Blog Posts

Making History - Glacier Rail Park Now Open!

10/12/2018

Photo of staff driving in spikes on the railroad

City, County, and KLJ Staff celebrate with the ceremonial driving of golden spikes.

The Grand Opening of the Glacier Rail Park is now a part of history as the momentous occasion was celebrated October 8, 2018. The Glacier Rail Park expands transportation options for freight movement with the only trans-load facility in the region.

Many of the leaders that spurred this project on to fruition were present at the grand opening of the Rail Park. Speakers like Jerry Meerkatz, CEO of Montana West Economic Development. Senator Jon Tester, a representative from Senator Steve Daines, and City Manager Doug Russell, all spoke to the ability of teamwork and partnerships to make this vision a reality. Tenacity was also a central theme as it took many years and creatively working through obstacle after obstacle to see this day come. Speeches and acknowledgements during the rail park opening ceremony were recorded live on Facebook and video coverage can be found on YouTube. Drone footage of the celebration can also be found at https://youtu.be/346amFjEhoo.

Now we can look to the future of the rail park and to the economic vitality this piece of infrastructure will attract and support. If you think your company might be a good fit for this brand new industrial rail served park, Kim Morisaki with Montana West Economic Development is the person to speak with. She can be reached at 406-257-7711 or by emailing info@dobusinessinmontana.com.

Kalispell Trail & Core Area News Update - Fall 2018

10/2/2018

Rail car tours along the future trail route provided design context.

We had an action packed summer as we began the first steps of preparing a design for the Kalispell Trail.   Over 600 people attended the open houses, workshops and meetings during the Kalispell Trail Deep Dive event the first week in June. Another 300 community members visited our booth at the Flathead County Fair. As summer wound down, city staff set up a booth at Picnic in the Park and Thursday Fest with another 150 people stopping by. We received many great comments. As you know, the new trail will extend from the existing Meridian Trail on Meridian Road, through the middle of town easterly to just across the underpass bridge on US 2 (Idaho). We still need your input. Design ideas and public input will continue this fall with a series of open houses in October.

The Kalispell Trail Crew, a 22-member advisory board, has met 3 times this summer with more meetings scheduled. Their job is to review all the public comments and give city staff guidance as we continue to refine the trail design. Our goal is to have a final design in hand by early 2019 and then we will begin the difficult task of going through the “Master Design” and setting up a priority list of the things that we can afford now and what items will wait for future funding. This will truly be a community driven process. Our goal is to cast a grand vision with community groups, individuals, and future adjacent developments filling in the rest over time. We anticipate that the railroad tracks will be coming out of Kalispell sometime next fall as CHS and Northwest Drywall finish their relocation plans to the new Glacier Rail Park. You may have seen both the CHS fertilizer plant and the CHS grain handling facility (elevator) are literally coming up out of the ground at the new rail park. Much still needs to happen but we are hoping for track removal and trail construction beginning in spring of 2020.

A second and equally important part of this project is the construction of at least one “complete street” allowing an improved street connection between Idaho and Center. Three routes were originally selected – extending 8th Ave. West, extending 6th Ave. West, and extending Woodland Avenue. This summer we focused on the Woodland Ave. extension because we knew that while it rated fairly high in overall community support, there has been long standing neighborhood opposition dating back over 20 years from residents along Woodland Avenue. The neighborhood (Center Street to Willow Glen) reaffirmed their opposition to this street extension during a very thorough scoping process. Based on the strong public showing, the trail crew recommended that this option be removed. We will continue to review the other options.

Purpose of TIGER

Kalispell’s Core and Rail Development project was funded by the US Department of Transportation under a TIGER grant. This grant is expressly intended for transportation purposes. The Kalispell project was awarded on the third submission when the development plans extended beyond the construction of an industrial rail park to include the linear park/trail running through the city in place of the old rail road tracks. This TIGER project is being built in two phases: first, construct the new industrial rail park on the east side of the city with only those infrastructure improvements required to support the rail park; second, construct the trail that replaces the existing railroad tracks running 1.6 miles east to west and construct one complete street connection from Center Street north, again with only those infrastructure improvements required by the primary construction.

Kalispell development project picks up award

9/28/2018

KPAX.com | Mark R. Thorsell

Glacier Rail Park Grand Opening

9/12/2018

Please join us as we celebrate the Grand Opening of the Glacier Rail Park and thank all of the supporters who have helped the project come to fruition!

To commemorate the occasion, there will be a ribbon cutting, exploration and explanation of the site, refreshments, and a ceremonial driving of a Golden Spike!

Please RSVP to Dorothy Meyer at Dorothy@DoBusinessInMontana.com or by calling 406.257.7711 ext. 2. Please enter the event site from Whitefish Stage.

We hope to see you there!

Rail Park Progress - Video Update

9/4/2018

Watch the video below taken August 29, 2018 to see how progress is coming along at the Glacier Rail Park. A 3-D Overhead Image can also be viewed.

Community Input Opportunities

8/28/2018

Picture of staff talking with the public

The City of Kalispell will have a booth set up at two upcoming community events to talk with the public about preliminary design and trail alignment for the upcoming Kalispell Trail. These are great opportunities to see initial design boards, talk with staff and provide feedback in a fun, relaxed atmosphere while listening to great music.

Come by and talk with us at the final Picnic in the Park concert for the year, Tuesday, August 28, 2018, at
6 p.m. at Depot Park; and
the final Thursday!Fest concert for the year, Thursday, August 30, 2018, at 5:30 p.m. on the lawn at The Museum at Central School.

Kalispell Reveals Rendering of Downtown Trail

8/21/2018

Flathead Beacon | Justin Franz | August 21, 2018

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

A rendering of the preposed rail trail through Kalispell. Courtesy of the City of Kalispell. Photo courtesy of the City of Kalispell

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

Community Input Opportunity at the Fair

8/13/2018

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!

Thank You for Your Ongoing Participation

8/2/2018

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.

Kalispell Trail Name and Logo Survey

7/23/2018

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.