Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 10.5.16

NEWS
Developer Pitches 96-Unit Apartment Complex on Airport Road Multi-family apartments proposed in area targeted for urban renewal, potential new school
BY DILLON TABISH OF THE BEACON
Developers are pitching a three-story, 96-unit apartment complex on Airport Road that would be annexed into city limits on the south end of Kalispell.
Ho mann Morgan & Associates, a Missoula-based architecture and engi- neering rm, submitted an application to the City of Kalispell on Sept. 7 for a condi- tional-use permit on behalf of the devel- opers. The proposal, named The Lofts at Ashley, is to build ve, three-story buildings with parking and landscaping on a 3.79-acre section of open land at the corner of Airport Road and Teal Drive. The property is adjacent to city limits and the large subdivision that includes South Meadows near Ashley Creek. It would require a zoning change to RA-2,
The Lofts at Ashley. COURTESY RENDERING
or residential apartment/o ce.
City sta is still working on a report to deliver to the planning board, which
is scheduled to review the proposal at its Oct. 11 meeting in City Hall.
The proposed multi-family
development would include 81 two-bed- room units and 15 three-bedroom units. There would be 177 vehicle parking spaces.
The apartment complex could emerge in an area with heightened redevelop- ment plans. The city has developed a new urban renewal plan for the south end of Kalispell at the same time the U.S. 93 Alternate Route is nearing com- pletion and the school district is hoping to build a new elementary school, which would be located on Airport Road near the proposed apartment complex. The urban renewal plan includes a proposal to expand and improve Cemetery Road as new residential and commercial growth is expected throughout the area.
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
New Support Group for Survivors of Domestic Abuse Draws Concerns Leaders in local survivor support community voice worries about lack of training
BY CLARE MENZEL OF THE BEACON
Starting on Oct. 6, Restart4Us, a wom- en’s ministry in Evergreen, will begin a weekly evening meeting “attending to abused women in ‘Christian’ relation- ships,” as Pastor Bob Thornton recently wrote in a document detailing the pro- gram’s purpose.
The credentials of the three women who will lead the group include “God- given gifts of close listening and instruc- tion,” as Thornton said, but they have not had any speci c specialized domestic vio- lence or trauma-informed training, nor has Thornton, who plans to work with groups of male abusers during the session.
“Are they trained counselors? Not so much,” he said, adding, “I don’t have domestic violence training.”
“Secular training is no more advanced
than the Bible,” he continued. “The words Jesus spoke are su cient to meet any needs. (Secular society views) this abuse as a certain thing that needs spe- cial training. It doesn’t need training ... We’re not trying to do mental health care. It’s more spiritual.”
While spirituality may be involved in the complicated emotional and psycho- logical problem of partner abuse, trau- ma-informed treatment, safety planning, and community collaboration are other necessary pieces to the puzzle, accord- ing to Hilary Shaw, executive director of the Abbie Shelter and violence-free cri- sis line, a service provider for survivors of domestic violence in the Flathead Valley for 40 years.
“The problem of providing these ser- vices without training is that it’s dan- gerous for survivors,” Shaw said. “The
danger of providing domestic violence services without having domestic vio- lence training is you can perpetuate myths, you can provide inappropriate guidance.”
“The word of the Bible is not su - cient,” she added. “(Providing support to survivors of trauma) is not something you just do because you have a big heart ... I feel scared about survivors seeking help (at Restart4Us).”
She also expressed concern about Thornton working directly with abusers without training because, as she said, “the whole identifying factor is that they’re manipulative.”
For nearly ve years, the Faith Cov- enant Church in Kalispell has o ered services to survivors of domestic abuse through a program called the Refuge, which Shaw called “fantastic,” as well as
a 40-week-long men’s group called Turn- ing Point. They currently serve over 25 women, and the program is based on scripture, but it’s also informed by exten- sive, domestic violence-speci c, and trauma-informed training.
“We believe that training is neces- sary,” Sissy Hashley, director of the Ref- uge, said. “Domestic violence in and of itself is such a big monster. The Bible speaks speci cally to oppression — which is how we translate abuse, as oppression — but it doesn’t speak speci cally on how to handle oppression and what coun- seling is most e ective and the reasons behind supporting a woman.”
“For a doctor, (the Bible) wouldn’t tell him to do surgery,” she continued, draw- ing an analogy. “We think (training), it’s the only way.”
clare@ atheadbeacon.com
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