Kalispell City Council on Tuesday accepted a federal grant to help fund safety improvements on Oregon Street and retime several traffic signals around downtown.  

Also during the meeting, Council adopted a naming policy for public parks and facilities, approved final plats for two subdivisions, hired a consultant to conduct a citywide housing study and confirmed the newest member of the Kalispell Police Department.  

Council voted unanimously to give City Manager Jarod Nygren the green light to execute the grant agreement, which will fund high-visibility crosswalks, rapid flashing beacons and speed feedback signs on East Oregon Street between Sunset Boulevard and Seventh Avenue EN, a road that many have deemed the unofficial bypass to East Idaho Street.  

Traffic signals at 10 intersections along First Avenues East and West, North Meridian Road and Fifth Avenue East are expected to be retimed to give pedestrians a head start to enter the crosswalk before vehicles receive a green light. Known as a leading pedestrian interval, the change makes pedestrians more visible to drivers turning left or right.  

The city was awarded $720,180 through the Safe Streets and Roads for All Demonstration grant program, which requires a $180,045 local match. Council can use tax increment financing funds to cover $167,545 of its share for the traffic signal retiming work, according to Community Development Manager Nelson Loring.  

While the grant agreement requires the upgrades to be temporary in nature, Nygren said that the retimed traffic lights and improvements to East Oregon Street, for example reflective paint marking crosswalks, are permanent in nature. He added that the city will be subject to a pre- and post-evaluation by the federal government.  

Retiming the traffic lights is estimated to cost around $450,000, but Public Works Director Susie Turner said the preliminary figure is subject to change as crews determine whether the lights need software upgrades or the replacement of equipment. 

Councilor Dustin Leftridge asked whether the upgrades would make crosswalk buttons on First Avenue East work, but Turner said that she was unsure until each light was evaluated.  

"There's just so many unknowns I have at this time," Turner said. 

Councilor Sid Daoud said he was pleased to see plans to retime the traffic signals at North Meridian Road's intersections with Two Mile Drive, Liberty Street and Three Mile Drive. He compared trying to cross the corridor to playing the arcade game "Frogger."  

Hunter said the East Oregon Street improvements were a response to public complaints about speeding and high volumes of traffic along the corridor.  

"I'm happy to see us move forward on some of this, and just note that a lot of our proposals have been scaled back by the federal government, unfortunately," Hunter said. 

The Safe Streets and Roads for All Demonstration Grant faced a few speed bumps since the city applied for funding in 2024.  

The city originally sought $10 million through the grant program to fund traffic calming measures on Fifth Avenue West and Oregon Street, as well as to retime traffic signals downtown.  

Kalispell ultimately received only $2.4 million, which required a $600,000 local match. City officials were under the impression that the money would go toward permanent quick-build improvements on East Oregon Street, including the installation of mini roundabouts.  

But after President Donald Trump took office, the Federal Highway Administration changed its tune, requiring the money to be used on removable upgrades rather than permanent, concrete ones.  

Council in October 2025 backed away from accepting the grant, arguing that the short-term changes were not worth the cost and that they would likely be torn up by snowplows during the winter.   

City officials then asked the Federal Highway Administration if the money could be repurposed but did not get a response until about a week and a half ago that the grant needed to be executed before Sept. 10.  

Nygren said he would normally schedule a work session to discuss the matter before bringing it to a vote, but there was not enough time before the fast-approaching deadline. 

COUNCIL ALSO adopted a policy governing naming and renaming requests for city parks and other public facilities.  

"The intent is to create a fair, transparent and consistent process while ensuring that the names of public assets reflect Kalispell's identity, history and long-term community interests," City Planner Donnie McBath said.  

The policy sets naming criteria based on geographic and cultural significance, facility function and individuals or organizations that have made lasting contributions to Kalispell, according to McBath.  

COUNCIL APPROVED final plats for two developments. 

Hunter cast the sole vote against the request from developer Stillwater Residential 1, LLC, for final plat approval of the second phase of the Stillwater Bend development.  

The area, located along the Stillwater River west of U.S. 93 and between Lincoln Street and Rose Crossing, is around 16 acres and includes one multifamily lot.  

Hunter said he voted against the proposal when it first came before Council because the development received a variance from the city's riparian buffer requirements. 

"I've been pretty consistent about voting against projects that do that," Hunter said.  

Council granted Developer Whitefish West Limited Partnership's request for final plat approval for phase 5C of the Northland Subdivision development. The land is around 10 acres that encompasses 28 single-family lots. The property sits west of Northland Drive and south of Four Mile Drive.  

Councilor Kari Gabriel, who represents the ward where the project is located, cast the only dissenting vote.  

IN OTHER business, the city hired Cushing Terrell to conduct a study of the municipality's housing market.  

The city received 11 submissions after issuing a request for proposals in August. The newly formed Housing Advisory Committee interviewed three finalists and selected the architecture, engineering and design firm.  

Newly confirmed Kalispell Police officer Sierra Waitkus received a standing ovation from councilors after completing her probationary period with the Police Department.  

"Officer Waitkus' calm demeanor, compassion and dedication to service align well with the Kalispell Police Department's mission," Chief Jordan Venezio said.  

Council also appointed Flathead County Administrator Pete Melnick to represent the county on the Urban Renewal Agency board.  

A change in state law required the five-person body to include county and school district representatives. Kalispell Public Schools has not yet submitted an application, but Leftridge said the school board is working on one.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.