Flathead Beacon | Justin Franz | August 21, 2018

Trail would include skate park, green space, picnic areas and more

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Local residents have their first look at what Kalispell’s new downtown trail could look like. Last week, the City of Kalispell, Alta Planning and Design and KLJ Engineers revealed a rendering of the preliminary alignment of the proposed Kalispell Trail during the Northwest Montana Fair.
The proposed trail will replace the former Great Northern Railway line through downtown and connect Meridian Street with Woodland Park.
“The reaction to the trail design has been really enthusiastic,” Kalispell Planning Director Tom Jentz said. “People are really excited.”

​Read the full article HERE

​YOU are needed to continue to help steer the vision for the trans-formative Kalispell Core and Rail Project! Come by and visit with city staff at the Northwest Montana Fair in the Expo Building to catch up on progress being made on the Glacier Rail Park and the Kalispell Trail and Complete Street Project and share your thoughts. We will be there Wednesday through Friday this week (Aug. 15-17) from 11 am to 5 pm. Look for the giant screen showing drone footage taken during construction of the industrial rail park. Hope to see you there!

​The City of Kalispell and consultant Alta Planning + Design sought community and stakeholder input through a survey on three potential trail names each with three logo designs for the proposed Kalispell Trail. About 500 responses were received by the July 31, 2018, survey deadline. The City and Alta Planning would like to thank participants for their thoughtful and valuable responses. We also appreciate everyone who has been helping increase public reach by doing things like forwarding the survey to friends and family.

Information gathered will be analyzed and taken into consideration as we move forward. Further opportunities to weigh in on different aspects of this project will be provided throughout the summer. Look for the City of Kalispell Community and Economic Development booth in the Expo Building at the upcoming Northwest Montana Fair on August 15, 16, and 17, 2018. We look forward to speaking with you. 

The City of Kalispell and consultant Alta Planning + Design are seeking community and stakeholder input through a survey on three potential trail names each with three logo designs for the proposed Kalispell Trail. The trail names and logo concepts were part of a larger group developed from feedback received from a Trail Naming and Visual Identity Questionnaire shared with stakeholders in May. The trail names and logos within the survey were refined based on preferences and feedback received from the community during the Deep Dive week in Kalispell June 4th – June 8th. Your feedback on elements like trail name, and logo shape, color, and style will help us determine the preferred name and logo for the Kalispell Trail. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. Please submit responses by July 31st at midnight.

The proposed Kalispell Trail will offer a pedestrian and bicycle connection through the heart of downtown Kalispell and to the existing trail networks within the Flathead Valley. The trail will be located within the existing railroad right-of-way, providing a unique experience for all users. The preferred trail logo could be incorporated into trail wayfinding and signage, embedded in trail pavement, and added to trail amenities such as light posts, banners, and gateways. The logo will be the local and regional identity for the new Kalispell trail.

The Rail Park is really starting to look like a rail park! Here's the latest video to give you an idea of how infrastructure construction is coming along.

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.”
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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.

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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.
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“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.