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05-31-24 City Manager Report1 City of Kalispell OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER Information Memorandum 5/31/2024 1. Parks and Recreation Kalispell Youth Athletic Complex (KYAC) staff are working to prepare fields for the last week of baseball and the end of the season tournaments. They are also preparing soccer fields for the Three Blind Refs’ tournament this weekend that will bring approximately 150 teams to Kalispell. Forestry staff have completed the pruning of 534 trees in the Ashley subdivision. Staff are also finishing the planting of cost share trees for the year. A forestry contractor has begun pruning the large cottonwoods in Woodland Park. Thanks to the Montana Conservation Corp and Paws to Play, the Begg Dog Park now has a new set of stairs leading from the lower main area to the upper flat area. They are located on the north side of the park. We have one week left of the Spring Soccer season. Spring Soccer is designed to teach the fundamentals of Soccer to 3-year-olds through 4th grade in a noncompetitive setting. All games are played at the Kalispell Youth Athletic Complex on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Registration for our youth 3v3 Basketball league is open now. 3v3 Basketball is open to boys and girls heading into 4th grade through high school. Games are played at Thompson Memorial Park on Wednesday evenings with the registration deadline on June 9 and starting June 19. Registration is open for our summer programs. Several programs have limited availability. Harry Potter Camp and Zombie Survival are available and will take place at our new office location at 15 Depot Park. Check out our partner camps like Dance Camp, Art Camp, and Coding Groovy Unicorns. Field trips and program guests are scheduled each week at Camp Woodland. 2 Recreation Staff are busy getting Woodland Water Park ready for the season, including making repairs, inspecting equipment, fillings pools and balancing water chemicals. The Pool is scheduled to open on Wednesday, June 12. We are in the process of hiring aquatic staff, including lifeguards and water monitors, and will continue to take applications until we are fully staffed. Swim Lesson Registration is open and available online. Lessons will begin on June 17 and will run throughout the summer. 2. Public Works The WWTP Main and Diversion Structure Project is at 30% completion. The diversion structure, manhole 1 and over 80 feet of 54” PVC pipe have been installed. The new PVC pipe replaced the deteriorated concrete pipe corroded from decades of H2S gas exposure. Solid Waste Supervisor, Billy Salmonsen, participated in the annual careers on wheels at West Valley Elementary School. Kalispell was happy to be a part of the event and provide elementary (K-4) students with an up-close look at different career paths and connect their learning to the real world. 3. Planning Department The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and take public comments on the agenda item listed below: 1. File #KA-24-04 – Flathead Community Health Center, Inc, d/b/a Greater Valley Health Center, has submitted a petition for annexation and initial zoning of B-2 3 (General Business) for property located at 1935 3rd Avenue East. The existing building and a portion of the parking lot is currently within the city limits, and this petition would annex the remaining portion of the parking lot. 2. File #KA-24-05 – Joe Gardner has submitted an application for annexation and initial zoning of R-2 (Residential) for properties located at 1628 and 1636 South Woodland Drive. There is an existing house at 1636 South Woodland which is already within the city limits. The annexation would bring the remaining properties into the city limits and create a buildable site for a second single-family dwelling, including access to city water and sewer service. 3. Files #KPUD-24-01 and KPP-24-02 – A request from Kalispell National Multifamily, LLC, for Bloomstone Phase 4, which includes applications for a Planned Unit Development (“PUD”) amendment to the overall Bloomstone PUD and major preliminary plat on approximately 16.6 acres of land. The property has an existing PUD and preliminary plat. The PUD amendment calls for an additional 133 units beyond the previously approved amount. The preliminary plat would replace the existing Phase 4 with a new Phase 4 including a portion of a remainder parcel. The new phase includes 135 townhouse lots (sublots), roads, and common area. The property is located on the north side of Four Mile Drive between the Highway 93 Bypass and Kidsports. Documents pertaining to the agenda items are on file for public inspection at the Kalispell Planning Department, 201 First Avenue East, Kalispell, MT 59901, and are available for public review during regular office hours. In addition, information on the agenda item is posted on our website at Planning Commission | Kalispell, MT (civicplus.com) under Planning Commission “upcoming agenda.” 4. Building Department In the last 2 weeks we have issued permits for 2 single-family homes. This brings the total of new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the year to 64, compared to 23 at this time last year. There have been 0 multi-family housing units issued so far this year. There were a total of 185 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last 2 weeks. Residential – 39 Plumbing – 15 Commercial – 28 Mechanical – 14 Electrical – 15 Fire – 74 5. Community Development On May 15, the second Safe Streets and Roads for All project open house was held at Council Chambers in City Hall. Approximately 30 people attended and provided feedback on drafted improvements to nine priority locations. Incorporating community 4 feedback received throughout the planning process, the draft plan will be available for review by the end of June. Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s consultant, Hydrometrics, is in the process of scheduling removal of the underground storage tank at the 3rd & Main lot. This work is tentatively scheduled for the week of June 17. As the details are confirmed, users of that parking lot will be notified of interruption to their use. Upon completion, the disturbed area of the site will be repaved. 6. Fire Department From May 14 to May 28, the Fire Department had 176 responses. Of these, there were 128 medical incidents, 1 house fire, 12 fire alarm activations, 1 motor vehicle accident with injuries, 4 haz-mat incidents, 6 public assists, and 24 with nothing found or dispatched and canceled enroute. All Paramedics and EMT’s have finalized their annual refresher training and certifications. Several haz-mat team members attended a 2-day Tox-medic course in Missoula MT. This education is useful in treating patients or team members who may have been exposed to dangerous chemicals. The Engineer exam was completed to maintain an active promotional list in case of an opening. This test consists of a written exam, multiple practical test stations for Fire Engine and Ladder truck evaluation, and an oral interview. Two members attended a weeklong CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) training to assist in working with those in the community with mental/behavioral health challenges. MT Dept of Natural Resources has been training with KFD members on annual wildland firefighter refresher training. KFD had 4 CPR saves with positive neurologic outcome from 2023. This is when the patient has no deficits and made a full recovery after being resuscitated.