01-14-22 City Manager Report1
City of Kalispell
OFFICE OF THE CITY
MANAGER
Information Memorandum
1/14/2022
1. Parks and Recreation
A volunteer group has begun picking up Christmas trees throughout Kalispell. The group
will be out January 15, and 22 to collect remaining trees. Trees not picked up will need
to be taken to the County landfill.
Our large forestry crew is working along 5th Avenue East. Our small forestry crew is
working in the Stratford Village subdivision. With single digit temperatures the past few
weeks, forestry staff were able to update tree data that will be used to help develop a
pruning contract to be let this spring.
With favorable weather conditions, staff have been able to clear the pond at Woodland
Park of snow and berms, providing for free community skating.
Park staff continue to work with Stoltze Lumber Company to load and haul our backlog
of collected woodchips from forestry activities. Stoltze will purchase and use chips in
their co-generation power plant.
Registration for our Kalispell Kickers youth indoor soccer league (3 years old to 4th
grade) closed on Friday, January 7. We had 167 participants register for this program
which is slightly less than last year (180 participants). The program begins on Saturday,
January 22 at Rankin Elementary.
We also have several recreation programs coming up in the next several weeks. Our third
session of ice-skating lessons will start on Tuesday, January 18 at Woodland Park. We
also have our FHS Cheerleading Camp taking
place on Saturday, January 29. This camp has
been popular as participants get to show off their
acquired skills and perform at the FHS varsity
basketball halftime show.
Kalispell Parks and Recreation is hosting our
annual Valentine's Day Dance on Saturday,
February 12 from 7pm-9pm at the Linderman Education Center Gym. We are excited for
Mike Hammer from KOFI Radio to DJ the dance again this year. The cost for the dance
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is $6 per person or $20 for family of four. Attendees at the dance must be accompanied
by an adult.
2. Police Department
On January 11, the Kalispell Police Department Records Management Specialist received
an acknowledgement from the Montana Board of Crime Control Data Integrity Specialist
on an error free 2021. This is in response to the data submitted to the state to meet state
and federal reporting requirements.
Co-Responder Sarah Winfrey was attached to 668 calls with law enforcement in 2021.
412 of those calls were co-responding with KPD.
Officer George Minaglia and Officer Ian Whipple started with the Kalispell Police
Department on January 11. Officer Minaglia comes to us after four years with the
Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Officer Whipple had nearly 15 years with the
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. Both will immediately go into field training. They
will attend the Montana Law Enforcement Academy two week equivalency course in
Helena later this spring.
3. Planning Department
The Planning Board held a public hearing on January 11 and heard two application
requests. The application requests consisted of the following:
1. File #KCU-21-09 – A request from Bergen, LLC for a conditional use permit to
allow an accessory casino within a proposed bar to be located in the basement of
the KM Building located at 29 3rd Street East. The property is located in the B-4
(Central Business) zone.
2. File #KCU-21-11 – A request from Fortify Holdings, LLC, for a conditional use
permit to allow the conversion of an existing hotel (Fairbridge Inn/Outlaw
Convention Center) into a multi-family residential dwelling containing up to 250
studio units. The project will involve renovation of all rooms, including upgrades
to address building/fire code issues. Also included are site improvements to the
parking area and upgraded recreational amenities. The property is located at 1701
Highway 93 South.
The Board did recommend approval of the two application requests. The
recommendations will be forwarded onto the Council for their consideration at their
February 7 meeting.
The planning board also held a work session on the item listed below:
1. Files # KPUD-21-05; KPP-21-08; KZC-21-04 – A request from GKM Associates,
LLC, for a zone change and Planned Unit Development (“PUD”) overlay on
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90.87 acres located to the east of West Springcreek Road between Two Mile
Drive and Three Mile Drive, as well as and preliminary plat for Phase 1 of the
development. The property is currently zoned B-1 (Neighborhood Business –
about 3.9 acres) and R-3 (Residential – about 87 acres) with a PUD overlay. The
proposed zone change would change approximately 44.24 acres of the R-3 to RA-
1 (Residential Apartment). It would also realign and expand the B-1 area to
approximately 5.82 acres. The existing PUD overlay would be replaced with a
new PUD over the entire property. The PUD would include 65 single-family
dwellings, 113 townhome/rowhouse dwellings, and 464 multi-family dwelling
units, along with 2 commercial lots, park area, and open space. The preliminary
plat would cover approximately 40.52 acres in the southeastern portion of the
property and include the 65 single-family lots and 95 of the townhome/rowhouse
lots, as well as 6.2 acres of open space and 1.52 acres of parkland.
