07-03-25 City Manager Report1
City of Kalispell
OFFICE OF THE CITY
MANAGER
Information Memorandum
July 3, 2025
1. Parks and Recreation
Park staff are nearing completion of flail mowing in non-irrigated park areas. In addition, staff
constructed four new platforms at the pool to be used for swim lessons. An irrigation break
beneath the road near the Camp Center in Woodland Park has now been repaired.
At the Kalispell Youth Athletic Complex, staff have been preparing the facility for the upcoming
Firecracker Tournaments and seasonal turf maintenance.
Trees for Life is wrapping up a forestry contract on 7th Avenue
West that involved pruning 98 trees and removing one. Forestry
staff are currently pruning trees along 10th Avenue West. Staff
have also been remulching and watering trees planted in the
past five years across parks and boulevards. As time allows,
they are grinding stumps along boulevards where trees were
removed over the past year.
Volunteers from the Center for Restorative Youth Justice
helped remulch the nature trail at Lawrence Park. Park staff,
with additional volunteer support, also completed string
trimming along the trail.
Lessons are underway at Woodland Water Park. We passed our
health inspections for concessions and chemical side of pool
operations. The first full day of open swim went well with
around 275 patrons.
The summer concert series kicks off on Wednesday, July 9,
this year. Keep an eye out for marketing and promotion of the
upcoming events. Radio advertising will begin July 6.
Harry Potter camp is almost full, with 19 of 20 spots filled, and
the new program, STEAM camp has 14 of 20 spots filled.
Our first session of our summer youth tennis program was
great and wrapped up its last lesson on July 1. Session 2 will
begin on July 8.
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3v3 Basketball has begun for our 17 teams at Thompson Memorial Outdoor Basketball Courts.
Last week our skateboarding camp for our 23 skateboarders. This camp is designed for kids of all
skill levels, ideal for ages 6 and up. Registration for lesson 2 of our Skateboard program closes
on August 11, at midnight. Currently there are only 8 spots left.
Girls Flag Football was a new partner program we offered
this summer. We had 25 girls attend the camp last week. The
girls learned basic skills of flag football with Flathead Girls
Flag Football Coach Lisa Kohler and her coaches.
Creating with Nature camp is also another new partner
program camp we offered with Christina at Depot Park that
ran all through last week. This program had 6 campers
registered.
2. Public Works
Chip Sealing and Pavement Marking Project: Pavement Maintenance Services, Inc. was
awarded the contract for a recently completed roadway maintenance project involving chip
sealing and pavement marking. The work took place on the following streets:
• Center Street
• 3 Mile Drive
• Summit Ridge Drive
Chip sealing is a preventative maintenance technique
used to extend the life of existing pavement. It involves
applying a thin layer of asphalt followed by a layer of
aggregate chips, which seals the surface from water
infiltration, slows pavement deterioration, and improves
skid resistance. This cost-effective method helps preserve
roadways and delay the need for more extensive repairs
or reconstruction. The project required temporary road
closures during active work periods to maintain safety for
both crews and the public. Starting next week, the Street
Crew will perform continual sweeping operations
through these areas to collect the loss chips.
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Launch of Front-Load Collection Service (Fall 2025): As part of the City’s Solid Waste Master
Plan adopted in May 2024, Solid Waste Services will launch front-load waste collection this fall.
The new service aims to improve efficiency, enhance service for commercial and multi-family
customers, promote employee safety, and support the City’s long-term operational goals. It uses
larger containers and automated equipment to enable faster, safer waste collection. To support
the transition, the City has ordered a front-load collection truck, expected to arrive in the coming
months. Once delivered, staff will finalize route planning and prepare for implementation. In the
meantime, Solid Waste crews are modifying existing 2-yard steel containers by installing fork
pockets to accommodate the new system.
3. Planning Department
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at their July 8 meeting and take public
comments on the agenda item listed below:
1. Files #KA-25-05 / KCU-25-04 – North Meadows Development, LLC
A request for annexation, initial zoning, and a conditional use permit for a multi-family
residential development at 1859 South Meadows Drive. The proposal includes
annexation of approximately 12.13 acres into the city, initial zoning of RA-1 (Residential
Apartment), and a conditional use permit to allow construction of 99 multi-family
residential units within seven buildings along with a clubhouse and associated amenities.
The site is currently located in Flathead County and is proposed for residential
development consistent with the Kalispell Growth Policy.
The Planning Commission will also hold a work session on the following items:
1. File # KPUD-25-03 – Montarise Developments, LLC, has submitted applications for
Silverbrook Village, an amendment to the Silverbrook Planned Unit Development
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(“PUD”). The property, which contains 11.7 acres, is currently zoned B-1
(Neighborhood Business) with the PUD overlay. This proposal would maintain the
underlying zoning designation. The proposal calls for 228 residential units intended to be
developed as condominiums with a variety of housing types ranging from two-unit
buildings to larger multi-unit buildings. The proposal also has 20,400 square feet of
neighborhood business uses that are included within mixed-use buildings.
2. Staff will present chapters of the preliminary draft land use plan. This work session is the
tenth in a series the Planning Commission has held in the last few months in regards to
the land use plan update.
Documents pertaining to the agenda items 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.”
4. Building Department
In the last 3 weeks we have issued permits for 11 single-family homes. That will keep the total of
new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the year at 61 compared to 80 last year at this
time. There have been 71 multi-family housing units issued so far this year compared to 24 last
year at this time.
There were a total of 443 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last 3
weeks.
Residential – 103 Plumbing – 42
Commercial – 52 Mechanical – 47
Electrical – 46 Fire – 153
5. Community Development
Staff in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation submitted a Better Utilizing
Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant application to the U.S. Department of
Transportation on 1/30/2025. The application titled: Completing Kalispell’s Bypass for Safe
Streets Downtown would widen the remaining two miles of the bypass to a four-lane, grade
separated roadway with intersection improvements at the intersection of the bypass and U.S. 93.
The application was expected to be awarded at the end of June. Staff has been notified that the
deadline for announcing the FY 25 BUILD project selections has been extended and U.S.
Department of Transportation is working to process applications and announce awards as soon as
practicable.
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6. Fire Department
Between June 18 – July 1, 2025, Kalispell Fire responded to a total of 195 calls as follows:
Type of Incident Number of
Calls Details
Fire-Related Calls 3 Vegetation, building, vehicle, other
Vehicle-Related
Incidents 10 7 with injuries, 3 without
EMS-Related Calls 143 Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support
(BLS)
Other Calls 39 False alarms, good intent, cancelled en route
Total 195