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02-02-24 City Manager Report1 City of Kalispell OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER Information Memorandum 2/2/2024 1. Parks and Recreation The new replacement sinks for Lawrence Park bathrooms have been installed. These were replaced as they were broken by vandalism last fall. Doors will be replaced next. Updates continue at the Depot Park building. Parks crews have reinforced stairs leading to the basement and added a handrail. Drop ceiling tiles have been ordered to replace the broken, stained and miscolored tiles. Interior painting continues with approximately 60% of the work complete. New energy efficient windows have been installed. New cabling (IT and access control) has been run throughout the building to the new server rack. The Montana Historic Preservation Grant to replace the roof, gutters, and repaint the exterior of the building is almost ready to submit. We are currently collecting letters of support. Forestry crews continue to prune trees in the Empire Estates subdivision and Westview Park Place. The goal in pruning these young to medium sized trees is to establish good branch structure that will require less pruning down the road, improve health, and safety. Futsal League playoffs are set to begin on February 13, with the Finals on February 21. Futsal league takes place at Edgerton Elementary on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Registration for the Spring Little Dribblers season that starts on March 9, is open. Little Dribblers is designed to teach the fundamentals of basketball to 4-year-olds through 4th grade in a noncompetitive setting. The registration deadline is on February 25. There is still space to register for our final session of the Learn to Skate program. Learn to Skate is for anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals of ice skating and is 4 years old and up. Each session will include four lessons that take place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. We are two weeks through the Kalispell Kickers season. Kalispell Kickers is designed to teach the fundamentals of Soccer to 3-year-olds 2 through 4th graders in a noncompetitive setting. Games will be played at Rankin Elementary from 9am-5pm. Flathead Cheerleading Camp is nearly full. The cost is $47 for out-of-city residents and is for ages 4-13 years. A portion of proceeds go to the cheer squad to help support their program. Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to do stunts, cheer, and perform at a varsity basketball game. Our next School’s Out Camp will be Spring Break from March 25-29. Registration will open February 12. The camp offers kids the opportunity to go spend their break going on field trips to indoor bouldering, Lone Pine State Park, doing crafts, and enjoying the warming weather. We are excited to announce a new introductory tennis program, Tennis is Elementary! This program provides young players the chance to learn basic fundamentals, teamwork, and sportsmanship from qualified tennis instructors. Using smaller rackets, nets, and court sizes, Tennis is Elementary gives kids the opportunity to learn and to start to play. This popular nationwide program teaches life skills, tennis, and teamwork in a fun environment that allows students to stay active while learning. Participants get 8 focused 1-hour lessons that meet once a week after school in the Elrod school gym. All equipment needed to run the camp is provided, and the coach to player ratio is kept close to 6:1. The sessions are broken into an intro activity, fitness component, lesson focus, and games. The camp uses stations to ensure that kids are moving the whole time and are not standing in line. Tennis is Elementary is for kids in Kindergarten through 5th Grade. Lessons will start February 20, and will be held at Elrod Elementary School. This program is made possible through a partnership with USTA Montana and Logan Health Tennis Center. 2. Public Works Kalispell Water Operators – Main Break On-call crews were made aware of water coming out of the intersection of Woodland Ave and Center St around 11AM on Saturday January 13. Temperatures at the time were approximately -30°. Water crews mobilized to the site and began excavating to locate the leak source. As is typical during winter conditions, the point in the asphalt where the water is coming up isn’t always directly above the break in the water main. This case was no different and field crews had to spend extra 3 time “chasing” the leak. They eventually located the leak on the pipe approximately 8’ south of where the water was present. During this time, crews faced challenges to keep equipment functioning, such as keeping the dewatering pumps thawed. The leak was fixed around 6PM and crews had the excavation backfilled and road open to traffic by 8:00PM. Solid Waste Master Planning Survey The City of Kalispell is gathering input from residents and businesses as part of an ongoing Solid Waste Master Plan. To date, we have received survey information from over 300 participants. The survey asks about current services and approaches that are being considered to support the City’s future solid waste needs. The survey can be found by clicking on the following link : https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TTWCZHJ. 