Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 8.5.15

NEWS
CITY BEAT
WHITEFISH
Judge Approves Gated Community
A Whitefish judge has ruled that a sub- division can close its roads to the public, despite the city’s efforts to ban gated communities.
Flathead District Court Judge Rob- ert Allison ruled July 16 that residents at Grouse Mountain Estates can install gates across its roads, saying the White- fish City Council’s ban on gated streets does not apply to the private subdivision.
The dispute began when Grouse Mountain Estates installed temporary gates during construction on Highway 93 West, when motorists were using Moun- tainside Drive as a shortcut.
Last year, Grouse Mountain Estates Homeowners Association filed suit against the city arguing that roads within the estate are private and can be closed to the public. The lawsuit sought to under- mine the city’s policy on gated communi- ties, and claimed the roads were private and exclusive under a 1997 final plat for the subdivision.
WHITEFISH
Temporary City Hall to be Located on Baker Avenue
The city of Whitefish will moves its offices to a temporary building on Baker Avenue while the new Whitefish City Hall and parking structure are built.
The interim City Hall will be located at 1005 Baker Avenue in the Stampede Square Office Building, which was used to house the city planning and building department from 2005 to 2010.
The city offices will relocate to the 13,461 square-foot space for up to two years at a lease rate of $8,500 per month. The Whitefish City Council on July 20 approved a one-year lease at a cost of $102,000.
Construction of the new City Hall and parking structure is slated to begin in September at the corner of Baker Avenue and Second Street, the site of the existing City Hall.
The combined cost of the two build- ings is $14.95 million.
KALISPELL
Hotel Planned to Open Near Kidsports Complex in Spring 2016
Initial construction is underway along U.S. Highway 93 near Kidsports Complex as developers are preparing to build out the 28-acre section of land that will be the next phase of the north side’s bustling retail district.
The first confirmed addition is a hotel that is scheduled to break ground this fall and is slated to open in spring 2016. Last week city planners reviewed the ini- tial site plans for the entire 28-acre plot of school trust land as crews were busy bulldozing the existing trees and former
state lands office. Infrastructure will be constructed first, along with a new reten- tion pond for storm water drainage.
City staff expect developers to submit preliminary plans for the hotel in the coming weeks.
The hotel will be located on the north- west corner of the lot along Old Reserve Drive across the street from Costco. The entire lot is being divided into 14 parcels, or building pads, that would include four larger anchor sites. A parking lot would be situated in the middle of the phase.
The site is expected to feature national retailers similar to other phases in the area. The previous phase of devel- opment involving Cabela’s led to nearly 115,000 square feet of new commercial space.
Developers expect other sites to break ground in the next 12 months.
COLUMBIA FALLS
EPA to Host Public Meeting on CFAC Site Investigation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be hosting an open house on the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company Plant Superfund site investigation on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
The event is from 7-8:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers at the Columbia Falls City Hall, 130 6th St., West.
EPA staff will be available to answer questions and to discuss current site
LINCOLN
Public Comment on EPA’s Plan For Libby Ends This Week
The public has until Aug. 7 to submit comments about the Environmental Pro- tection Agency’s final plan for the Libby asbestos contamination cleanup.
Earlier this year, the EPA released a human health assessment that outlined possible clean up plans and institutional controls for Libby and the surrounding area. Libby has been the epicenter of one of the largest Superfund sites in Ameri- can history following an asbestos con- tamination that has sickened thousands and killed hundreds in the years since the W.R. Grace & Co vermiculite mine closed north of town.
Since the early 2000s, more than $500 million has been spent to clean up more than 2,000 private homes and properties in the area. Because of those efforts, air asbestos concentrations are now 100,000 times lower than when the mine was open.
Once the final public comments are in, the EPA will work on the final clean up plan to be released later this year. The EPA’s Libby Team Leader, Rebecca Thomas, said that it is impossible to remove all of the asbestos from Lincoln County and that some of the product would be left in place.
Thomas said the final plan for Libby
activities, the Superfund program and how the public can be involved in deci- sion-making related to the site investiga- tion. This will be an informal discussion, and participants may drop in any time during the session.
The plant, located just north of Colum- bia Falls, has been proposed for listing by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the federal Superfund pro- gram’s National Priorities List. EPA is in the process of responding to the com- ments received during the public com- ment period.
CFAC officials announced the plant had permanently closed in March after years of failed efforts to reopen the alu- minum reduction facility.
The site operated as a primary alu- minum reduction facility between 1955 and 2009. Contaminants detected at the site include cyanide, fluoride, and met- als, such as arsenic, chromium, lead, and selenium. These contaminants are pres- ent in soils, surface ponds and groundwa- ter and, if not addressed, could pose a risk to nearby wells and the Flathead River.
EPA and the State of Montana have determined that a comprehensive inves- tigation of the site is necessary to develop effective cleanup actions to address these risks.
Congress established the Superfund program in 1980.
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should be released by December. How- ever, the plan will not include the origi- nal W.R. Grace mine site.
“Even though the public comment ends on Aug. 7, the conversation with the community will continue long after that,” she said.
To see the EPA’s plan and for more information visit www2.epa.gov/ region8/libby-asbestos
LINCOLN
Long-Time Fire Chief Retires
The fire chief of three rural Lincoln County communities has retired.
Dawain Burgess, fire chief of the Trego Fortine Stryker Fire Department, announced his plans to retire on July 14. Late last month, the fire department board appointed his replacement, long- time firefighter Isaiah Williams. Addi- tionally, Station Captain Tristan Miske has been promoted to assistant chief.
According to a press release, Burgess said he plans on spending more time with his family. Burgess has been instru- mental in modernizing the department’s equipment and the construction of a new fire station on U.S. Highway 93.
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NEWS
COUNTY BEAT
The former Walmart building in Evergreen. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
FLATHEAD
County Reaches Tentative Agreement to Buy Former Evergreen Walmart
Flathead County has come to a ten- tative agreement with the owners of the old Walmart in Evergreen to pur- chase the building and the land around it for $2.8 million.
The county hopes to turn the nearly 130,000-square-foot building located along U.S. Highway 2 into a detention center and sheriff’s office, according to county administrator Mike Pence.
Pence said on July 28 that the county and the owners of the building have a verbal agreement to sell the building for $2.8 million, or about $21 per square foot. Since then, the county has sent a let- ter of intent that will finalize the price. After that, the county will have 60 days to
complete an environmental study, feasi- bility study and an appraisal. Those proj- ects will cost a combined $39,700. Once they are complete, the county commis- sion will vote on whether to finalize the deal. Pence said the county could own the building and the 14 acres of land around it within three months.
“We wouldn’t have put this much energy and effort into this if we didn’t think it would work,” he said. “This will save the taxpayers money.”
Jail space in Flathead County is at a minimum. The existing jail, located near downtown Kalispell, was built to house 63 people, but the daily inmate popu- lation currently averages around 100 people, forcing the staff to double-bunk the inmates and turn away non-violent offenders.
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AUGUST 5, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM