to slim down Main Street on Monday night. City Council will hold a public hearing on the revitalization project at 7 p.m., May 19 in City Hall. The Main Street Safety Action Plan, adopted by Council last summer, identified high-risk intersections and streets downtown. Main Street, First Avenue East and First Avenue West were prioritized by Council to receive an array of traffic safety upgrades. The three thoroughfares saw a combined 379 crashes between 2018 and 2022. But a proposal to slim down Main Street, reducing it to one lane in either direction along with a dedicated left turn lane, has drawn criticism. The change would see the thoroughfare fitted with sidewalks up to 10 feet wide to accommodate benches and restaurant furniture. Parallel parking would remain available on both sides of the street. While some downtown business owners invited the changes believing they will bring more commerce to an area lacking foot traffic, others worry shops won't survive the shuttering of Main Street for construction. Residents have also expressed concern over traffic delays that could come with shedding a lane on either side, but city planners have said congestion will not be an issue. Development Services Director Jarod Nygren said traffic is projected to be delayed an extra minute and a half by 2045. Lane reduction, also known as a road diet, is a widely used, low-cost practice meant to enhance safety for road users, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Road diets have been found to reduce crashes up to 47%. The city is looking to tap into a federal grant program to fund the $27 million project, but language in the program's notice for funding opportunity issued under President Donald Trump's administration says lane reductions would be "viewed less favorably" by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Council is looking to tap into the Safe Streets for All Implementation Grant program, which historically doles out $25 million, requiring a 20% match. The program was established under former President Joe Biden and the deadline to apply is June 26. First Avenue East and First Avenue West would be equipped with pedestrian safety measures including flashing beacons, high visibility crosswalks and sidewalk-level bike lanes between Fifth Street and Center Street. St. Matthew's Catholic School would get a designated parking area along the school's frontage for pick-ups and drop-offs along with flashing crosswalks. Roundabouts would be installed on Main Street's intersection with 11th Street West and its intersection with 13th Street East and Airport Road. Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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@
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kalispell City Council to schedule public hearing on Main Street overhaul
May 5—Kalispell City Council on Monday is expected to schedule an upcoming public hearing for its Main Street reconstruction project. Council meets at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. If approved, a hearing will be held on May 19 at 7 p.m. in City Hall, where residents can voice opinions on the long-planned project. Following the hearing, Council will decide whether to apply for a federal grant to cover the majority of the project. The Main Street Safety Action Plan was adopted by Council in August and identified high-risk, high-crash intersections and streets in downtown Kalispell. Council prioritized Main Street, First Avenue East and First Avenue West for upgrades to the tune of $27 million. Changes include widening sidewalks and installing pedestrian safety measures on all three roads. Roundabouts would also be built at the intersection of Main Street and 11th Street West and the intersection of Main Street with 13th Street East and Airport Road. But the most notable transformation is the reduction of Main Street to two lanes of traffic, with a dedicated left turn lane. Lane reduction, also known as a road diet, is a widely used, low-cost practice meant to enhance safety and access for road users, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Road diets have been found to reduce crashes by 19% to 47%. Councilors held a work session on the project on April 28, with all seemingly in favor of moving forward with the upgrades despite some public comment from Kalispell residents criticizing the plan as unnecessary. The federal dollars that Council is looking to tap into come from the Safe Streets for All Implementation Grant program, which historically doles out $25 million, requiring a 20% match. The discretionary grant program was established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law by former President Joe Biden and has since been challenged by the Trump administration. AS CITY Hall heads into budget season, the Parks and Recreation Department is requesting approval to make across-the-board fee increases to youth programs and park reservations. Rising operational costs, including wages and supplies, are precipitating the price hikes, according to a memo from Parks and Recreation Director Chad Fincher. If adopted, it would mean a roughly 8% to 20% increase in program fees for activities like the Harry Potter and Outdoor Adventure camps. The price hikes also take into account Kalispell Public School District 5 considering charging for the use of its facilities. The two entities have historically relied on an informal agreement where each use the other's facilities for free. The move would affect after-school programs, camps and indoor sports, according to Fincher's memo. Asking for fee increases is not unusual, though. The Department typically comes before Council every two to three years. COUNCIL WILL also decide on hiring Strods Contracting to build a sidewalk on Four Mile Drive connecting the KidSports Complex with the existing shared-use path. The city was awarded a federal grant for the project back in 2023, but the Montana Department of Transportation just recently allocated funds and authorized construction. Council is expected to hire the contracting firm for slightly over $1 million. The federal grant is expected to cover about 86% of the cost. Around $28,000 would be drawn from the city's general fund, according to a city memo. The state Department of Transportation, meanwhile, is aiming to get the green light from Council on a new multi-use building in North Kalispell. The agency is requesting annexation of the 9-acre plot of land into the city, 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 being used as a maintenance yard. The proposal was recommended to Council by the Planning Commission after an April 8 public hearing. The proposed 28,400-square-foot building would be used to store equipment and be fitted with mechanics and welding shops under one roof. The state transpiration agency has a welding and mechanics shop on Fifth Avenue East North, which will be relocated to the new building. The Kalispell Ford dealership and firearms manufacturing company, Falkor Defense sit across the street from the property along with the new Stillwater Bend subdivision nearby. The conditional use 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. COUNCIL WILL also vote on a request to extend the preliminary plat of a 60-lot residential subdivision on Three Mile Drive. Called Aspen Creek West, the subdivision is planned to include 31 single-family homes and 29 townhomes on about 20 acres. The preliminary plat was originally approved in July 2022, but will expire this July, prompting the request for the two-year extension. Construction was originally planned to finish in Fall 2024, but contractor availability and procurement of construction materials pushed completion into 2025, according to a letter from developer 520 Three Mill Drive Associates to the city. Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 or junderhill@
