Daily Interlake | Peregrine Frissell | June 22, 2018

Soil softened from recent rain made the digging a little easier as officials used golden shovels on Thursday to officially break ground at the site where CHS Mountain West Co-op facilities will be built in Kalispell’s new Glacier Rail Park.

Several dozen people gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony at the 40-acre rail park. The presentation was given on ground that will hold a 486,000-bushel grain storage facility.

In a speech before the groundbreaking, CHS Mountain West Co-op General Manager Mark Lalum said they are excited to be moving into the new rail park. The project is the culmination of a lot of effort and cooperation from a lot of different people, including farmers, he noted.

“You [farmers] were the real builders and creators of the city of Kalispell,” Lalum said. “You were the main cog in the creation of Kalispell and now you are the cog that will allow us to go onto the next step.”
​
Read the full article here.

​By Peregrine Frissell | Daily Inter Lake

Plans to rip up the railroad tracks that bifurcate downtown Kalispell and construct a pedestrian corridor in their place have been inching forward for months.

On Thursday, those plans got a lift on a pack of old railcars the city recruited to show interested residents what the path would look like from the ground.

Representatives from Alta Planning, KLJ Engineers and the Pacific Railcar Operators led tours using old railcars to give area residents a chance to visualize the route they will soon be opening up to pedestrians.

​See the full article at the Daily Inter Lake here.

​

Designers, city officials, public are riding the rails this week to plan future trail
By Justin Franz // June 5, 2018 // Flathead Beacon

Trail designers, city officials and the public are getting a look at Kalispell from a vantage point they rarely get to: from the railroad tracks that cross downtown and will soon become a new walking trail.

This week, the City of Kalispell is kicking off a “deep dive,” a series of events to let the public have their say in how the rail trail from Woodland Park to Meridian Road will be designed. On Monday, local leaders, trail designers and the media rode a “hi-rail truck” – a pickup truck that can drive on rails – from downtown Kalispell to Evergreen.
​
“This was a really unique opportunity to see the city from the rail,” said Pam Carbonari, former mayor of Kalispell and Kalispell Downtown Association coordinator. “There’s so much potential.”

Read the full article at the Flathead Beacon.

 
"Deep Dive" community participation events happening all this week are driving how the Kalispell Trail and Complete Street Project design is progressing through the first phases of the design process. A variety of opportunities for community members to meet with the design team, city staff, and stakeholders are happening all this week. So far, these interactive, immersive meetings have been well-attended and the flow of ideas and excitement does not seem to be slowing down. 

If you have not yet participated in this "Deep Dive" event to weigh-in with your ideas, visions and concerns for this project, please do not hesitate! Tuesday night the team will be interacting with the public at Sunrift Brewery, 5 to 7 p.m., located next to the future trail at 55 1st Ave W N. If Wednesday evening works better for you, the evening round-table from 5 to 7 p.m. will take place at ImagineIF Library of Kalispell. The Kalispell Center Mall will host the Thursday evening round-table from 5 to 7 p.m. Daytime hours work better for your schedule? The team will be available 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce located at Depot Park, Wednesday and Thursday.

Alta Planning and Design and KLJ Engineering have been working on sketches and design alternatives from the input they have been receiving. On Friday, everyone is invited to a Design Alternatives Presentation to see and hear some vision alternatives that have flowed from the Deep Dive feedback. This will take place Friday, June 8, 2018, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the Kalispell Center Mall in the former Herberger's Junior Store. Hope to see you there!