Shelter in place_ protection for construction activities Public Comment from Flathead Building AssociationFrom:Jessie Walthers
To:Kalispell City Council; Mark Johnson
Subject:[EXTERNAL] "Shelter in place" protection for construction activities, or other MT businesses
Date:Wednesday, March 18, 2020 9:37:21 AM
Dear Mayor Johnson and Kalispell City Council,
I’m sure you have your hands quite full at the time being!
I just wanted to reach out to you on an item that has come to our attention from the MontanaBuilding Industry Association.
They have been following some issues in other cities across the country who have been
passing emergency “shelter in place” ordinances in response to the corona virus.
Hopefully risks will stay low in Montana, but in the event such an action was considered, Ijust wanted to put this on your radar (just in case it is not already), in the hopes that
construction related activities would be protected. I would imagine other industries may wantto be considered as well, such as farming, ranching, etc. that in obvious ways can’t “stop” their
practices, and would be low risk to public safety.
I’ve included below some language that was able to be included in California, in SanFrancisco’s “shelter in place” emergency ordinance, to protect construction activities. I’d like
to encourage such language be considered locally, in the event such a “shelter in place”regulation was enacted, that could drastically and unnecessarily affect local businesses that
could, in most cases, keep operating safely.This language is as follows:
For purposes of this Order, individuals may leave their residence to provide any
services or perform any work necessary to the operations and maintenance of
“Essential Infrastructure,” including, but not limited to, public works construction, the
permitting, inspection, construction, transfer and recording of ownership, of housing
and anything incidental thereto, airport operations, water, sewer, gas, electrical, oil
refining, roads and highways, public transportation, solid waste collection and
removal, internet, and telecommunications systems (including the provision of
essential global, national, and local infrastructure for computing services, business
infrastructure, communications, and web-based services), provided that they carry out
those services or that work in compliance with Social Distancing Requirements as
defined this Section, to the extent possible.
Thank you so much for considering this.Thank you for all you do, especially at this challenging time! -Jessie Walthers
Jessie WalthersExecutive Director, Flathead Building AssociationOffice: (406) 752-2422Cell: (801) 712-6105
jessie@buildingflathead.com309 S. Main St. Kalispell, MT 59901
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