03-29-24 City Manager Report1
City of Kalispell
OFFICE OF THE CITY
MANAGER
Information Memorandum
3/29/2024
1. Parks and Recreation
We have been monitoring the field conditions at KYAC and starting to get facilities put
together so water service can be turned on to them. Once turf and skinned surfaces can
support daily use, we will open the facility for the year. We are estimating April 1 to be
the first day the facility is open for the season.
Improvements continue at the Depot Building. HVAC should finish this week, with
electrical following the HVAC work. Parks crews are finishing some detail work while
we are waiting for the rest of the flooring to be installed.
Forestry crews continue to prune trees in the Ashley Park subdivision. The 50/50 tree
cost share program is available and can be found on the Parks and Recreation website.
The Spring Little Dribblers season is now half complete. Little Dribblers is designed to
teach the fundamentals of Basketball to 4 year olds through 4th graders in
a noncompetitive setting.
Spring Soccer registration is open until Friday, April 5. Sessions are
offered on either Wednesday or Thursday evenings starting
on April 17.
Spring Break Camp is under way. The participants have been enjoying the
Olympic theme and competitions.
We are starting to prepare for summer and are encouraging people to make sure they
have created an account in our new CivicRec registration software system. Registration
for all our summer programs, including Camp Woodland, will open April 15.
We are currently seeking sponsorships for the upcoming Picnic in the
Park concert series. Since 1992, The Picnic in the Park summer concerts
series has held a long-standing tradition of bringing a varied genre of
great music to its weekly free concerts. We offer free concerts on
Tuesday nights and Wednesdays at lunchtime throughout summer in
Kalispell’s downtown Depot Park. This concert series would not be
possible without the dedicated support from local businesses and
2
individuals throughout the Flathead Valley.
We are hiring for summer lifeguards, pool concessions, camp recreation aides and more.
2.Public Works
5 Globe Rehabilitation
Traffic Signs & Signals (TSS) is continuing to work on the rehabilitation of the 5 globe
decorative lights in the downtown area. The rehab consists of:
•Pole-repair rusted areas and powder coating for weather protection
•Wiring-replace old weathered wiring
•Heads- upgrade head placement for easier service, hardware, and replace globes
•LED Upgrades - replaces ballasts and installed energy efficient LED bulbs
Emerging Contaminant PFAS Action
PFAS sampling for all the City’s water production wells is happening this week.The
anticipated timeframe for receiving results is approximately two months. Once staff
receives the results, the website will be updated with the relevant information. The
website (Consumer Drinking Water Notice - Emerging Contaminants (PFAS) | Kalispell,
MT) has been updated with relevant information regarding past sample results and
current action items underway, including the submittal of emerging contaminate grant
and loan forgiveness applications for new projects to aid Kalispell in meeting the
upcoming proposed PFASs Drinking Water Regulations. New source wells could be used
to replace the sources and/or as an additional source to blend water and reduce the overall
PFAH concentration introduction to the water system. The public is encouraged to sign
up for website update notifications located on the city’s website Notify Me • Kalispell,
MT • CivicEngage, and check the Press Release/Public Service Announcements option.
3.Building Department
In the last 2 weeks we have issued permits for 6 single-family homes. This brings the
3
total of new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the year at 35, compared to 10
at this time last year. There have been 0 multi-family housing units issued so far this year.
There were a total of 213 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last
2 weeks.
Residential – 34 Plumbing – 13
Commercial – 22 Mechanical – 18
Electrical – 17 Fire – 109
4.Planning
At its meeting on April 9, the Planning Commission will hold public hearings on the
following projects:
1.File #KA-24-02 – Cindy and Steven Radosevich have submitted an application
for annexation and initial zoning of RA-1 (Residential Apartment) for property
located at 255 Three Mile Drive at the northwest corner of Three Mile Drive and
North Riding Road. The annexation would allow the property to connect to
municipal sanitary sewer.
2.File #KGPA-24-01; KA-24-03; KPP-24-01 – Frank Garner and MT Seven
Properties have submitted applications for Tronstad Meadows and Whitetail
Crossing, including requests for (1) a growth policy amendment extending the
city annexation boundary to encompass this property; (2) annexation; (3) initial
zoning of R-3 (Residential); and (4) preliminary plat approval for 380 lots on
approximately 110.5 acres, including lots, roads, and common areas. The property
is located on the north side of Tronstad Road between Highway 93 North and
Whitefish Stage Road, opposite Sirucek Lane.
5.Community Development
Environmental assessment work is being conducted by Montana Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) at the 3rd & Main parking lot. To date, an underground
storage tank roughly 8’ in diameter and 24’ long was discovered at the site containing
what is believed to be a type of petroleum product. Once sample results are available,
removal, transport and disposal options will be determined. Every effort is being made to
conduct the work as efficiently as possible to minimize disruption of use. Updates will
continue through the process.
At the March 25, City Council work session, the potential for extending the developer’s
agreements for the Charles Hotel and associated parking garage and multi-family
structure was discussed, with direction provided to bring this forward at an upcoming
meeting for action.
The Safe Streets and Roads for All planning project for Main Street is seeking public
4
input. Information can be found at: https://www.mainstreetkalispellsafetyplan.com/ and
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/af5387d2a6444daebfc0295a1f25d90e. The next open
house will be scheduled in May.
6. Fire Department
Kalispell Fire responded to a total of 161 calls during the last 2 weeks, (03/13-03/26). Of
these, there were 116 medical responses, 7 motor vehicle accidents, 5 public assists, 9 fire
alarm activations, 3 fire calls, and 21 dispatched and cancelled enroute.
Crews are working on vehicle extrication and low angle rescue.
3 Firefighters are in Missoula for Hazmat ToxMedic programs.
A nationally recognized, Incident Safety Officer class was hosted by KFD and had 27
firefighters from around the state in attendance.