Kalispell City Council on Monday is expected to decide whether to apply for a federal grant to reconfigure Main Street.

Council meets June 2 at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.   

The Main Street Safety Action Plan, adopted by Council last summer, identified high-risk intersections and streets downtown. Main Street, First Avenue East and First Avenue West were prioritized to receive an array of traffic safety upgrades.  

The three thoroughfares saw a combined 379 crashes between 2018 and 2022, and traffic has grown dramatically in part because of increased tourism and population growth in the Flathead Valley, according to the resolution to apply for the grant.  

But aspects of the plan have sparked heated debate among residents and business owners, predominantly its proposal to slim down Main Street to lanes in either direction separated by a dedicated left-turn lane. The space freed up by the loss of pavement would be used for wider sidewalks spanning up to 10 feet. Parallel parking access would remain along the downtown strip.  

Council invited the community to a May 19 public hearing regarding the project. There, community members expressed concern over the potential for traffic congestion caused by the lane reduction to spill onto surrounding roads. Others warned that fewer lanes would do little to quell reckless driving, whereas tougher traffic enforcement might curb poor behavior. 

According to a city study, the reduction would delay traffic by 30 to 60 seconds. The delay is projected to increase to between 60 and 90 seconds by 2045. 

Supporters of the project argued that the wider sidewalks and reduced lanes would generate more business for downtown shops and restaurants. Residents on both sides of the argument agreed that Main Street storefronts don’t see enough foot traffic.   

Frustration with a lack of parking also emerged many times during the hearing, but the grant program can only be used for traffic safety improvements, not parking construction.   

If approved by Council, the city will ask for $25 million from the Safe Streets and Roads for All competitive grant program.  

Established under former President Joe Biden, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law set aside $5 billion in grants to support regional, local and tribal initiatives to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.  

Council will decide on Monday night whether to move forward with applying for the grant, which councilors appeared inclined to do during past meetings.  

The grant also requires a 20% match, which would come from a mix of downtown and westside tax increment funds, according to the memo.  

More info about the Main Street Safety Action Plan can be found at tinyurl.com/mtdnz2m7.  

ALSO ON the agenda, Council is expected to accept a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks grant that would go toward improvements to city-owned aquatics facilities, updated signs and fund construction of a climbing wall. 

The grant, which was awarded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, amounts to around $126,000, according to a city memo. 

Council will also vote on whether to schedule a public hearing on changes to police and fire impact fees for June 16.  

The fees were last adjusted in 2015 and were adjusted again to forecast for the next 20 years. 

The increased fees are intended to help cover capital improvement costs tied to the public safety levy passed by voters in March 2024. For example, the updated fire impact fees would help pay for an eventual fourth fire station.  

Council is expected to contract Process Wastewater Technologies LLC for $839,000 to procure equipment for upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment plant.  

The city is moving away from sending its biosolids to Glacier Gold Composting amid its closure but must first pay for facility upgrades and new equipment to meet the Flathead County Landfill’s standards, where biosolids will eventually be sent.  

Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 and [email protected].