Opinion|Reporter's Notebook from Flathead Beacon
This is shaping up to be a big year for the Kalispell Parkline Trail
By Myers Reece//Feb 4, 2021

On Aug. 22, 2017, surrounded by a crowd of 200 people that included local, state and federal leaders, Mayor Mark Johnson called the groundbreaking of the Glacier Rail Park, part of the ambitious Kalispell Core and Rail Redevelopment project, “truly a transformative moment.”

“This is the moment in history 50 years from now we will look back on and realize the pain and sacrifices we made were well worth the effort,” Johnson continued.

While it would have been nice to wake up the next day and see the entire trail system in place with rows of shimmering new businesses lining the corridor, that’s obviously not how these kinds of historic undertakings work.

Fast forward a few years, the rail park is finished and full of tenants, but the railroad tracks through town still sit in place, an extended waiting period that came on the heels of a years-long planning process, plus many more years of discussion. Taken altogether, it’s been a long time since the ball first got rolling.

In other words, while I believe that Johnson’s talk of a “transformative moment” will prove prescient, the early stages of transformation, from bureaucracy to Brownfields to bulldozers, take a lot longer than a ceremony, and aren’t nearly as fun.
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But the fruits of our patience and officials’ persistence in ushering in the transformation are about to become far more visible and tangible this year. Not only will the tracks be pulled up, but the trail itself is expected to be started and completed within the calendar year.

Read the full article from the Flathead Beacon here.

Following review of the Supplemental Environmental Assessment and summation of public comments, the Federal Railroad Administration has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for the Glacier Rail Park/Kalispell Core Area Development and Trail Project. This exciting development paves the way for the selection of a north-south street connector and final design of the Kalispell Parkline Trail.
 
The 2019 Supplemental Environmental Assessment and 2020 Finding of No Significant Impact can be viewed online: https://www.kalispell.com/164/Community-Development
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4th and ZURI is expanding its store to add more connectivity to the future recreation area
BY MAGGIE DRESSER // DEC 31, 2019
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Although the railroad tracks still remain intact, the future Kalispell Trail is seeing more businesses and developments alongside the recreation destination, which will run through the heart of the city.
Currently undergoing renovations, 4th and ZURI, located on Fourth Avenue West North, will add to its mercantile store and transform into a multi-use building called ECHOS, which will include boutiques, Airbnb’s and more.

The full article at the Flathead Beacon at: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2019/12/31/future-kalispell-rail-trail-attracting-businesses/ 

By Justin Franz | DEC 30, 2019 | Flathead Beacon

Just after 5 p.m. on Dec. 27, a long freight train rolled across U.S. Highway 93, briefly tangling rush-hour traffic in the heart of downtown Kalispell. For most people waiting in their cars, it was a brief inconvenience, one that has unfolded many times over the last century.

But little did the people in their cars know, they were also witnessing history.

On Dec. 27, just four days shy of the 128th anniversary of the Great Northern Railway’s arrival, the Mission Mountain Railroad ran its last freight train out of downtown Kalispell. The final train was the result of years of work to move the railroad out of downtown and redevelop Kalispell’s long-underused industrial core. Officials expect the two miles of track to be ripped up next year to make way for a new trail connecting Woodland Park with Meridian Road.
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Click here for the rest of the story at the Flathead Beacon.

December 28, 2019 | By Bret Anne Serbin | Daily Inter Lake
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The final train is expected to roll down the railroad tracks through downtown Kalispell by the start of the new year.
“It’s my understanding that by January 1 there will be no more use of the rail,” Kalispell Planning Director Jarod Nygren said.
It’s one of the last major milestones in a decade-long process to remove the tracks from downtown, relocate the rail users to the new Glacier Rail Park and replace the tracks with an approximately 2-mile long multi-use trail.
The tracks are expected to be out and the trail will be in place in the spring or summer of 2021. The ongoing use of rail service was the final obstacle to the long-awaited removal of the tracks.
Rail tenant CHS moved into Glacier Rail Park east of town in the fall, and now its neighbor, Northwest Drywall, is also wrapping up its downtown operations and relocating to the new industrial park.
Read the full story at the Daily Inter Lake here.

