Whitefish City Council last week voted unanimously to approve a permit for a car wash to be located at 6335 U.S. 93 South, the former site of the Big Mountain Thrift Store.    

Rocky Mountain Car Wash owner Riley Irwin plans to build a facility with four self-service bays, three automatic wash bays and several self-serve vacuum stations.   

Irwin said his company is looking into a silenced dryer system and more robust options for water recycling. 

Lea Doherty, with her husband, Dennis, owners of The Whitefish Superwash directly across the street, made an impassioned plea in opposition to the new car wash. They cited traffic, safety and the ongoing reality of large corporations coming to Whitefish to “make a buck.” 

“Do your constituents expect you to preserve our unique, small-town atmosphere that supports local business owners that live and work here, like we do?” Doherty said. “Or do they want you to green light projects by out of firms?”   

The council discussed the lack of a traffic impact study for the new business. Whitefish Public Works Director Craig Workman said the city had a study completed for the nearby Snowing Mountain subdivision but since this project has access to a signalized intersection and the project engineer supplied information suggesting the car wash would see less than 200 vehicle trips per day, a study was not performed. 

THE COUNCIL also voted to approve a permit for Kemo Sabe, a retail store at 20 Spokane Ave., to use a full liquor license and operate a bar in the store. The vote was 3-2 with Councilors Rebecca Norton and Steve Qunell in opposition. 

Whitefish City Planner Lauren Macdonald explained that in 2019 the planning board approved a conditional use permit for a winery operated at the same location. The permit runs with the land in perpetuity. 

“However, the current proposal involves a bar/lounge use which is classified differently under the zoning code,” Macdonald said. “As such, a new CUP is required to proceed with the proposed use.” 

Councilors were concerned about the business’s hours of operation and were assured by the applicant the hours would be 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. 

“We do love this town. The sales have been beyond our projections,” Bobby Kunkle, owner of the retail chain, said. “This will only add to the value we can provide to the core city.” 

EROSIOIN CAUSED by boat propulsion at the base of the boat ramp at City Beach has exposed lakebed sediment and has weakened the ramp’s structural integrity. 

The council voted unanimously to allow the repair. There was no public comment. 

The proposed project involves the installation of precast concrete panels over a riprap foundation to reinforce the ramp and prevent further erosion. Additional site improvements include resurfacing the driveway, reinforcing the embankment and replanting native vegetation.   

The plan is to use inflatable cofferdams to facilitate the work and minimize turbidity. Brandon Theis of Civil Solutions said all necessary permits have been secured. The work is set to begin in October. 

“I’m certainly glad to see this project move through,” Mayor John Muhlfeld said. “This is our most heavily used park and it’s a huge amenity to the city of Whitefish, so thanks for bringing this forward.” 

Awarding contracts for the City Beach boat ramp extension project and for the Monegan Road reconstruction project was given the go ahead. 

Whitefish Parks and Recreation Director Maria Butts reported that JD Thinning was the low bidder for both the boat ramp extension job and the boat inspection drive lane improvements. 

JD Thinning’s quote is about $200,000, which is over budget by about $7,000. Butts said that amount will likely to be offset by expenditure savings throughout the year. 

The contract for the Monegan Road project will be awarded to Knife River. It submitted the lowest responsible bid of nearly $934,000, which was below the engineer’s estimate. 

Workman said Knife River is a reputable contractor who has completed other projects of similar size and scope.  

Phase 2 of the Monegan Road improvement project is expected to be funded by the gas tax, stormwater and street funds.