Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 7.9.14

14 | JULY 9, 2014 NEWS
City Seeks to Solve Parking Congestion
Around Flathead High School
Citizen group, Kalispell planners propose new district, permitting system to address parking shortfall
FLATHEADBEACON.COM
Flathead High School. BEACON FILE PHOTO
ing or unsafe driving and 25 percent said
vandalism/theft.
While other issues are yet to be ad-
dressed, and discussions are ongoing with the school district, the issue of park- ing is the first to be solved.
Last year the high school had a de- mand for 598 parking spaces, and the school district had space on-site for 371, leaving a need for 227 spaces. The three- block radius surrounding Flathead has 877 total spaces available, according to the planning department.
Kevin LeClair, senior advisor with the planning department, said volun- teers went door-to-door to more than 200 homes asking residents if they would support the creation of a residential parking district, and 88 percent of re- spondents were in favor. Five residents, or 3 percent of the respondents, were op- posed.
For more information on the pro- posed parking district, visit the planning department’s website at Kalispell.com.
[email protected]
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
When Flathead County High School was built on Fourth Avenue West in 1903, its three-story brick presence sat rather solitary among newly planted trees, rub- ble streets and the budding community. The Model T Ford, the catalyst of main- stream American automobiles, was still eight years from production.
Fast forward 111 years, and the origi- nal high school has expanded to accom- modate more than 1,500 students. An- other school — Elrod Elementary with its roughly 300 students — has emerged two blocks away. And the surrounding neigh- borhoods are all lined with single-family homes in the heart of Kalispell.
Also, seemingly everyone owns a car.
Hoping to address long-standing con- cerns over parking, littering and other issues related to bustling neighborhood schools, city planners and residents have turned their attention to the three-block radius surrounding Flathead High.
After holding community meetings
and surveying area residents in the last year and a half, city officials and a citizen subcommittee have drafted a possible solution: the formation of a parking dis- trict.
A residential parking district is a tool commonly used by communities seek- ing to address impacts of large parking generators, such as schools and hospi- tals. Kalispell’s designated district would range from 10th Street West to Third Street West and Seventh Avenue West to First Avenue West. Within that bound- ary, on-street parking would require a permit from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, when school is in session from late August through early June. Per- mits would be issued to property owners and residents with proof of ownership or residence, and the permits would cost between $10 and $20 annually to cover the cost of administering the program, according to Kalispell city officials. The city’s police department would enforce the permits, and violators would be fined $20. Certain vehicles would be exempt,
such as contractors working at residenc- es, buses and ambulances.
The citizen subcommittee, made up of area residents within the district, reached a consensus on the details of the district, according to the city’s planning department.
The city’s planning board will discuss the proposal at a work session at 6 p.m., July 8. After the work session, the board will schedule a public hearing accepting input before forwarding the matter to the city council for a final decision.
Residents approached the city near- ly two years ago raising concerns about parking and littering in the neighbor- hoods surrounding Flathead High, and the subcommittee was formed to work with the planning department. Surveys were mailed to the 279 residents within the potential new district, and 68 were returned. Residents were asked to list their top 10 concerns in the neighbor- hood — 67 percent cited trash, 42 percent identified parking, 32 percent said smok- ing/tobacco use, 29 percent said speed-
How did
D.A. Davidson & Co. grow to be the largest full-service investment firm headquartered in the Northwest?
One relationship at a time.
406-752-6212 or 1-800-955-2208
200 First Ave. E., K-M Bldg. Kalispell, MT 59901
406-862-2101 or 1-888-564-3008
14 West Second Street
Whitefish, MT 59937
D.A. Davidson & Co. is not a tax advisor. Before investing, you should always consult your tax/legal advisor about the specific tax consequences and advantages of your situation.
What’s Going On?
Check the BEST Events Calendar in the Flathead Valley!
www.flatheadevents.net
SMARTPHONE QR CODE