Kalispell City Council will take up the issue of a proposed pre-release center among other topics at a 7 p.m. work session this evening, at which no formal votes are allowed.
The pre-release center has been in the works for some time, with a committee that has met twice monthly for more than a year. If approved, an existing 12,750-square foot office building at 2282 U.S. Highway 93 South would be modified and expanded to accommodate a 40-bed facility.
Following a public hearing March 10, the Planning Board voted 6-1 in favor of the pre-release center with six conditions. Prior to the hearing, 10 letters of opposition were received, five people spoke against allowing the pre-release center to be operated in Kalispell, and a petition with 146 names opposing the issuance of a conditional use permit allowing the pre-release center.
The six conditions imposed would be: 17 parking spaces required; several modifications to existing parking lots to avoid potential conflicts between parked cars and traffic; correction of some utility easements; the applicants must enter into a “payment in lieu of local property taxes” agreement with the city to compensate for the municipal services provided when the facility becomes tax exempt; the facility must be operating with 18 months from the date of authorization, or have a continuous good faith effort underway to do so.
Also on the agenda tonight:
–The Kalispell Fire Department is proposing to raise certain ambulance rates in order to compensate for a $79,000- revenue attributed to the slumping economy and declining responses due to Evergreen ambulance. Fire Chief Dan Diehl also proposes eliminating the $200-out-of-city response fee because it has not generated anticipated revenue.
–The council will consider amending the growth policy clarifying how certain roads are extended in the northwest part of the city.
–The council will also consider issuing a conditional use permit to Calloway Borthers, LLC to begin building a development consisting of eight apartment buildings containing 65 units total along Meridian Road.