Council Meeting on 6-5-23 - Depot Park Public Comment from Luke Rummage[NOTICE: This message includes an attachment -- DO NOT CLICK on links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe.]
From:
Luke Rumage
1910 Jefferson Blvd
Kalispell, MT, 59901
To:
City Council
P.O. Box 1997
Kalispell, MT, 59903
Mayor and Councilmembers,
As many of you know, I am an architect living and working in Kalispell. Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to learn about and work on multiple historic projects. While
listening to the recording of your meeting on Monday, June 5, I noted you talked about relocating the police station to the Depot Park Building. My understanding is that this is in
part to give more space to the police department and to dissuade the homeless population from camping there. I would like to bring up a few points about that building and location.
Councilmember Fisher brought up a good question about whether or not the building is on the Historic Register. Depot Park is on the National Register of Historic Places; the park was
entered in the National Register on August 24, 1994. Per the listing (attached), the building itself is “one of the most significant buildings in Kalispell because it represents the
period of Kalispell's history (1892-1904) when the town was the division point for the main line of the Great Northern Railway. The depot is significant under Criterion A for its role
in the development of Kalispell. … Depot Park to the south of the depot contributes to the significance of the depot.”
The National Register is a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources. For
private owners, it is a means to research, document, and recognize that their property is a part of the American landscape, however, there are no requirements for private property owners
to maintain or keep their historically significant resource. On the other hand, if funding for a National Register listed resource, especially a publicly owned National Register listed
resource, includes federal dollars, the registered properties have more protections and the money comes with additional requirements that relate to the preservation of the historic
resource. Any work done on the building using federal funds must be reviewed and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office. This may be an issue if any federal funds that
have been passed through the State to Kalispell get used for this project.
If you choose to modify the building and park to accomodate a police station, you should expect and plan for opposition from local, state, and national interests – take a look at the
reaction and outcry over the Holland Lake Lodge project. You will receive opposition from people who use the parkline, who use the park for events like Arts in the Park and Picnic
in the Park, from churches who use the space for outdoor worship, and from history buffs and historical societies.
As for the homeless population issue - Councilmember Hunter made a comment that we had laws and ordinances on the books to help deal with the homeless issues in and around parks. City
Manager Doug Russell replied that having those laws and ordinances have helped prevent certain activities that are being seen in other cities but we still need to take steps to protect
the public. Both Councilmember Hunter and City Manager Russell are correct; we have laws and ordinances that are meant to respond to homeless people within our parks, and we need to
keep taking one step at a time and moving forward with making the city a safe place for everyone – homeless and housed, neighbor and stranger, rich and poor. Please take a good hard
look at what steps we are taking and make sure you understand the ramifications of the decisions being made. This site is a historic landmark in Kalispell – it is the heart of Kalispell
and the reason why this city is here. While deciding what to do, please do not lose sight of the history of the depot building, the park, and what it means to the community.
Luke Rumage
Architect, Historic Preservation
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