Page 22 - Flathead Beacon // 2.18.15

22 | FEBRUARY 18, 2015
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CITY HALL
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lays will likely push back plans to break ground on the project this spring.
Whitefish Mayor John Muhlfeld ad- mitted that council had changed its di- rection since the Jan. 5 meeting, and asked Tintinger to bear with the city councilors, who must all be comfortable with the plan before moving forward.
“I have no confidence that we will get to a point where everyone agrees be- cause there are so many different opin- ions,” Tintinger said, agreeing to bear with the city council.
A three-story City Hall building with a full basement, the parking struc- ture and retail space is estimated to cost $14.6 million. Construction of the third floor is estimated to cost $950,000.
A new City Hall building has been in the cards for Whitefish since 1987 when it was identified as a priority in an urban renewal plan. In 2005, a downtown mas- ter plan also specified the need for a new facility.
Whitefish city employees are spread out across several locations and the ex- isting building is outmoded, according to the downtown master plan. The city looked at remodeling the existing build- ing, but it wasn’t logistical or financially feasible due to structural deficiencies.
The parking structure will include 265 parking spots. A study showed the need for 200 additional downtown park- ing spaces during periods of high de- mand and congestion in the downtown area.
In 2011, the council established a steering committee to help usher the divisive project to fruition. The project was approved only after a months-long process during which council members clashed over fundamental differences about the project.
The city initially earmarked $11.5 million for the project, which passed only after Muhlfeld cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of building at the current city hall location.
The city of Whitefish is now propos- ing a Tax Increment Bond for the proj- ect to provide $15 million in funds -- $14 million for the project and $1 million to cover moving expenses and to lease in- terim offices for two years.
City Manager Chuck Stearns said the project will stress the tax increment funds, and funding for other projects,
such as the Depot Park project, will be limited.
The steering committee is composed of Muhlfeld, a city council member, city staff, a licensed architect, members of the public and representatives from the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce and the Heart of Whitefish downtown sup- port group.
Council also voted unanimously to request designs showing the building without a third floor. Council said it still needs more information before deciding on whether to construct a third floor.
Council is also reconsidering a previ- ous vote to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for the new City Hall building. In De- cember, Muhlfeld broke a tie vote in fa- vor of pursuing the certification for the building.
Since then, Muhlfeld said he has learned that the costs for the certifica- tion could be much higher than original- ly presented.
The rising cost of the project has ran- kled some in the community, particular- ly as the price tag continues to swell.
“We agree that additional public parking is desperately needed in down- town Whitefish, and we don’t question the need for new, more efficient and professional offices for our city govern- ment,” Whitefish Chamber of Com- merce Director Kevin Gartland said. “The question for us is one of cost, of liv- ing within our means, and of making the wisest possible investment of taxpayer dollars.”
Rick Blake, a wealthy philanthropist who lives in Whitefish, has been critical of the project, which he said is not cost effective and should not be located on such a prominent downtown corner.
“This monumental government building was a bad idea when we op- posed it in 2011,” Blake said. “Now it's only gotten worse.”
Others expressed approval of the project, and said each new design pro- gression has transformed the new build- ing into a better fit for downtown White- fish.
Rhonda Fitzgerald told councilors she liked a diagonal entry, and that its brick facades makes it “look like a build- ing that has always been here in White- fish.”
More information is available at the city of Whitefish website at http://www. cityofwhitefish.org.
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