Tired of Kalispell Kruise Public Comment from Kara Basko Aimee Brunckhorst
From: Kara Basko <familybrusko@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2024 5:49 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: EXTERNAL Tired of Kalispell Kruise
To whom it may concern,
I am a resident of Kalispell. I have owned a home on 2nd Avenue West since 2011, and over the past four
years the Kalispell Kruise has had a significant negative affect on my enjoyment of life in downtown
Kalispell.
The Kruise is incredibly noisy.We can hear it INSIDE my home, with all the doors and windows shut. It is
impossible to enjoy our backyard on Friday evenings, a time when we used to enjoy sitting out or having
company.We cannot hear normal Main Street traffic. This unnecessary noise pollution agitates people
and animals, and diminishes our quality of life.
The Kruise interrupts our ability to walk downtown and enjoy our fine downtown businesses. I once made
the mistake of trying to walk from my home to Sweet Peaks to enjoy an ice cream cone on a Friday night.
When I tried to cross Main Street, Kruisers were squealing their tires, revving their engines, and gesturing
at me as I waited for the walk sign. I turned around and went home. I determined that crossing the street
was an unsafe activity and decided the ice cream was not worth the risk. I am sure that other downtown
businesses that are open on Friday evenings have customers who would like to patronize them, but who
are put off by the aggressive nature of the Kruise and decide to stay home or go elsewhere.
And speaking of aggression, the Kruise is such an unsafe activity that extra police presence is dedicated
to it.What a waste of time and energy for our police department to have to monitor a bunch of bad
drivers who are showing off for each other!
The Kruise may have originated as a family-friendly way to connect our community while social
distancing in the Covid lockdown times, but it's grown into a public nuisance over the years and has
outlived its purpose.
Wasting gas, burning rubber, destroying our roads, intimidating pedestrians, speeding, and unsafe
driving in the heart of our downtown community should not be condoned and supported by the city.
Please consider permanently banning the Kalispell Kruise, and making downtown Kalispell feel safe and
welcoming on Friday nights again.
Sincerely,
Kara Basko
i