letter to kalispell city council Public Comment from Gina BeneshOctober 30, 2020
Dear Members of the Kalispell City Council:
am writing in support of the Flathead Warming Center's application for a Conditional
Use Permit to operate a warming center at 889 North Meridian Road.
My husband and I bought the single-family residence at 229 3rd Avenue East, Kalispell,
MT 59901 in January of 2019. Later that year we learned a warming center would open
at Christ Church Episcopal. Our parcel shares a lot line with the church making us their
closest neighbor.
When Christ Church Episcopal opened the church to the Warming Center, I was
nervous about how a warming center would impact the value of my property as well as
the potential for homeless people to disrupt the enjoyment of our home. At the same
time, I was impressed with Christ Church Episcopal for being the only church to step up
to meet the need.
In their 87 nights of operation right next to our home, we had not one single issue or
cause for concern. The people who came seeking shelter were quiet and polite to each
other and to people passing by. We never found extra trash laying around, there were
no noise disruptions, in fact, there were no issues whatsoever.
They were such wonderful neighbors, we welcome them back. I do understand that
Christ Church Episcopal is not large enough to meet the demand for the service
provided by the Flathead Warming Center, but if it were, they would always be
welcome.
Sincerely,
Gina Benesh