Page 11 - Flathead Beacon // 2.25.15

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS
ScottiBelli’s Executive Chef Takes Reins at North Bay
FEBRUARY 25, 2015 | 11
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Popular Kalispell restaurant closed Feb. 21 and will reopen as 406 Bar and Grille in early March
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
A popular bar and restaurant in downtown Kalispell is closing and will reopen under new management in early March.
Brian Scotti-Belli, executive chef at the Italian restaurant sharing his last name, is taking over North Bay Grille and will reopen restaurant under the name 406 Bar and Grille. Scotti-Belli hopes to open the new restaurant during the first week of March.
“We’re changing it up and we’re go- ing to make it a more laidback experi- ence with tapas, small plates and cool cocktails,” he said.
North Bay has been a staple in Ka- lispell for the better part of a decade, but Scotti-Belli said the owners, who also own establishments in Bozeman and Helena, wanted to focus on their ven- tures in the southern part of the state. They approached Scotti-Belli late last year about taking over North Bay.
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North Bay Grille in Kalispell. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON “They wanted someone dedicated to
the Flathead Valley and someone local, so they came to me,” he said.
ScottiBelli’s in downtown Kalispell, which is owned by Brian Scotti-Belli’s parents, has been branching out in re- cent years. A few years ago the family opened ScottiBelli’s Pizzeria just north of downtown and last year they opened ScottiBelli’s Acqua Pazza in Lakeside.
Scotti-Belli said that although the new 406 Bar and Grille is located right
behind ScottiBelli’s backdoor in down- town, he is not worried about the two restaurants taking business from each other.
“The more options there are, the more people will come,” he said.
For the two weeks North Bay is closed after Feb. 21, the restaurant will be refurbished and given a fresh look. The staff will be retrained as well and Scotti-Belli will revamp the menu.
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Battle Over North Shore Bridge Continues with Lawsuit
North shore group sued county over bridge permit along Flathead Lake
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
Controversy continues to swirl along the north shore of Flathead Lake, where neighbors and residents are clashing with landowners over a bridge being built to a private island.
The Community Association for North Shore Conserva- tion, a local group opposed to the planned bridge from the shore in Bigfork to an island called Dockstader Island, filed a lawsuit in Flathead County District Court against the county and its commissioners, claiming they unlawfully issued a per- mit for the 481-foot bridge in 2011 without notifying the public and hearing input from all sides.
The Flathead County Commission approved the proposed bridge development four years ago without involving the pub-
lic.
The lawsuit claims the county failed to follow the state’s
Lakeshore Protection Act, which sets regulations to oversee development on lakes. The act requires county planning offic- es to publically review construction projects along shorelines that are deemed “significant.” Projects that are considered minimal do not require public review and can be approved by the commission.
The conservation group contends that the bridge project is significant and merits public review.
The landowners, Roger Sortino and his daughter, Jolene Dugan, are in the process of removing the current bridge pil- ings that were installed a year ago and relocating them to a new section of water between their property and the island, where the new bridge is being installed.
Roughly 80 people rallied near the site off Holt Drive in Bigfork on Feb. 15, protesting the county’s decision.
Dave Hadden, the head of the north shore group who lives near the bridge site, successfully filed for a work stop order last week, alleging the landowners had brought in riprap rock as fill for the north end of the island.
Members of the county planning board halted work on the bridge Feb. 17 and investigated, interviewing current and for- mer contractors, the landowners and Hadden. After reviewing the site and the complaint, county planners determined that the project conformed to the permit and did not violate any of its terms, and the order was lifted Feb. 18.
“We had no grounds to continue the stop work order,” BJ Grieve, the county’s planning director, said.
Work continues on the bridge, which aims to restore ac- cess to a portion of private property that was once a peninsula but is now an island. The bridge permit allows it to be 481 feet long and 16 feet wide.
Construction was put on hold last year when the land- owners sought an amendment to the project. Eventually, the landowners decided not to pursue the amendment and work resumed.
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