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12-12-25 City Manager Report1 City of Kalispell OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER Information Memorandum 12/12/2025 Parks & Recreation Recent weather events have required significant staff time to clear snow from sidewalks adjacent to City-owned facilities, from 9.02 miles of recreational trails, and from parking areas throughout Kalispell’s park system. Staff continue to advance vegetation enhancement efforts in Woodland Park, including the pruning of young trees and the trimming of overgrown shrubs to improve plant health and overall aesthetics. Forestry crews have supported these efforts by pruning trees near the park’s bridges that had become overgrown. The Forestry crew is currently conducting structural pruning of small to medium sized trees in the Village Greens subdivision. This work includes raising tree canopies to enhance visibility and safety for vehicles and pedestrians, reducing competing branches to encourage strong central leaders, and removing unwanted water sprouts. Through an agreement with F.H. Stolze Land and Lumber, the City supplied 52.6 tons of material to their Co-Generation Power Plant, which generates sufficient energy to power approximately 3,000 homes in the Flathead Valley. The material provided consists of wood chips produced from branches removed during routine City tree maintenance operations. The final Solo Living workshop is scheduled for December 11, at Depot Park. This monthly workshop series is organized by My Glacier Village and hosted by Kalispell Parks and Recreation, with each session addressing a different topic relevant to older adults who may be living independently. 2 Registration is open for several new Adult Recreation Programs, including Art Workshops, Zumba, and Creative Art Journaling workshops. The second Holiday Pop-Up Shop at Depot Park was held on Friday, December 5, in conjunction with the annual Holiday Stroll. Ten vendors showcased their crafts, baked goods, and artwork, and more than 350 visitors attended the event at the Depot Park building. Preparation and planning are underway for the Kids Holiday Workshop on Christmas Eve, as well as for the Freeze Out Camp, which will operate for a total of seven days over the two-week Winter Break. The camp will offer a variety of indoor and outdoor activities—including ice skating, crafts, group games, and cooking projects—to keep participants engaged and active. Registration information and program details have been distributed to all SD5 elementary schools and posted on the department’s social media platforms. Registration is currently open for Indoor Soccer, Tennis in Elementary, and the Spring Little Dribblers program. The Learn to Skate program began on December 9, at the Woodland Ice Rink, and registration for the January and February Learn to Skate sessions is now available. Public Works 50/50 Sidewalk Replacement and Curb/Gutter Program: The City completed another successful construction season with various curb/gutter and 50/50 sidewalk projects. Projects for the 2025 construction season included a mix of private property and City ADA accessibility projects. The City’s Contractor completed 25 work orders that included 1031 feet of sidewalk (3.1 blocks), 27 ADA accessibility improvements, and 1 alley driveway located downtown. Several stormwater improvements were also addressed with the installation of 1 catch basin inlet apron and 477 feet of curb/gutter replacements. 3 Winter Season- Snow Plow Policy: City crews are ready to manage the snow and ice on our streets. The City Council’s Snow Policy, adopted in 1997, provides guidelines for snow removal on streets, alleys, parking lots, and sidewalks. This policy outlines the responsibilities of the public and sets clear expectations for the city’s role in winter maintenance. A summarization of the policy, along with answers to frequently asked questions, can be accessed on the Kalispell website at Snow Removal | Kalispell, MT or by calling Public Works at 758-7720. The public is encouraged to visit the website to interact with the Snow Removal Map and receive information of frequently asked questions. The map details the snow removal priorities routes, as denoted below, and the berm and haul routes. 1. Priority 1 - Emergency Routes will be plowed first when the city experiences more than 3 inches of snowfall. Additionally, Emergency Routes are sanded/de-iced/plowed daily as road conditions warrant. 2. Priority 2 - Regular Residential Snow Plow Routes will be plowed after emergency routes. 3. Priority 3 – Alley Routes. The Public Works Street Department, when time and resources allow, will only plow the alleys in order for the City Solid Waste equipment to service the garbage containers and for other Kalispell utilities services. In order for the city to plow all of its roadways there are 11 established routes requiring 13 staff to operate an assortment of equipment (graders, truck plow/sanders, loader V-plows) and 130+ cul-de-sac/half-moons, requiring 5 additional pickup plows. Snow removal operations generally will start at 4:00 am on snow events that accumulate 3 inches or more of snow on city roadways. The goal of the snow plow policy is to plow Priority Routes 1 and 2 within 48 hours of the end of a snow event. Followed by several days of collecting center bermed routes. Planning The Planning Commission will held public hearings and took public comments on the agenda items listed below: 1. File #KCU-25-06 – FU LLC (Fatt Boys Restaurant & Casino) FU LLC, has submitted an application for a Conditional Use Permit to allow an accessory casino use within the existing Fatt Boys Restaurant & Casino located at 1307 Highway 2 West. The request establishes a designated casino area of approximately 947 square feet within the existing 4 restaurant and casino building. No exterior construction or building expansion is proposed, and all activity will occur within the existing structure. The property is located within the B-2 (General Business) zoning district. 2. File #KCU-25-07 –Village Loop Multifamily A request from Neil Johnson, Terta Holding, for a Conditional Use Permit to allow the development of two multi-family residential buildings located at 95 Village Loop within the RA- 2 (Residential Apartment) zoning district. The proposal includes a 12-unit residential building and a 24-unit residential building along with interior parking and circulation, sidewalks, municipal water and sewer service, landscaping, and associated site improvements. Multi-family residential development is permitted within the RA-2 zoning district subject to Conditional Use Permit review. 3. File #KCU-25-08 – NorthWestern Energy A request from NorthWestern Energy for a Conditional Use Permit to allow the expansion of the existing utility storage yard and office located at 890 North Meridian Road within the B -1 (Neighborhood Business) zoning district. The proposal includes the construction of a 3,500- square-foot building addition to provide enclosed space for equipment and fleet storage. The use of the property will remain the same, and no change to site access, circulation, or operational hours is proposed. A Conditional Use Permit is required because the utility storage yard and associated offices are a non-conforming use in the B-1 zoning district. The Planning Commission recommended approval of the three projects which will be considered by the Council on January 5. The Planning Commission also held a work session on the following item: 1. Staff presented the DRAFT land use plan update in its entirety. The work session was the fifteenth in a series the Planning Commission has held. Building In the last 2 weeks we have issued permits for 0 single-family homes and06 townhouses. That will keep the total of new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the year at 112 compared to 134 last year at this time. There have been 404 multi-family housing units issued so far this year compared to 27 last year at this time. There were a total of 185 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last 2 weeks. Residential – 31 Plumbing – 13 Commercial – 37 Mechanical – 22 Electrical – 18 Fire – 64 5 Fire Incident Summary (November 26 – December 9, 2025) Type of Incident Number of Calls Details Fire-Related Calls 1 Vegetation, building, vehicle, other Vehicle-Related Incidents 6 1 with injuries, 5 without EMS-Related Calls 142 Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) Other Calls 33 False alarms, good intent, cancelled en route Total 182 Department Updates: 3 KFD members are in Billings at the statewide CPAT (Candidate Physical Agility Test) this week. The regional hazardous Materials truck/trailer deep clean and inventory update has been completed for annual requirement.