02-27-26 City Manager Report1
City of Kalispell
OFFICE OF THE CITY
MANAGER
Information Memorandum
2/27/2026
Parks & Recreation
In response to a recent weather event, Parks staff conducted snow removal operations throughout
Kalispell’s park system. Crews cleared sidewalks surrounding City-owned facilities, 9.02 miles
of trails, and multiple parking lots to maintain safe and accessible conditions for residents and
visitors.
At Depot Park, staff completed aesthetic and functional improvements to the restroom facilities.
Enhancements included applying a new coat of floor paint and replacing an exhaust fan that had
exceeded its service life, improving both appearance and ventilation performance.
In late January, interviews were conducted to fill the vacant Parks Caretaker position at Dan
John's Youth Athletic Complex. The interview committee unanimously selected Jeremy McKeen
for the role. He joined the department on February 23 and has begun onboarding and training.
The Urban Forestry Committee convened on February 11 to finalize the logo for this year’s
Arbor Day celebration. Design concepts were submitted by third-grade students from Kalispell
Public School’s District 5 and reflect this year’s theme: “Don’t Stop Be-Leaf-ing.”
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Forestry crews continue structural pruning operations in the Mountain Vista subdivision,
while an additional staff arborist is conducting young tree training in the Eagle Valley
Ranch subdivision. To date, staff have completed structural pruning on 507 trees in 2026,
supporting long -term tree health, public safety, and urban canopy sustainability.
Art Made Simple is scheduled for Thursday, February 26, with twelve adults currently
registered. This instructional arts program is designed to provide participants with guided,
step-by-step creative experiences in a supportive environment. Participants explore a variety
of artistic techniques and mediums while fostering social connection and continued skill
development.
Adult Pickleball continues to demonstrate strong demand, with each session reaching the
maximum enrollment of sixteen participants. The program offers structured recreational
play in a welcoming, social setting and reflects the growing popularity of pickleball within
the community. Staff continue to monitor participation trends to evaluate opportunities for
future expansion.
Planning for summer events is actively underway. Staff are currently soliciting sponsorships
for the 35th Annual Picnic in the Park Summer Concert Series, a longstanding community
tradition that provides free, family -friendly live entertainment throughout the summer
months. Music selection is scheduled for the week of February 24, with efforts focused on
securing a diverse lineup that appeals to a broad audience.
Spring Break Camp is now open for enrollment from March 23 through the twenty -seven.
The program provides a safe, structured, and engaging environment for school -aged
children during the academic break. Camp activities include organized games, creative
projects, outdoor recreation (weather permitting), and team -building experiences designed
to promote positive social interaction and active participation.
Registration is currently open for Spring Soccer. This youth sports program emphasizes
fundamental skill development, teamwork, and sportsmanship in a positive and supportive
setting. The league continues to serve as an accessible entry point for young athletes to
build confidence and foundational soccer skills.
Registration for Little Dribblers closed on February 16, with league play set to begin March
7. A total of 430 youth participants have registered for the program, demonstrating
continued strong community interest. Little Dribblers focuses on introductory basketball
skill development, basic game knowledge, and teamwork, providing a structured and
encouraging environment for young players.
The Learn to Skate program concluded on February 19, one week earlier than scheduled,
due to a mechanical issue with the rink chiller system. Staff worked to safely conclude
program activities while assessing equipment needs. Participants and families were notified
promptly, and staff are evaluating repair timelines to minimize future disruptions.
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Public Works
2026 City Load Limits: Load limits are placed on City roadways to prevent deterioration from
heavy vehicle traffic on gravel and asphalt road surfaces in the spring. Effective March 2, Load
Limits of 350 pounds per inch of tire width, 7-ton single axle, and 14 ton tandem axle are in
place for:
• Cemetery Road – Highway 93 to Airport Rd
• Stillwater Road - Three Mile Drive to Old Reserve Drive
• Four Mile Drive – Bypass to W Spring Creek Rd
• W Spring Creek Road – Farm to Market to W Reserve Dr
• Whitefish Stage Road – East Oregon to Reserve County load limit of 400 lbs. per inch
City Road conditions are assessed daily, and additional road sections may be added as necessary.
Warning signage will be installed to inform the truck traffic per City regulations. Load limit
removals vary annually but are typically removed by May of each year.
