Will Whitefish be a one-horse town?

It’s something the Whitefish City Council will determine tonight as it considers a request to start a one-horse, one-carriage business in the city.

Stacy Reid, a Northwoods Drive resident, proposes to operate Tamarack Carriage Routes as an option for weddings, anniversaries and sightseeing. Reid plans to try out the carriage on weekends at first to see how much demand there would be.

She anticipates 30- to 45-minute tours to give tourists “a taste of what this lovely town has to offer.” Reid has mapped out routes around the city that she said have been carefully considered not only for scenic appeal but also for speed limits and traffic flow.

Reid is asking the council to approve a spot on Depot Street near the train depot where she can station the carriage when it’s not in use between tours. She has permission from The Lodge at Whitefish Lake and Grouse Mountain Lodge to use their parking lots as turnaround spots and brief standing areas.

Proposed routes are along East Edgewood Drive, Wisconsin Avenue, East Second Street, West Seventh Street, Lion Mountain Drive, Baker Avenue, JP and Monegan roads, U.S. 93 and sections of other city streets.

According to city codes for use of public ways, the council is authorized by motion to designate places on city streets where public and private hacks, buses and taxicabs can stand when not in use.

In other business, the council is poised to reject both bids the city received for the Depot Park gazebo project. The city has $120,776 available in the tax-increment fund for the project, including a $15,000 grant from Whitefish Rotary.

A 30-foot elevated, handicap-accessible gazebo is proposed, with electrical outlets and lighting.

A bid from Frontier Builders of Montana came in at $243,635, and a second bid from Davidson Construction was for $342,247, close to a quarter-million dollars over the tax-increment set-aside.

City staff is recommending the council reject both bids.

There are no public hearings scheduled tonight.

The meeting begins at 7:10 p.m. at the interim City Hall, 1005 Baker Ave. in Whitefish.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.