Loading...
11-03-23 City Manager Report1 City of Kalispell OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER Information Memorandum 11/3/2023 1. Parks and Recreation New entry doors have been installed at the public safety building. The old doors were malfunctioning and the related hardware is obsolete. Fencing has now been installed around the back side of the Woodland Water Park to reduce the amount of vandalism that happens on the north side of the building. A new service gate was also installed on the south side of the facility to allow larger equipment into the pool for maintenance and repairs. Park staff continue repairing a water supply line to the activity pool. The line was installed originally when the pool was built. New seasonal drains are also being installed to provide better access to areas that trap water during the winter months, potentially causing more damage. Forestry staff have finished pruning trees along 12th Street West and Meadows Edge. We are now working in the Bloomstone subdivision. A forestry contractor continues to prune trees between Montana Street and Idaho Street. We are three weeks into the Little Dribbler season. Games are played on Saturdays at Rankin, Peterson, and Linderman Schools from 8am-6pm. 5v5 Adult Futsal league registration is now open. Futsal will begin in November and will take place at Edgerton Elementary on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursday evenings. Teams are guaranteed 9 games and a single elimination playoff. Our fall break Skip Out camp visited Sweet Pickins and had great weather for picking pumpkins and making cider. Our next camp, Camp Freezeout, will be over winter break. Facebook and Instagram will advertise registration details. 2 We are working with CivicRec to bring online registration software to Kalispell Parks and Recreation. This will help streamline our in-house processes and be more convenient for participants registering for our programs and for community members to reserve pavilions. This process will also update us to a point of sale for our office and Woodland Water Park. 2. Public Works 2023 Kalispell Tank and Wells Project This project adds two well facilities, a valve control building, and a 1-million-gallon water storage tank to the Upper Pressure Zone and one well facility to the Lower Pressure Zone. The project was bid and awarded in 4 separate schedules. Schedule 1 was awarded to S&L Underground and is for the Sheepherder Tank Control Valve Building. This facility will allow us to control the filling and emptying of our Sheepherder Tank and our new tank. Piping below the building, the building foundation walls, and floor slab are complete. The work on this schedule has stopped until the precast walls for the building are delivered which is expected to be mid-November. At that time, the contractor is also hoping to have valves delivered which we have been waiting on to make connections to the transmission main. Currently this schedule is about 17% complete. Schedule 2 was awarded to Landmark Structures and is for the construction of a 1-million-gallon elevated tank and a 500 gpm well on Utility Lot 2 to serve the Upper Pressure Zone, which is located on the north side of the City, adjacent to Hwy 93. This project is proceeding on schedule. The contractor completed deep aggregate piers in July. The contractor then completed the under-slab plumbing and poured the foundation for the tank in August. Currently, the pedestal for the tank is being poured and the contractor has poured 10 lifts, bringing the pedestal height to 71 feet above the ground. The contractor plans to complete the pedestal this year and hopes to complete some interior piping and the pedestal ladder system before winter shutdown. This schedule is currently at about 30% complete. Schedule 3 was awarded to S&L Underground and is for the Four Mile Drive Water Well facility. This facility will add a water source to the Upper Pressure Zone and is located south of 4 Mile Drive between Stillwater Road and Farm to Market Road. Piping below the building has been constructed, the building Figure 3 - Picture from July 26th Figure 2 - Picture from October 24th. Contractor prepping to pour the 10th lift. Figure 1 - Picture from July 31st. 3 foundation walls have been poured, and floor slab are now complete. The work on this schedule has also stopped until the precast walls for the building are delivered which is expected to be mid-November. At that time, the contractor is also hoping to have valves delivered which we have been waiting on to make connections to the transmission main. Currently the project is at about 17% complete. Schedule 4 is for the North Main Well. Commencement on this schedule was delayed due to extra time necessary to finish development of the well. The contractor started work on the site in September and has now completed the underfloor piping, the foundation walls, the floor slab, and the water main connections to the transmission main. Currently this project is about 25% complete. 3. Planning Department The Kalispell City Planning Board will hold a public hearing at their November14 meeting and take public comments on the agenda items listed below: 1. File #KA-23-07 - A request from Dusty Acres, LLC, for annexation and initial zoning of R-4 (Residential) for approximately 51.8 acres. The area to be annexed includes property generally on the west side of Highway 93 North to the south of Hagerman Lane and adjacent to the city limits on the south and west sides of the property (the boundary of future phases of Stillwater Village), including, but not limited to, property addressed as 170, 180, 190, and 200 Hagerman Lane. The annexation area also includes property on the east side of Highway 93 North generally between Hagerman Lane to approximately 200 feet north of Ponderosa Lane, including, but not limited to, property addressed as 3327 Highway 93 North. 