The Board discussed the application request at length and excepting some traffic analysis
changes, the applications are ready for their consideration. The public hearing for the
development will be considered by the Board at their February 8 meeting.
4. Building Department
In the last 2 weeks, we have issued permits for 2 single-family homes. That will bring the
total of new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the year to 2, compared to 3
last year at this time.
There was a total of 119 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last 2
weeks.
Residential – 50 Plumbing – 7
Commercial – 10 Mechanical - 8
Electrical – 17 Fire - 27
5. Community Development
City staff and the Charles Hotel Developer’s have completed a Developer’s Agreement
for the Council’s consideration at the January 18 meeting. At the meeting, Council will
consider approval of the Developer’s Agreements and sale of the 3rd and Main parking lot
to the developer.
The final project of the South Kalispell/Airport Tax
Increment Finance (TIF) district included the
construction of a parking lot west of Airport Road
at the south end of First Avenue West. The project
served multiple community goals one of which is
demonstrated in the photo: snow storage. Winter
snow accumulation often causes urban challenges to
find a place to store all the snow. Additionally,
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controlling the spring melt-off of the snow and cleaning up the garbage leftover has been
a challenge in the past. By storing snow on the asphalt paved parking lot, the City has a
convenient location to stack the snow where it melts into controlled storm water retention
with water quality treatment. Subsequently, the City can clean the parking lot of any
remaining debris.
6. Public Works
Public Works Permitting
In 2021, the Public Works Department received 331 submittals for right-of-way permits
and 256 submittals for stormwater construction permits.
Right-of-way permits are required for any work within the right-of-way and can include
driveways, sidewalk, and utility work. Right-of-way permits are required on most
residential construction as well as commercial construction.
Construction stormwater
permits are required on any
project disturbing more than
1,000 square feet or 5 cubic
yards. This permit is also
issued for most residential or
commercial projects.
Neither one of these permits
would be issued on a remodel
or tenant improvement that is
completely interior to an
existing structure.
The public can find more information regarding these permits and how to apply for a
permit on the City’s website https://www.kalispell.com/268/Permits.
Public Works
The City’s Facebook, Website, and Twitter have been valuable resources for informative
content to aid in the provision of services. We have recently used social media to remind
residents about snow removal operations and preventing pipes from freezing.
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7. Fire Department
From January 1 to January 11 (10 days), the Fire Department had 138 responses. Of the
responses there were: 115 were medical incidents, 3 Motor vehicle accidents, 6 Fire
alarm activations, 7 public assists/invalid, 1 House Fire, 2 Haz-Mat (Gas leak, spills,
carbon monoxide), and 4 dispatched and canceled en-route (typically a fire call to assist
nearby mutual aid fire departments and canceled after they arrive, i.e., Evergreen or
Smith Valley or a no injury vehicle accident, canceled by police).
Total call volume for 2021 was 4,329 incidents as compared to 2020 call volume of
3,931.
New Firefighter-Paramedic academy for our 3 new recruits will start next on January
18. A fourth recruit will join either on that day or shortly thereafter, thus filling all open
vacancies.
The Kalispell Fire Department was able to arrive simultaneously and provide aid with
Smith Valley Fire units to a multi-unit residential structure on Good Country Road in
Smith Valley. There was a working fire in the laundry room and together they made an
aggressive interior attack and contained the fire to the laundry room. Occupants were
temporarily displaced as power needed to be cut to the complex. Fire did not extend into
the individual units.
Fire crews have been conducting annual school inspections with building officials for
Kalispell area schools.