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05-01-26 City Manager Report, KFD and KPD Reports1 City of Kalispell OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER Information Memorandum 5/1/2026 Parks & Recreation Arbor Day was extraordinarily successful this year, continuing a long-standing tradition of fostering community engagement and environmental stewardship. As in previous years, 275 third-grade students from School District 5 gathered at Lawrence Park to participate in the celebration. The event featured fourteen environmental organizations that provided interactive, hands-on educational booths, while nineteen local businesses demonstrated strong community support through generous sponsorship. Volunteer participation was exceptional, with thirty individuals contributing their time and effort to plant thirty trees in parks across the community, further strengthening Kalispell’s urban forest for future generations. Representatives from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation were also in attendance to present the City of Kalispell with its 39th consecutive Tree City USA designation—an achievement that underscores the City’s sustained commitment to responsible urban forestry management. Recent improvements at Lion’s Park include the conversion of a deteriorated asphalt pathway leading to the memorial into turf. This enhancement improves the park’s overall aesthetics while creating a more natural setting that better complements the surrounding landscape. Park staff continue to make steady progress on seasonal transition activities, with crews working diligently to bring all park irrigation systems online. In addition, staff are actively preparing flower beds throughout the park system, helping to 2 ensure vibrant and welcoming landscapes in the months ahead. At Woodland Park, reconstruction of the arbor in the rose garden is currently underway following severe damage sustained during the December windstorm. Upon completion, the restored structure will once again serve as a focal point within the garden. Staff have secured musical performers and sponsorships for the 35th annual Picnic in the Park summer concert series. Promotional materials will begin to be distributed in late May. Through the continued support of generous sponsors, the concerts will remain free and accessible to the public. New this year, community art projects and games and activities will be offered between performances each Wednesday, enhancing overall engagement and providing additional opportunities for attendees to participate. The official lineup is provided below. Staff are actively recruiting for short-term summer positions at Camp Woodland while simultaneously planning and coordinating staff training. These training efforts are designed to equip camp leaders with the skills needed to effectively guide, supervise, and support youth participants throughout the summer season. In addition, staff are organizing field trips and developing weekly themed activities, positioning the program for a safe, engaging, and enjoyable summer at Woodland Park. The Little Dribblers program concluded on April 18, 2026, with 421 participants enrolled in this year’s spring basketball season, an increase from 369 participants in the previous year. The program’s success is supported by more than forty volunteer coaches, along with a dedicated team of recreation leaders who oversee daily operations across three sites: Rankin, Peterson, and Russell Elementary Schools. Kalispell Parks and Recreation (KPR) continues to partner with Kalispell Public Schools for facility use. The Spring Soccer program commenced on April 22 amid typically cold and wet Montana spring conditions. Participation has grown to 419 registrants, compared to 361 in 2025. The program is held at the Dan Johns Youth Athletic Complex. Staff are actively interviewing and hiring for multiple positions at Woodland Water Park. In partnership with Logan Health Medical Fitness Center, staff are facilitating lifeguard certification courses, with the next session scheduled to begin May 20. Lifeguard recruitment continues to be a challenge nationwide; however, staff are making strong local efforts to connect with both currently certified individuals and those interested in obtaining certification. Considerable progress has been made with improvements at Woodland Water Park, including the installation of a new lazy river pool liner. The project involved removing approximately 20 years 3 of accumulated paint from the river, completing necessary concrete repairs, and installing the new liner. Following installation, staff will begin preparations to ready the facility for the upcoming season. On April 16, staff participated in the Northwest Montana Job Fair, where they engaged with high school students and community members. Numerous on-the-spot interviews were conducted with prospective applicants, providing valuable recruitment opportunities and strengthening community connections. Kalispell Parks and Recreation were also recognized for having the most interactive booth at the event. Public Works AWWTP Biosolid Dewatering Project: The biosolids dewatering project is progressing well and remains on schedule. With the removal of the east and west DAF tanks and the existing belt filter press, the dewatering room has been fully opened to accommodate new equipment. Installation of four new screw presses is underway, along with two new waste activated sludge (WAS) pumps and associated piping systems. Conveyor systems have been installed and are currently undergoing final adjustments, with an initial test run targeted for May 11. Preparations are also in progress to reconfigure the non - potable water system, including the addition of upstream strainers to remove algae and debris and improve pump performance. Upcoming work includes transitioning the digested sludge feed lines from the existing dewatering system to the new presses in preparation for full operational startup. Electrical upgrades and telemetry integration are ongoing to support the new equipment. In the chemical room, significant upgrades have been completed. A new boiler, heat exchanger, and alum feed system have been installed following the removal of outdated sodium acetate and dry polymer systems. The addition of the boiler will improve polymer activation by supplying warm water, increasing efficiency and reducing chemical dosing requirements. A new polymer skid has also been installed to support the screw presses. Electrical infrastructure is being modernized with the replacement of old panels, conduit, and piping. 4 Planning The City Council has been working through several parts of the Montana Land Use Planning Act. As part of the implantation of the new land use plan, the Council is updating both the zoning and subdivision regulations. The updates passed on first reading on April 20 and second reading is scheduled for May 4. At the Planning Commission meeting on April 14, there was a public hearing for South Town Plaza Subdivision, a commercial subdivision consisting of ten (10) lots on approximately 36.993 acres of real property located at 2295 U.S. Highway 93 South. It is a portion of the western part of the Gardner/Anderson Ranch Planned Unit Development, which also contains the Amazon site. The Commission recommended approval on a unanimous vote and Council will consider the project at its May 4 meeting. At the next Planning Commission meeting on May 12, there will be a public hearing regarding an update to the public participation plan which outlines public outreach and engagement for land use processes. The existing participation plan was adopted in 2024 and focuses primarily on the land use plan. This proposed public participation plan update expands the details regarding notice and public comment for site-specific development, such as subdivisions and conditional use permits, by more specifically providing for notice in the newspaper and/or by mail and for access to documents on the city website. Building On May 13, the Building Department will be attending the Flathead Building Association meeting to give a presentation on truss bracing. The session will break down how truss bracing is meant to function, why it must be installed exactly as specified, and the real-world consequences of getting it wrong, especially on gable end trusses where errors are most frequent. In the last 2 weeks we have issued permits for 3 single-family homes and 4 townhouses. That will keep the total of new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the year at 72 compared to 35 last year at this time. There have been 24 multi-family housing units issued so far this year compared to 32 last year at this time. There were a total of 263 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last 2 weeks. Residential – 61 Plumbing – 16 Commercial – 52 Mechanical – 28 Electrical – 14 Fire – 92 5 Community Development The US Department of Transportation has released the notice of funding opportunity for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program for the fiscal year 2026 round. This year, a total of $687,809,874 has been allocated for implementation grants and applications are due May 26. Eligible projects include any identified projects from the Main Street Safety Action Plan that the City of Kalispell adopted in 2024. A work session with the City Council was on April 27, where staff outlined a potential path forward for a grant application. Council was supportive of the idea and staff will present a Resolution of Support for an Implementation Grant in the coming weeks.