December 12, 2019 | By Bret Anne Serbin | Daily Inter Lake

Northern Plastics Inc. announced Thursday the company will relocate to the Glacier Rail Park in Kalispell, a move that will fill up the remaining space at the new industrial park off Whitefish Stage Road.
The announcement was made at Montana West Economic Development annual meeting. Northern Plastics will join CHS and Northwest Drywall in the new industrial park.
Northern Plastics owner and founder Mark Hufstetler said the injection molding company hopes to build its new 40,000-square-foot facility in the rail park by next fall. In three to five years, the company plans to expand to a total of 90,000 square feet across the 9.49-acre property.
The company currently operates out of a smaller building on Montana 35 that was built in 2005 and expanded this past summer.
“One of the things we’ve been looking for, for a couple years now was actually rail,” Hufstetler said at the annual meeting. He feels the new industrial park perfectly meets this need and provides the space for his company’s large machinery. Northern Plastics manufactures plastic products such as water meter covers.

Read the full article at:
https://www.dailyinterlake.com/local_news/20191212/northern_plastics_to_take_remaining_rail_park_space

December 12, 2019| By Bret Ann Serbin | Daily Interlake

Bridgewater LLC has purchased the now-defunct CHS property at 120 W. Idaho St. and plans to turn it into a multi-use office building.
“We’re starting construction on Monday,” Bridgewater Chief Executive Officer James Williamson announced Thursday at the Montana West Economic Development annual meeting.
CHS shuttered the convenience store and gas station next to Walgreens in October as it moved its operations out of downtown and into the new Glacier Rail Park.
“We’re really excited about the development we’re working on here,” Williamson said.

Read the full article at:   https://www.dailyinterlake.com/local_news/20191212/former_chs_store_to_be_renovated_for_offices_restaurant

 The Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the Glacier Rail Park/Kalispell Core Area Development and Trail Project has been available for public review and comment for a 30-day period from October 21, 2019 to November 19, 2019 ending at 5 pm.  The document is available in hard copy at the Kalispell City Hall Water Department, the Kalispell ImagineIF Library Reference Department and online at: https://www.kalispell.com/164/Community-Development or https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P1038.

​The public is invited to attend public open house events on Thursday, November 7, 2019, from 11 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 7 pm at Kalispell City Hall, 201 First Avenue East, Kalispell, MT.  City staff will be available to answer questions and take written comments. Interested persons may also submit comments on the SEA to the City of Kalispell via U.S. Mail to Katharine King, City of Kalispell Community and Economic Development department, 201 1st Avenue East, Kalispell, Montana 59901 or via email to kking@kalispell.com. For additional information in advance, contact Katharine King at 406-758-7713. You can also learn more at: https://www.kalispell.com/DocumentCenter/View/2765/Fall-2019-Core--Rail-Redevelopment-Project-Newsletter
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UPDATED 8-12-19
CITY STAFF WILL BE DISCUSSING THE DESIGN DRAFT WITH THE PUBLIC ON AUGUST 13, FROM 6 TO 8 P.M. AT THE PICNIC IN THE PARK CONCERT AT DEPOT PARK. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
The Kalispell Trail & Complete Street 30% Design Submittal (draft) was released by Alta Planning + Design on July 31, 2019. City Staff will be available during the Northwest Montana Fair August 14 thru 16 at the north end of the Expo Building to share information on the TIGER grant Glacier Rail Park and Kalispell Trail project updates. Information on the Glacier Rail Park which was completed in January will be available including drone footage documenting the construction. Additionally, the 30% design plans for the Kalispell Trail will be available for public review and comment. Watch for City Staff sharing this design draft at other community events. The 30% design draft is now available on the City of Kalispell website on the Community Development webpage.