With Kalispell school officials opposing a paid permit parking district over concerns of student attendance and safety at a recent Kalispell Planning Board hearing, the question becomes: What is an alternative?

Parking congestion in the neighborhood around Flathead High School has been an area of contention for decades. The impact was lessened when Glacier High School was built, but with a current enrollment of 1,432 students and approximately 130 employees at Flathead — the problem is ongoing.

Flathead does issue parking permits for its student parking lot. A total of 402 student permits have been issued this year, according to Flathead High School Principal Peter Fusaro.

He said there are 307 student parking spaces, seven handicap spaces and nine visitor spaces. These spaces are reduced in the winter due to snow plowing piles.

School-related parking congestion extends to Elrod Elementary School.

Kalispell Public Schools Superintendent Mark Flatau said he, along with Kalispell Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Dan Zorn, Flathead High School and Elrod administrators, will meet on Thursday to come up with a proposal to submit to the Planning Board.

Alternative ideas such as building a parking lot over a district-owned grassy area on the east side of Flathead High School or building a parking garage are among the options.

Finding a long-term solution that is financially feasible for the district concerns Flatau. Currently, he said there is no district revenue stream to address something as expensive as a parking garage.

“We don’t have a pot of money that it would require,” Flatau said.

Fusaro offered his opinion on a possible solution.

“A win-win solution would be for the city to implement a TID (tax increment district) and buy up vacant lots to use for parking. This would have no financial impact on the neighborhood.”

Fusaro said a parking district would not solve parking congestion, only push it farther away.

“It doesn’t solve the problem; it just changes the problem,” Fusaro said.

City of Kalispell Senior Planner Kevin LeClair had an opinion on building more parking lots.

“The city is not interested in seeing more parking lots built. Parking lots don’t do a lot for neighborhoods,” LeClair said, noting that parking lots reduce space for houses, businesses and “green” areas for community enjoyment.

“To build a parking lot that will go unused for three months out of the year, cut down trees, or bulldoze houses is not good for the westside neighborhood,” LeClair said. “It’s a complex issue.”

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the parking issue and the proposed paid permit parking district Oct. 14 at City Hall. Afterwards, the board may decide to forward a recommendation to the City Council.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at [email protected].