3. Planning Department The Kalispell City Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at their February 13 meeting and take public comment on the agenda items listed below: 1. Depot Park Building Montana Historic Preservation Grant - The City of Kalispell intends to apply for a Montana Historic Preservation Grant (MHPG) in the amount of $286,338. The purpose of the grant request is to enhance the historic landmark's exterior. The project involves installing a new roof, gutters, and exterior paint. The completion of these improvements will transform the landmark into a welcoming space for both the community and visitors. This initiative is poised to have a positive economic impact, attracting more people to our area and providing a boost to local businesses. A public hearing to solicit comments for the aforementioned project in accordance with the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). All interested persons will be given the opportunity to express opinions regarding the proposed project and any environmental impacts. It is expected that the proposed project is exempt under Montana ARM 8.2.304(5), as the project includes minor repairs, operations, or maintenance of existing equipment or facilities and will not have the potential for causing a significant effect on the quality of the human environment; potential public controversy over the project’ possible effect on the quality of the human environment; and potential to affect sensitive environmental or cultural resource areas or endangered or threatened species and their critical habitats. The MHPG Program is a state- funded program created in 2019 as a result of Senate Bill 338, Sections 1 through 17. The MHPG Program is designed to support public or private entities with the preservation of historic sites, historical societies, or history museums through grant funding. Written comments may be submitted to the Kalispell Planning Department at 201 1st Avenue East, Kalispell, prior to the date of the hearing, or you may call (406) 758-7940, or e-mail us at planning@kalispell.com for additional information. No action will be taken on this agenda item. 2. File #KA-24-01 – A request from TTC Investments, LLC, Scoreboard Sports Bar, LLC, and Mitch Tormohlen for annexation and initial zoning of B-1 (Neighborhood Business) for property located at 520 Lenwood Lane and along 4 the east property line of 51, 55, and 75 Woodland Park Drive. The property totals approximately 17,400 square feet. It consists of a recently abandoned alley right- of-way and a lot used as parking for the Scoreboard Bar. 3. 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. The Commission will hold a formal public hearing and forward a recommendation regarding the adoption of the Plan to the City Council for its consideration. 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 Planning Commission | Kalispell, MT (civicplus.com) under Planning Commission “upcoming agenda.” The Planning Department, along with representatives from Bozeman, Billings, and Helena, provided the Montana Legislature’s Local Government Interim Committee with a status report on Senate Bill 382 (the Montana Land Use Planning Act) at the Committee’s meeting on January 24. The discussion included steps each city has taken towards implementation of SB 382, challenges the cities are facing, and suggestions for potential amendments. The discussion regarding challenges included concerns about aggressive timelines, cost, public participation and loss of local control. Potential amendments might include additional time beyond the current May 2026 implementation date and the possibility of additional grant money to assist cities with the cost associated with developing new land use plans. 4. Building Department This year, we have issued permits for 1 single-family home. This brings the total of new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the year at 20, compared to 6 at this time last year. There have been 0 multi-family housing units issued so far this year. Last year at this time, we had also issued 0 multi-family housing units. There were a total of 198 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last 3 weeks. Residential – 40 Plumbing – 19 Commercial – 24 Mechanical – 27 Electrical – 11 Fire – 80 5 5. Community Development Community Development is working with Kittelson & Associates on the Safe Streets and Roads for All Safety Action Plan for Kalispell’s Main Street corridor. The intent is for significant opportunities for public participation in the planning process and for a draft plan to be prepared in July. Additional information can be found at the following: SS4A- Community-Engagement-Planpdf (kalispell.com). 6. Fire Department From the period of January 10, to January 30, the Fire Department had 289 responses. Of these there were 177 medical incidents, 8 Haz-Mat incidents, 4 motor vehicle accident with injuries, 2 house fires, 28 fire alarm activations-smoke scares, 3 outside fires, 23 public assists, and 43 with nothing found. Ice Rescue technicians performed their annual recertification at Foys Lake. Crisis Assistance responder Sarah Gehl has been riding with crews for orientation and interaction with patients. Crews taught CPR and First Aid to the Flathead County Civil Air Patrol. Crews trained with Flathead County Search and Rescue at Station 62. This involved orientation of each agency’s equipment, rope rescue techniques, etc. Crews did joint Haz-Mat training with the State of Montana’s Civil Support Team from Helena on radiological monitoring.