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2. Request for Alternative Design for Granrud DriveCity of Kalispell Public Works Department Post Office Sox 1997, Kalispell, Montana 59903-1997-'relephone (406)758-7720, Fax (406)758-783 l MEMORANDUM 4 March 2004 To: Chris A. Kukulski, City Manager From: James C. Hansz, P.E., Director of Public Works/Cit) Subject: Request from Schwarz Engineering to Use Alterna Schwarz Engineering has requested approval to use an alternative road cross-section for Granrud Drive rather than the standard section approved by City Council at the time Glacier Meadows was approved. In April last year we indicated no objections in principle to the idea and stated this in our meeting with John Schwarz in your office last year. However, at that time we raised several concerns to be addressed in order to sustain our position which dealt with issues of drainage at intersections, intersection configuration at Granrud/Whitefish Stage intersection, maintenance of the landscaped area to be created along Granrud (Kalispell Parks Department indicated no capability to handle this maintenance), neighborhood concurrence with the changes, and also we indicated then, and continue to believe that the proposal should be accompanied by a detailed statement of the benefit to the City and neighbors that would be obtained by approving the change as requested. To date and to the best of my knowledge, there has been no resolution of these issues. Schwarz has re -submitted the same cross-section detail but no further information on the technical details for drainage or intersection configuration. Further, it is our current understanding that previous assurances that neighborhood sentiments favored the request are in question, based on discussions with the president of the Buffalo Stage association. Finally, while the benefit to the developer is easily seen in lower construction costs, the benefit to the neighborhood and City, particularly the added costs for maintenance of the roadside to prevent its deteriorating into an unsightly strip of untended grasses have not been so easy to discern. In view of the above, 1 believe it is no longer prudent to consider this request as a viable option for the City with which we can agree in principle. memo0082io4.doc