City Council Public Comment Letter 052824 from Susanne Wigginton5/28/24
Dear Mayor and City Council,
I attended the council work session regarding the CUP for the warming center on 5/13/24. Due to the huge
number of people in attendance, I sat in the hallway outside the chamber doors with around 40 other people.
I feel the need to share what I witnessed and experienced that evening.
To start, thank you for your time, patience and opportunity you provided to allow so many to provide public
comment. I learned so much about the trials that residents and businesses are dealing with, and my heart
goes out to them, I would never want to be in their shoes. I also believe that any civilized society should have
programs and facilities to care for their most vulnerable residents. After that night though, it became clear to
me that there were targeted agendas and a general lack of compassion and understanding for those who have
been negatively impacted, and I was greatly disturbed.
From my vantage point in the hallway, I was privy to information and behavior that I believe you need to be
aware of. Those who support and work with the warming shelter are calling upon this city’s residents to show
understanding and sensitivity to their cause and the needs of their “customers.” Unfortunately, that same
sensitivity and understanding is not reciprocated by associates of the warming center. The laughter,
snickering, eye rolling, and comments made after many of the emotional public comments was disturbing and
frankly disgusting. To watch people associated with the warming center making fun of people pouring out
their hearts to a packed room of strangers should be considered disconcerting to any normal and reasonable
person. Specific instances included:
• After Matt Vander Ark (155 3 Mile Dr.) finished speaking the associates laughed and said “just move if
you aren’t comfortable!”
• After Amy Whitehead (306 Liberty St.) spoke there was much snickering and eye rolling.
• After Renae Pludé (W. Oregon St) spoke the associates laughed and made a comment about how she
should just drive her kids to school if she is so worried, rather than have them walk to school.
• After Michelle Davie (Vision Clinic) concluded the associates laughed and snickered and stated “well
that’s what it’s like to live in a big city, just get used to it.”
These are just a few examples of many that I witnessed. I determined that the associates were related to the
warming center due to their public comments made that night attesting to the fact.
Tolerance, acceptance, and understanding are a two-way street. From this behavior I concluded that the
warming shelter staff does not truly care about who is affected by their operations and their “customers.” All
they want is to be allowed to carry on without any scrutiny or judgement, but they are happy to dish out the
judgment to those who don’t agree or have a different experience. It’s their way or no way, and everyone else
should just abandon their livelihoods, homes and established way of life.
Three other points that came to me during the public comment –
1. Tonya Horn took great offense to the “goal posts being moved” with the .5 radius crime and calls
analysis and stated many times that the 150ft radius is all they thought they were responsible for.
Thanks to the city staff for the excellent meeting packet, I was able to review Ms. Horn’s CUP
application. The number of times she referenced that the warming center would benefit and serve our
“community,” “neighborhood,” and “area,” is great indeed. She wrote about being a good neighbor,
addressing neighborhood concerns, and keeping the neighborhood safe. Neighborhoods are larger
than a 150ft radius. One could argue that Kalispell is one large neighborhood, in spirit but maybe not
geography. Our city isn’t huge, nor do we want it to be. For Tonya to now claim that only people within
150ft of her facility would be affected and should have her phone number is preposterous given her
campaigning and promises in her CUP application.
2. I was very disappointed in the comments made by Councilor Hunter. He stated that the council
received a public comment from someone living on 3rd Ave E that the warming center was to blame for
homeless activity in the historic east side of Kalispell, which is “nowhere near the warming center,”
implying that it was a ridiculous claim. I too am a resident on 3rd Ave E, but not the one that provided
that public comment. I find it curious that Mr. Hunter is also a resident on 3rd Ave E but hasn’t seen or
acknowledged how our downtown area has been affected. I have lived in my home for 10 years. Only
in the last 2 years have things changed, and not for the better. It is a well-known fact to the residents
of downtown Kalispell that there is a clear migration pattern between downtown and the warming
center. Warming center at night, downtown during the day. I cannot drive up and down 1st Ave E
without seeing the homeless activity every day. People sleeping on sidewalk benches all day long,
loitering around the library and other buildings, camping out in bus stop shelters and on the Logan
medical equipment lot. Police breaking up altercations with people who are clearly unwell. Depot Park
being overrun with homeless activity with 4-6 police cars at a time responding. If Mr. Hunter isn’t
aware of it, then he hasn’t opened his eyes or chooses to keep them closed. The homeless even line up
at the bus stop in front of the library in the evening to hop on a bus that takes them to the warming
shelter at night. Ask the folks who work in the storefronts of the KM building what they see all day,
every day. They know the pattern, they deal with the vagrancy. Even living three blocks from the
library, I’ve woken up to articles of clothes, trash, drug paraphernalia, etc. on my lawn. Dealt with
people yelling obscenities as they walk down the street or alley. People have banged on my front door
and then run away, scaring me half to death. Last summer, I was at the intersection of 3rd St W and 1st
Ave W when I observed a woman camping out on the street bench complete with a large beach
umbrella. The wind caught the umbrella and it rolled toward Valley Bank. She chased after it only for
me to see she was naked from the waist down. I got a view only her gynecologist should see as she
bent over to straighten out her belongings. I learned that she had been camped there during the days
for a short time and that was her favorite bench. That bench has been removed now, but we shouldn’t
have to remove what beautifies our town because people lay claim to it and use it the wrong way.
3. I know for a fact that small towns in Montana who lack services and facilities have a method for
moving people they can’t or won’t help to places that will and do. I own a business almost 350 miles
away in a town of less than 6,000 people. I have had to handle people breaking into my trailers and
Conex containers to temporarily reside in. Dealing with local law enforcement, they walk those people
through the process they have to get them to the bigger towns through various shuttles and rides.
Kalispell is a known hub for those types of services at this point.
As a final parting thought I would request that you ask yourself one question – is Kalispell better off now
because the warming center is here? I hope that this information and my observations are helpful. I thank you
again for your time and service to make Kalispell a wonderful place to live and do business.
Sincerely,
Susanne Wigginton
3rd Ave E
Kalispell, MT