Happy Wednesday, readers. At last week’s Urban Renewal Agency meeting in Kalispell, I sat inside a small, packed conference room to hear the latest proposal for redeveloping the Kalispell Center Mall. (In case you missed it, Kalispell city councilors with soon consider a request from Texas developers to use Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district funds to demolish Herberger’s and connect 3rd Avenue West, among other street improvements.)
Before city staff discussed the mall however, they reviewed a TIF request from the Kalispell Business Improvement District (KBID) for replacing downtown street furniture. Zoë Buhrmaster here to take you through some cityscapes improvements.
The paint on many of the maroon city benches (see image below), trash receptacles, and planter boxes is deteriorating and exposing rust.
“To tell you the truth, I was on the committee that chose the lovely maroon color that faded so quickly on the benches that we have in downtown Kalispell, so I plead guilty,” KBID Board Member Marshall Noice said. “Having said that, it’s essential that downtown Kalispell put our best foot forward. For a very small investment, we can do that just by replacing some infrastructure that will make our downtown a more pleasant place to do business.”
KBID is looking to replace and add 63 steel benches, 55 receptacles and 54 planters throughout the general downtown area. The TIF request is for $508,650, with 80% of the request to come from the Downtown TIF district and 20% from the Westside TIF. The city would own the municipal site amenities while KBID would be responsible for maintaining it.
The cost estimates include $2,500 per bench for a total of $157,500, $110,000 for the receptacles and $66,366 for the planters. Concrete and sidewalk work associated with replacing the site furnishings is estimated at $50,400 and the construction contingency is 5%, at $24,224.
Removal and installation is estimated to cost around $100,000, though Swank Enterprises has offered to do the removal and installation for free. If they are able to do it during the proposed schedule, KBID would only spend $408,490 of the TIF request.
“I think this is an appropriate use of TIF funds, like this is exactly what it’s supposed to do,” Flathead County Administrator Pete Melnick said at the meeting.
Kalispell city staff approved the request, advancing it to city council for final approval.
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