safe streets grant application and plan Public Comment from Gabe Mariman Aimee Brunckhorst
From: Gabe Mariman <gabe@biasbrewing.com>
Sent: Monday, May 5, 2025 3:18 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: EXTERNAL safe streets grant application and plan
Dear Kalispell City Council, Mr. Mayor, and Community Partners:
I am writing to express my broad support for the safe streets grant application and implementation of the
safety plan.We must submit the grant application and hopefully be awarded the 25 million dollar grant to
address critical infrastructure needs for the Hwy 93 "bypass" (currently the alternate hwy 93 route) and
"main street" (currently hwy 93 main route).
I write today in support from the perspective of a KDA and KBID board member, downtown Kalispell
resident, main street business owner, and father. Bias Brewing is a packaging brewery,
restaurant/taproom, and wholesale operation that occupies a historic 12,000 square foot building on
Main Street.We need to reduce the semi truck traffic and divert any through traffic off of main street to
make main street and our downtown core more walkable, more business friendly, and safer for our
community.At the same time we need to finish the remaining overpasses on the bypass to
encourage heavy through traffic to go around Kalispell. This will cut down on the overall traffic,
particularly semi truck and oversized load traffic, that currently funnels through the heart of town.
While we are at that and have the roads ripped up, we will have the opportunity to upgrade water, sewer,
and runoff water infrastructure to increase the usability of existing buildings and properties which will
raise property values, functionality of buildings, and encourage a more diverse mix of uses in our historic
downtown Kalispell core. Make no mistake, this is a critical infrastructure upgrade that will benefit not
just the downtown businesses, employees, consumers, and residents; this grant and the
implementation of the safety plan will benefit all residents, tourists, and flow of commerce in the
Flathead Valley overall.
Respectfully,
Gabe
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