Cellular Water Meter Replacement Project: The City is five years into the meter change out
project and well on the way to meeting the goal for complete change out in 8 years (~1,100
meters/ year). The City’s goal is to migrate gradually (within 8 years) to a fully automated
cellular reading system allowing readings to be collected remotely. The new Badger metering
system offers a direct and secure access to the utility customer’s water use data through an
EyeOnWater application tool. The EyeOnWater includes a secure customer portal platform to
review and analyze water usage patterns. With these tools, utility customers can view hourly
water usage activity and gain a greater understanding of the amount of water they use. When a
customer’s meter is changed out, Public Works Meter Staff provide a pamphlet with information
on signing up and using the EyeOnWater application.
To date, the City has replaced 5,761 meters, which accounts for over 50 percent of the old meters
scheduled for replacement. Additionally, 801 customers have signed up to use the EyeOnWater
tool.
For more information, please visit Kalispell’s website at Cellular Water Meter Replacement &
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Project | Kalispell, MT or call Public Works at 758-
7720.
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Planning
At the Planning Commission meeting on February 10, there were public hearings held for
additional phases of Starling (west of Stillwater Road near Glacier High School) and a
resubdivision of the Bloomstone Apartments, which is being done primarily for financing
purposes. Additionally, there was a public hearing on the zoning ordinance updates necessary
for meeting state requirements under MLUPA, including housing strategies that are part of the
proposed land use plan. The Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve
all three items. The two subdivisions are on the agenda for the March 2 Council meeting. The
zoning amendments will be scheduled after the Council adopts the land use plan.
For the Planning Commission meeting on March 10, we have received applications for an
annexation on Highway 2 west of the bypass and an amendment to the West Side Parking
District around Flathead High School. We also expect to hold a public hearing on MLUPA
required updates to the subdivision regulations.
Final plats are also pending Bloomstone Townhomes (north of Four Mile Drive), which is on the
Council agenda for March 2, and Autumn Creek (north of Highway 2 West).
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Building
In the last 2 weeks we have issued permits for 7 single-family homes, 0 duplexes, and 16
townhouses. That will keep the total of new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the
year at 38 compared to 5 last year at this time. There have been 0 multi-family housing units
issued so far this year compared to 32 last year at this time.
There were a total of 268 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last 2
weeks.
Residential – 43 Plumbing – 28
Commercial – 51 Mechanical – 29
Electrical – 23 Fire – 94
Community Development
The City of Kalispell as submitted the BUILD 2026 grant application in collaboration with MDT
and KLJ engineering. The grant would help fund the completion of the south half of the Kalispell
Bypass. The grant award selections will be announced no later than June 28, 2026.
The City of Kalispell is continuing work on the Montana Resiliency Funding Grant. The grant
would help fund the installation of a backup generator at the public safety building.
Fire Department
“Requests for Proposals” or RFPs to acquire architectural and construction management services
for the design of the new fire station were issued on February 22nd. A non-mandatory pre-
submittal conference is scheduled for March 4th at City Hall. Interest so far has been
encouraging. Final proposals are due on March 18th.
See attached Incident Summary ( Feb 11, 2026 - Feb 24, 2026)
Kalispell FD MT
Address: 312 1st Ave E, Kalispell, MT, 59901
Incident Count by Primary Incident Sub Group 02/11/2026 - 02/24/2026
PRIMARY INCIDENT GROUP / PRIMARY
INCIDENT SUB GROUP
COUNT
Hazardous Situation 4
Hazardous Situation - Hazard Non-Chemical 3
Hazardous Situation - Hazardous Materials 1
Medical 149
Medical - Illness 125
Medical - Injury / Trauma 24
Public Service 21
Public Service - Citizen Assist 17
Public Service - Alarms (Non Medical)4
No Emergency 25
Report ID: 118208 This report was generated on : 02/25/2026 07:32 AM Page: 1 of 2
Incident Count by Primary Incident Sub
Group-copy
Kalispell FD MT
Address: 312 1st Ave E, Kalispell, MT, 59901
PRIMARY INCIDENT GROUP / PRIMARY
INCIDENT SUB GROUP
COUNT
No Emergency - False Alarm 8
No Emergency - Good Intent 2
No Emergency - Cancelled 15
Total 199
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Report ID: 118208 This report was generated on : 02/25/2026 07:32 AM Page: 2 of 2