05-30-25 City Manager Report1
City of Kalispell
OFFICE OF THE CITY
MANAGER
Information Memorandum
5/30/2025
1. Parks and Recreation
KYAC staff are preparing fields for the final week of the baseball season and upcoming
end-of-season tournaments. Additionally, soccer fields are being prepped for the 3 Blind
Refs Tournament this weekend, which is expected to bring 200 teams to Kalispell.
Park maintenance staff have begun broadleaf weed control in the larger parks. At the
Camp Center, sink replacements have been completed in preparation for Camp Woodland
this summer. Staff also continue weeding the landscape beds along the Parkline Trail, and
finishing the flower planting activity with only the formal garden in Woodland Park
remaining.
Urban Forestry welcomed Steven Fenn to the team last week to fill the vacant Parks
Caretaker – Forestry position. Forestry staff are now addressing work orders that were on
hold for cost-share plantings and are also re-mulching young trees throughout Kalispell.
Michael Terrell Landscape Architecture has officially begun work on the City of
Kalispell’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan. As part of their initial efforts, they will be
conducting staff interviews on May 29. In addition, they are developing a comprehensive
community engagement plan to gather valuable public input that will help shape the
future of Kalispell’s Parks and Recreational offerings.
Swimming lesson enrollment opened May 15, and filled quickly, with limited spots still
available in select sessions. Seasonal staff have been preparing the facility for opening
2
day and onboarding new team members. A pool liner for the lap pool is scheduled for
installation during the week of June 2. Woodland Waterpark is scheduled to open June
14.
A beautification project at Camp Woodland recently took
place with the support from volunteers from Marsh
McLennan Agency who assisted with the colorful string
installation. The art installation will soften the chain link
fencing and provide more visual appeal for participants.
Harry Potter Camp is now full. STEAM Camp is close to
capacity, with only five spots remaining. Registration for STEAM Camp closes July 7,
and Camp Woodland officially opens June 16.
Spring soccer wraps up this week with the final games. We had amazing volunteer
coaches that made for another successful season. Registration is now open for Youth
Tennis Lessons, 3v3 Youth Basketball, and Girls' Flag Football. The registration deadline
is June 1.
2. Public Works
Solid Waste Spring Cleanup
The Solid Waste Division successfully completed its annual Spring Cleanup event during
the week of May 12. This service is offered to residential rollout customers on their
regular collection day and allows for the disposal of household items, bagged and
bundled yard waste, cardboard boxes, and other materials associated with spring cleaning
efforts. Each item was required to weigh no more than 25 pounds.
Crews collected a total of 11.68 tons of spring cleanup material during this year’s event.
Only eligible items were collected, and no bulk waste such as furniture or appliances was
accepted. The event provided residents with an efficient way to dispose of excess
materials during the spring season.
This spring’s total is a significant reduction from 2024’s spring cleanup, which included
47 tons of general waste and 46 tons of bulk waste, highlighting the improvements made
in waste sorting and public compliance with collection guidelines.
3
FY 25 Westside TIF Asphalt Replacement Projects
City crews have successfully completed the two Westside Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
projects scheduled for this spring. Both projects involved 4-inch asphalt replacement and
addressed existing asphalt defects and drainage issues.
• 7th Avenue EN (Idaho to South End)
• Glenwood Drive (Highway 2 West to 2 Mile Drive)
Both projects provide improved roadway conditions and drainage.
3. Building Department
In the last 2 weeks we have issued permits for 6 single-family homes. This brings the
total of new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the year to 48, compared to 60
at this time last year. There have been 32 multi-family housing units issued so far this
year compared to 24 at this time last year.
There were a total of 263 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last
2 weeks.
Residential – 69 Plumbing – 27
Commercial – 32 Mechanical – 28
Electrical – 24 Fire – 83
4. Planning Department
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and take public comments on the
agenda items listed below:
1. File #KA-25-01; KGPA-25-01; KPUD-25-01; and KPP-25-01 – Spartan
Holdings, LLC, and Whispering Trails, LLC, have submitted applications for The
Reserve at Johnson Ranch, including requests for (a) annexation; (b) a growth
policy amendment to create a neighborhood business and high density residential
node at the northwest corner of the intersection of Old Reserve Drive and
Stillwater Road along with amending an additional portion along the north side of
Stillwater Road from Suburban Residential to Urban Residential; (c) initial zoning
of R-3 (Residential), RA-1 (Residential Apartment), and B-1 (Neighborhood
4
Business) with a Planned Unit Development overlay; and (d) preliminary plat
approval for 186 single-family residential lots, two multi-family lots (one
containing 237 units and one with an unspecified number of units), and one
commercial lot on approximately 91.8 acres, including lots, roads, and common
areas. The property is located at the northwest corner of Old Reserve Drive and
Stillwater Road, and includes property located at 1053 Stillwater Road.
2. File #KA-25-03; KPUD-25-02; and KPP-25-02 – Colton Behr, has submitted
applications for Anderson Ranch, including requests for annexation, initial zoning
of R-3 (Residential) with a Planned Unit Development (“PUD”) overlay and
preliminary plat approval for 166 residential lots on approximately 42.5 acres,
including lots, roads, and common areas. The majority of the subject property
was previously annexed and this petition would annex the remaining 11.7 acres of
the tract. The PUD is an amendment of the overall Gardner-Anderson Ranch
PUD approved in 2024, which consisted of 94.4 acres with light-
industrial/commercial and residential components. This PUD amendment covers
the residential component in the eastern portion of the overall PUD. The
property is located on Demersville Road to the west of Bar H Drive.
3. File #KCU-25-03 – Tuyen Tran, on behalf of 214 Main Kalispell LLC, has
submitted an application for a Conditional Use Permit to allow for the operation
of an accessory casino at 214 South Main Street. The proposal involves reusing an
existing 21,600 square foot building, formerly used as offices, within the B-4
Central Business zoning district. No exterior expansion is proposed.
4. File #KA-25-04 – Corwin Brothers Properties, LLC, has submitted a request for
annexation and initial zoning for two parcels located at 2585 and 2577 US
Highway 93 North, totaling 7.183 acres. The property is currently located in
Flathead County and proposed for B-2 General Business zoning upon annexation.
The subject site is north of the existing Corwin Motors dealership and south of the
Stillwater River Bridge.
The Planning Commission will also hold a work session on the following item:
1. Staff will present elements of the preliminary draft land use plan and an update on
public outreach and public comments submitted to date. Future work sessions will
be noticed and a formal hearing will be held before the Commission forwards a
recommendation to the City Council for its action.
Documents pertaining to the agenda item are on file for public inspection at the Kalispell
Development Services 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.”
5
5. Community Development
On June 2, the Council will be considering a Resolution of Support for City submission
of the Kalispell Main Street Concept Design to the U.S. Department of Transportation
Safe Streets and Roads For All Implementation Grant Program. The Kalispell Main
Street Concept Desing Memorandum includes the following elements that support the
final concept design:
• Results of the traffic operations analysis for 2024 existing and 2045 future
conditions
• Environmental and hydraulic impacts of concept designs
• Community engagement
• Concept-level cost estimates
• Policy recommendations
Details of the project can be found at the following link: Home | Main St. Kalispell
6. Fire Department
Between 5/09 and 5/27 Kalispell Fire responded to a total of 167 calls. Of these, there
were 5 fire calls, 118 medical calls, 9 calls for vehicles accidents, and 35 miscellaneous
calls.
We had three new firefighters begin the training academy.
The department conducted 5 station tours for our local schools.
The department joined other city staff in a Lions Park Annual Cleanup.