Page 18 - Flathead Beacon // 4.15.15

18 | APRIL 15, 2015
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The bank is offering unsecured loans of up to $5,000 with zero percent in- terest, no fees and a flexible, four-year payment schedule. The bank set aside $200,000 to facilitate the program, Bennett said, and recipients receive a 10 percent discount from Hanson’s Hard- ware and a contractor’s discount from Columbia Nursery for project materials.
“We’ve got about eight businesses that have indicated they are willing to take part in the program. It’s really been taking off and turning into a buzz in the community,” Bennett said.
Bennett launched the project as an incentive for business owners to give the downtown core a facelift and embark on outdoor improvement projects through- out the canyon, as far as West Glacier, a concept that plays to Columbia Falls’ brand as the “Gateway to Glacier Na- tional Park.”
The downtown area has already had some upgrades in the past year, with Xanterra Parks and Resorts – the con- cessioner for Glacier National Park – moving into and refurbishing the old First Citizens Bank building, convert- ing what was previously a prominent gap in the community corridor into an active business.
City officials are also developing an urban renewal plan that would include
a tax increment finance district, which is a mechanism used to spur economic redevelopment. If established, the TIF district would allow the city to direct property taxes that accrue with new de- velopment to urban renewal or redevel- opment activities. Kalispell and White- fish have successfully established TIF districts to help fund sizeable revital- ization projects.
Two new auto stores – Auto Zone and O’Reilly’s – have also taken up residence on U.S. 2, resulting in a $1 million tax base increase for the city.
Darin Fisher is preparing to open a new microbrewery in Columbia Falls, called Backslope Brewing, with plans of opening in July or August, and The Pal- ette Café will relocate to the new build- ing to serve lunch and dinner. The Three Forks Grille also expanded, adding an old-style Italian deli with paninis, sand- wiches, and specialty meats and chees- es. Up the road, Basecamp Café has been slinging breakfast downtown, while the new Teakettle Cafe is offering Asian cui- sine.
Rep. Zac Perry, D-Columbia Falls, grew up here, and when the freshman legislator returned home from Hel- ena after the Legislature’s transmittal break he said he was amazed at the new developments.
“I was in awe of all the positive devel- opments taking place,” Perry said.
Casey Malmquist, the founder and general manager of the Columbia Falls- based SmartLam, a cross-laminated timber (CLT) facility, is preparing to expand his manufacturing plant at the Columbia Falls Industrial Park north of town. When complete, the facility will be the largest CLT plant in the world.
The Gateway-to-Glacier trail group has also been instrumental in establish- ing Columbia Falls as a destination for tourists who visit Glacier National Park. The group working to build a seamless bike path connecting Columbia Falls to Glacier, and the nonprofit was recently notified that it was on the short list of programs eligible for funds through the Federal Land Access Program, which is providing $635,000 with a 13 percent match from the Montana Department of Transportation.
Sarah Dakin, president of the non- profit group, said the Flathead National Forest and MDT offered enormous sup- port, while residents from West Glacier to Coram and Columbia Falls have been backing the project in droves.
“It’s truly been a collaborative effort because everyone recognizes the many benefits of this trail system,” Dakin said.
At their new location, the Byrds have
O’Brien Byrd recently moved his business
near downtown Columbia Falls and will host a community market on the property this summer. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
opened for business in a 5,000-square- foot building while refurbishing the old Western Building Center lumber shed, where they’ll host a new community market that will accommodate 60 ven- dors and seven farmers.
And while Byrd is confident his new location near the city center will evolve into a community hub, he sees a reser- voir of untapped potential.
“We’ve got 2.2 million tourists com- ing through Glacier National Park every year, and 95 percent of them are com- ing through Columbia Falls,” Byrd said. “But they look at us like we’re a pit-stop, and that’s not very flattering.”
To capture more of that tourist traf- fic, Byrd and Columbia Falls city offi- cials have been advocating paving a sec- tion of the North Fork Road to Camas Road and into Glacier National Park to boost traffic through town and rebrand it as a true gateway community.
Whether to pave the Inside North Fork Road has been debated for years, but Glacier Park officials and residents along the North Fork of the Flathead River oppose the project, saying the