public space ordinances Public Comment from Kyle WatermanAimee Brunckhorst
From: Kyle Waterman <kyle4kalispell@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 5, 2023 10:09 AM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: EXTERNAL RE: public space ordinances
Dear City Council Members,
I want to encourage you to approach the Depot Park issues you face at this week's
Council Meeting with resolve not only to address the immediate issues but also the
underlying long term challenges. The vagrancy we witness in Depot Park is a long
term community challenge. When I was on Council, it was an issue that we
addressed in Woodland Park and an issue that has always been present on the
train tracks before developing the Parkline into a public space.
As you consider the ordinances to help public space management, I would also
encourage you to remember that Kalispell is not Whitefish. This was always
something that I heard since living here and it is very true and especially so in this
instance. First the size of our town is much larger - I fear that enforcement of the
ordinances will likely to push the problem behavior to other parts of town or into
lobbies of private businesses. We are also the County Seat and home of most of
the human services providers that an individuals from around Northwest Montana
facing economic hardship seek and utilize. A majority of these individuals in need
are local Montanans and have family connections in our community.
Finally, we are Kalispell and I believe that there is a Kalispell Way to address this
issue. This may include more enforcement but I believe the Kalispell Way also
includes finding a way to do more for our neighbors. When we addressed issues in
Woodland Park we also invested in that park. Well lite, frequently used and active
public spaces are safer, healthier and easier to patrol — this is a proven public space
management strategy that can pair with stricter use enforcement.
There are also Kalispell partners that you can engage to help provide more support
with the public health and safety issues we see in Depot Park. These include
agencies, nonprofits and churches that can help with interventions and can help you
to find solutions for the behavioral health and substance issues that we are facing in
our public spaces. These are the community partners that other Montana cities are
engaging to addressed unhoused issues in their County Seats.
Very specifically we need the State of Montana to invest in our city. We need help
open group homes and nursing homes that are closed and closing due to low
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Medicaid reimbursement rates. The Legislature has already invested in a $2M rate
study to address this compensation issue for facilities that are working with
impoverished Montana families - this rate study should be funded as fully as
possible for doors to stay open for those in need in Kalispell. There is also the
opportunity to establish certified community health clinic modelhere in Montana.
This community health model has been very successful in other rural states, like
Oklahoma, and would help get more individuals connected with services (this is
House Bill 17).
Most importantly, I believe that you are the right Council Members, Mayor and City
Hall to find a Kalispell Way to address this issue. I believe you can make our public
spaces safer and to make sure we are helping neighbors in need connect with
services. I know many of you personally and know you have personal and
professional experiences to bring to this table. I encourage you again to lean into
these conversations, work together to discuss and find solutions and to provide the
leadership that Kalispell needs to be a safe, productive and healthy city.
Let's find the Kalispell Way to address these issues and find a working solution.
Sincerely,
Kyle
Kyle Waterman
940 2nd Ave E
Kalispell MT 59901
Kyle Waterman
406.871.4885
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