2. Files #KPUD-23-03 and KPP-23-09 – A request from Stillwater Development Partners, LLC, for Stillwater Bend Phase 2, which includes applications for a Planned Unit Development (“PUD”) overlay and major preliminary plat on approximately 30.5 acres of land. The property was annexed in 2017 as part of a 56-acre placeholder PUD with 25.5 acres along Highway 93 zoned B-2 (General Business) and the remainder zoned RA-2 (Residential Apartment/Office). In 2020, the B-2 area received a full PUD approval with the RA-2 remaining as a placeholder PUD. This PUD proposal would encompass the remaining area. The proposed PUD would allow for 432 multi-family dwelling units. The preliminary plat includes four lots, roads, and common area. The property is located at the western terminus of Rose Crossing to the west of Highway 93 North 3. File #KCU-23-05 – A request from Immanuel Lutheran Communities for a conditional use permit to allow the expansion of an existing residential care Figure 4 - Picture from October 24th. Contractor working on piping connections. 4 facility on property located at 185 Crestline Avenue and for a building height exceeding sixty (60) feet. The expansion, called the Lofts at Buffalo Hill, will include 40 new assisted living apartment units in a four-story addition along with a fitness area and parking on the first level. A conditional use permit is required due to the property’s location in an H-1 (Health Care) zone. The building is planned to be up to 68 feet tall to allow for the parking area under the structure and for improved architectural design. Under the zoning ordinance, sixty (60) feet is allowed as a matter of right and an unlimited height is allowed with a conditional use permit. The addition will be located in the northwest portion of the property along Claremont Street. Following the public hearing, the Planning Board will also hold a work session on the items listed below: 1. Public Participation Plan - As part of the transition of the City’s land use procedures under the new Montana Land Use Planning Act (Senate Bill 382), the City will create and adopt a Public Participation Plan that describes how community members and stakeholders will be involved in the process of adopting, amending, and updating the growth policy/land use plan as well as land use regulations. The Plan is intended to raise awareness, provide a roadmap for the public to outline a clear and accessible public process, ensure input is sought, and be considered by a broad range of participants. This work session is anticipated to begin the discussion of the framework for that Plan. Documents pertaining to the agenda items are on file for public inspection at the Kalispell Planning Department, 201 First Avenue East, Kalispell, MT 59901, and are available for public review during regular office hours. In addition, information on the agenda item is posted on our website at https://mt-kalispell.civicplus.com/314/Planning-Board under planning board “upcoming agenda.” 4. Building Department In the last 3 weeks, we have issued permits for 2 single-family homes. This brings the total of new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the year to 97, compared to 142 last year at this time. There have been 427 multi-family housing units issued so far this year. Last year at this time we had issued 628 multi-family housing units. There were a total of 331 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last 3 weeks. Residential – 46 Plumbing – 25 Commercial – 49 Mechanical - 29 Electrical – 21 Fire – 161 5 5. Community Development Development Services submitted a grant application to HUD’s PRO Housing program requesting $1.3M to hire a new, full-time Senior Planner for a period of three years to carry out or procure, administer, and report on the following activities to support increased production of affordable housing in Kalispell: • Housing Study • Water Facility Plan • Wastewater Facility Plan • Growth Policy, Zoning, and Subdivision Updates. PRO Housing is a new grant program expected to distribute $87 million dollars through approximately 20 grants nationwide with funding announcements expected in 2024. 6. Fire Department From the period of October 11 to October 24, the Fire Department had 151 responses. Of these, there were 97 medical incidents, 1 vehicle fire, 8 motor vehicle accidents, 9 fire alarm activations, 8 public assists, 5 Haz-Mat incidents, and 22 with nothing found or dispatched and canceled enroute. The three new firefighter/paramedics are in the last week of their Fire Academies and will be assigned to a shift FTO and go to 24 hour shifts the first week in November. Preparation for a November 4 active shooter/mass casualty drill at Logan Health is underway. A Federal Training program for Fire Officer 1 is scheduled to be delivered on Nov 27 through Nov 30 for all Captains and Acting Captains. Logan Health nurses and members of the Thompson Falls ambulance service have been riding with ambulance crews for field observations. A federal Fire Instructor course is planned for December for KFD members and those officers needing to complete for Captain position requirements. Crews have been busy with smoke detector installs/battery change outs, fire extinguisher training, and station tours for community members and schools. Best Practice Medicine has delivered two days of EMS training on chemical sedation. Different topics are taught quarterly to help meet the hourly continuing education requirements for Paramedic and EMT’s. 6 7. Police Department Our year-to-date Calls for Service comparison for the last three years is as follows: 2023-31882 2022-30300 2021-29350 Our year-to-date Felony Case Load comparison for the last three years is as follows: 2023-528 2022- 570 2021 – 461 Our K9 team attended K9 first aid training here in Kalispell that was hosted by the Flathead K9 Foundation. Our team learned valuable canine first aid training to help with injuries and accidental drug overdoses. SRO Oster participated in the Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). CIT programs create connections between law enforcement, mental health providers, hospital emergency services and individuals with mental illness. Through collaborative community partnerships and intensive training, CIT improves communication, identifies mental health resources for those in crisis and ensures officer and community safety. SRO Allen participated in Crisis Negotiation Training. Crisis negotiating prepares you to handle a variety of crisis situations including those involving hostage takers, barricaded subjects, and potential suicide victims.