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Council appears likely to seek $25 million grant to redesign Main Street in Kalispell
Apr. 30—Kalispell City Council on Monday appeared in favor of applying for a $25 million federal grant to fund the long-planned transformation of Main Street. Councilors at the April 28 work session expressed both excitement and trepidation over implementing the Main Street Safety Action Plan, which was adopted by the body in August and identified high-risk, high crash intersections and streets in downtown Kalispell. Out of 10 roads studied, Council prioritized Main Street, First Avenue East and First Avenue West for upgrades with an estimated cost of $27 million. Changes include reducing Main Street to three lanes of traffic, widening sidewalks and installing pedestrian safety measures. Probably the most notable aspect of the plan is the slimming down of Main Street to one lane of traffic headed in either direction — north or south — along with a dedicated left turn lane. Also called a road diet, the technique is intended to improve pedestrian safety and reduce crashes, according to the Federal Highway Administration. City planners said there are anticipated increases in travel time, but not by much, and not until years in the future. Development Services Director Jarod Nygren said that traffic is projected to be delayed an extra minute and a half by 2045. He said that Kalispell has undergone several road diets in the past 30 years. First Avenue East and First Avenue West once boasted four lanes of travel before being shaved down to three "and at that time the world was going to end, and it didn't," he said. "It won't be standstill gridlock," said Rachel Grosso with Kittleson & Associates Inc., the firm hired to create the plan. She said traffic would look like a moving queue from one intersection to the next. Main Street currently sees around 18,000 cars a day, with that figure likely spiking in the summer. Pedestrian safety measures would also go in on Main Street, First Avenue East and First Avenue West, including flashing beacons, curb extensions and high visibility crosswalks. The improvements aim to promote walkability and storefront activity. St. Matthew's Catholic School would get 12-foot-wide designated parking area along the school's frontage for pick-ups and drop-offs as well as flashing crosswalks at the nearby intersections. Roundabouts would also be built at the intersection of Main Street and 11th Street West and the intersection of Main Street with 13th Street East and Airport Road. "This I believe will have a tremendous impact on our Main Street and be such an incredible improvement to enhance businesses and everything," said Councilor Ryan Hunter. He said that the new road design may minimize the reckless driving connected with cruising downtown Kalispell. Councilors Chad Graham and Kari Gabriel emphasized that the significant changes may be a hard pill for citizens to swallow. "I see this no matter how it happens being painful for people who don't like change. And we have a lot of them living here," Gabriel said. "So if we get through it, it's going to be great. But it's going to be hard to get through." "This is some radical change to the downtown," Graham said. "I have mixed feelings on this." Kalispell resident Jamie Quinn called the project "lipstick on a pig but worse," arguing that Main Street is a well-maintained road, but the lack of businesses prevents people from strolling through town. "[Downtown is] not a fun place to be, you got two or three places that people actually want to go to, but they don't want to go into downtown because there's nothing to go to. Invest in downtown that way," Quinn said. Susanne Wigginton, who lives and works downtown, also objected to the project during public comment. She said that there were not enough crashes to warrant such drastic changes, arguing that issues like blind intersections and a lack of stop signs on certain intersections were more pressing problems. A study conducted by Kittleson & Associates Inc. found that between 2018 and 2022, Main Street saw 258 motor vehicle crashes, First Avenue East saw 73 and First Avenue West saw 48. During that same time frame, there were 45 crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians downtown, eight of which occurred on Main Street. Bob Vosen, district administrator for the Montana Department of Transportation and a Kalispell resident, was in favor of the project but expressed concern over placing Main Street under construction before finishing the reconfiguration of the southern end of the U.S. 93 Bypass. "Right now, we've got essentially six lanes going through town. If we take two of those away before we build the replacements, we do have concerns," Vosen said. But time is of the essence to secure funding. Applications for the Safe Streets for All Implementation Grant are due at the end of June, and the pot of money is not expected to come back. "This program is not gonna be around much longer," Nygren said. The Safe Streets for All Implementation Grant program historically dolls out $25 million, requiring a 20% match. The discretionary grant program was established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law by former President Joe Biden and has since been under attack by President Donald Trump's administration. Council first must sign off on a resolution of intent to apply for the grant following a public hearing. Through the same federal program, the city was awarded a $2.4 million grant in November 2024 to improve Oregon Street. But the City is still waiting on a grant agreement with the Federal Highway Administration. COUNCIL ALSO debated across-the-board program and park reservation fee increases for Parks and Recreation Department programs. The increases are in part due to Kalispell Public School District 5 proposing to charge fees for use of their facilities. "That will have a significant cost on some of our programs," said Parks and Recreation Director Chad Fincher. Fincher said a gentleman's agreement has historically been in place where the city and Kalispell Public Schools use each other's facilities for free. If adopted, it would mean a roughly 8% to 20% increase in program fees, ranging from the Harry Potter Camp to after-school programs. "We have to recoup our costs, just like any other business would," said City Manager Doug Russell. The fee increases would also account for rising operational costs, said Fincher. The department has regularly come to Council with proposed fee increases every two to three years. Councilors were wary about the risk of making well-used programs inaccessible but saw it as crucial to keep them running. "It's a real asset to the community, these programs that we have," Hunter said. He and Councilor Sid Daoud saw the cost increases as reasonable. "The cost of everything has gone up," Daoud said. Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@
