The Whitefish City Council is scheduled to consider the final plat for a 15-lot subdivision off Armory Road, as well as a plan to secure a state tourism grant for artwork on the soon-to-be-completed Baker Avenue pedestrian underpass.

The council's virtual meeting will begin at 7:10 p.m. Monday. Meeting documents and instructions for tuning in via Webex video conferencing can be found on the city's website.

The council approved a preliminary plat for the Mountain Brook subdivision in July 2019 and will consider the final plat tonight. The area is zoned for single-family homes on the north side of Armory Road, on the far east end of town.

The Whitefish Public Works Department submitted a letter to the council saying the developer has met all conditions for the final plat, including drainage and snow removal plans, tree preservation and vegetation management plans, approval from the state Department of Environmental Quality and construction of a bike path along the adjacent stretch of Armory Road.

In lieu of donating parkland, the developer also provided a check for nearly $19,000 to be deposited into the city's Park District fund, the department said.

THE STRUCTURE of the Baker Avenue underpass is largely complete, but crews have yet to install a concrete pathway, lighting, railings and landscaping. The contractor on the project, LHC Inc., has begun installing the walls on either side of the tunnel. As of Nov. 10, the city had paid LHC about $730,000 of a $1.65 million contract, according to a report from City Manager Dana Smith.

According to a report from Public Works Director Craig Workman, the city early this year approached Stumptown Art Studio to pitch ideas for artwork on the interior walls of the tunnel. The department's staff "feels strongly that a well-designed artistic component within the tunnel will help promote the project and reduce the likelihood of graffiti on the walls," Workman wrote.

Meanwhile, Whitefish Legacy Partners has received two tourism grants totaling $95,000 from the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development for development of the Whitefish Trail. The organization used some of that money to install "wayfinding" signs along the city's bike and pedestrian paths, Workman wrote.

Under the Public Works proposal, the city would team up with Stumptown and WLP to apply for another tourism grant for a combination project that "will help locals and visitors locate the Whitefish Trail via updated vehicular signs, navigate local bike and pedestrian paths with new trailside directional signs and enjoy inspiring community driven artwork along the way."

The tourism grants are funded by the state's 4% "bed tax" on stays in hotels and other lodging. The city wants to apply for a grant of $36,500 for its project, which has a projected total cost of $55,000. Under the Public Works proposal, the city and the art studio each would contribute $6,500, while the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau would pitch in $2,500. The city also would provide about $3,000 in labor and equipment.

Artists already have devised concepts for the multimedia tunnel installation.

"The art will represent geographical features of the Flathead Valley, sculpted in durable glass panels and attached over a painted background on the walls of the tunnel," Workman wrote.

SEPARATELY, THE council is scheduled to vote on a resolution to rename a portion of State Park Road. The stretch north of Lake Park Lane would become Patton Lane.

According to Smith's report, the contractor LHC recently finished paving State Park Road, which is now open to two-way traffic, and city staff are "optimist that the contractor will be able to reach substantial completion before winter shutdown."

As of Nov. 10, the city had paid LHC about $1.96 million of a $2.76 million contract for the project, Smith wrote. Remaining work includes about 1,500 feet of pedestrian path, fencing along the Whitefish Lake Golf Club and completion of a lighting system.

Reporter Chad Sokol can be reached at 758-4434 or csokol@dailyinterlake.com