Hoping to curb the horde of rowdy motorists that descend upon Legends Stadium’s parking lots at night, Kalispell City Council on Monday curtailed the lots’ hours of operation.

Both the main lot and overflow lot, which sits between Airport Road and First Avenue West, will close at 7 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. The lots will reopen at 6 a.m.  

Councilors, though, carved out an exception for events that go later into the evening.  

The city-owned overflow lot was built in 2021 to ease parking congestion from school-related events. It is also used for snow storage over the winter. 

Motorists caught in the lots after 7 p.m. will be trespassing.  

Some councilors expressed concern over inconsistent hours of operation across city lots but ultimately agreed to close the Legends Stadium lots early, hoping it will successfully deter the disruption. 

Dale Bolz of Kalispell addressed Council on Monday night and over several past meetings on behalf of residents frustrated by loud and reckless cars taking over the stadium parking lots after dark for over a year.  

He has described blaring horns, high-powered headlights illuminating nearby homes, and people partying with drugs and alcohol.  

“The cockroaches come out, they do their burnouts, and then they just drive away. And nobody can catch them,” he told Council on Monday. He said many would remain in the lot even after 11 p.m. when it is closed.  

The Kalispell Police Department has only received complaints from one individual over two months, according to City Manager Doug Russell.  

“We do know that that activity is occurring though,” he added. 

Councilor Jed Fisher expressed concern over putting more on the Police Department’s plate, saying they “just have bigger fish to fry.”  

“I think it is going to be a nightmare for our Police Department,” he said.   

Councilor Sid Daoud worried over people being confused by ambiguous signage regarding lenient hours when there are events, but Councilor Kari Gabriel disagreed.  

“I don’t think it’s as hard as we are making it,” she said. She suggested signage saying that event parking is allowed past 7 p.m.  

Police Chief Venezio noted that if the hours are enforced in the parking lot, the drivers are going to move elsewhere. He said that there have been disruptive drivers at Flathead High School as well.  

COUNCIL ALSO mulled over adjustments to police and fire impact fees following a review conducted by the Impact Fee Committee.  

The maximum allowed charges saw an adjustment due to growth and upcoming capital improvements to the Kalispell Fire Department. The fees were last adjusted in 2015 and were adjusted again to forecast for the next 20 years.  

Impact fees are one-time charges on new developments to cover the cost of new infrastructure, like buildings and equipment. They shift some of the cost onto the new customers, so the burden isn’t only on existing ones.  

The fire impact fee adjustments account for funding for an eventual fourth fire station, an engine to be stationed there, and a wildland interface apparatus.   

Police impact fees are currently set at $41 per residential until, $31 per apartment unit, and $16 per 1,000 square feet of commercial space. Fire impact fees are currently $482 per residential unit, $367 per apartment unit and $350 per 1,000 square feet of commercial space.    

The maximum allowed charge for police and fire impact fees decreased for both residential and apartment units but increased for commercial development. City Hall is legally able to ask up to the maximum allowable cost but has typically asked for much less.   

Councilor Ryan Hunter said he saw increasing impact fees as a necessary evil so that the public safety departments can meet the level of service required.  

Councilor Chad Graham proposed keeping the fees on the low end, saying it will attract more developers. 

The maximum allowable police impact fees decreased from $277 to $192 for residential units and from $210 to $154 for apartment units but increased for commercial space from $179 to $555 per 1,000 square feet of build space.   

The maximum allowable fire impact fees decreased from $1,067 to $782 for residential units and from $811 to $626 for apartment units but increased for commercial space from $778 to $1,168.   

Council is expected to make a decision on fee adjustments June 2.  

AT THE end of the meeting, Gabriel extended her sympathies to the first responders who handled an apparent murder-suicide in North Kalispell on May 11.  

Investigators with the Kalispell Police Department believe 33-year-old Nicholas Olson-Hartley shot his wife and two young children in their Werner Peak Trail home on Mother’s Day.  

“They’ve been on my mind and the family’s been on my mind and I just don’t know what else to say. It’s awful,” Gabriel said.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 or [email protected].