City projects in line for stimulus money

Street repairs, improvements in energy efficiency at the police and fire station and a new squad car are in the hopper for nearly half a million dollars of federal stimulus money that's almost certainly destined for Kalispell.

And the Public Works Department is getting its street-building plans ready just in case there is a second round of allocations.

Total amount of the anticipated grants provided by federal stimulus money in Kalispell is $493,200.

Paperwork isn't final yet, so the rules governing exactly what types of work will be allowed are still up in the air. But Interim City Manager Myrt Webb said three grants are almost guaranteed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:

Street projects

$339,500

Webb and Jim Hansz, the director of public works and city engineer, are not releasing any information yet on just which streets are in line for repairs.

"They will be the ones in the worst condition," Webb said. There will be some overlays, some chip-seal projects. For now they don't plan on any sidewalk, curb and gutter work, but if final directions for use of the money requires sidewalks, Webb said, they'll be building sidewalks, too.

To give an idea of how much work could be done, Hansz said a $300,000 bid awarded already on a different project will cover parts of just six streets.

Energy efficiency

$96,700

This will go for projects to reduce energy costs at the public safety building, the former city hall that now houses police, fire and city court. Insulated garage doors, roofing, energy-efficient windows and the like are what the city has in mind. Money is being funneled through a federal energy grant.

Patrol car

$57,000

A Justice Assistance Grant is expected to help the police department add another patrol car to its current fleet of 10 or 12, Webb said. If the grant comes in near the expected level, it should buy the car and equip it for police use.

All told, Montana received over $884.1 million through all federal programs fueled by stimulus money and targeted for the states. Of that, state government is administering $242.8 million through its own programs.

National forests, national parks and other federal entities that have a presence in Montana got their own share of stimulus money, some of which will be spent in the state.

In addition, the city is hoping to carry out a couple more projects if separate grants come through:

First, the fire department is working on a $1.9 million grant that will help build a second story over the fire house annex. It's not specifically stimulus money, Webb said, but the grant program is a new one.

Second, design work already is under way for a potential rebuild of Three Mile Drive.

A tax increment financing district on the west side of town has been collecting money that can be spent only on infrastructure projects within the district, so Hansz committed $187,000 of that to have the Morrison-Maierle firm design a three-lane rebuild from Meridian Road west to the top of the hill.

That covers a distance of 2,800 feet, or a bit more than half a mile.

It's a well-worn stretch of road that needs complete reconstruction. If there is any leftover stimulus money that is awarded in a second round, this project would be shovel-ready and should stand a chance of winning a grant.

In that event, Hansz said the same design work done for that half-mile stretch can be applied to another mile-and-a-quarter to the west, with modifications for terrain variations. It also would narrow down to the west as fewer inlet roads enter onto Three Mile Drive.

A second issue of stimulus money ideally would pay for the design on the mile-and-a-quarter stretch and the rebuild of the entire stretch.

His staff is working with the Montana Department of Transportation to be sure designs meet their standards, too, because it's part of the urban highway system that is governed jointly by the city and state.

If stimulus money doesn't become available, the bid documents will be ready for a future schedule of road work in and around Kalispell.

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com