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Kalispell looks for community’s help to design new rail trail ADVERTISEMENT by Mackenzie Dougherty Wednesday, June 6th 2018 core.jpeg AA (mailto:?subject=A%20link%20for%20you& Read the report Watchdog sees errors DOJ releases IG report on Clinton emails (/news/nation-world/watchdog-sees-errors-not-bias-in-comeys-clinton-probe) 61° (/weather) NEWS WEATHER (/WEATHER) SPORTS (/SPORTS) COMMUNITY STATION (/STATION) CIRCA WATCH (/WATCH) ---PAGE BREAK--- 61° (/weather) NEWS WEATHER (/WEATHER) SPORTS (/SPORTS) COMMUNITY STATION (/STATION) CIRCA WATCH (/WATCH) FACEBOOK TWITTER MAIL TRENDING ---PAGE BREAK--- KALISPELL, Mont. — This week kicks off a new step toward redesigning Kalispell’s core rail area. Before construction can start project managers need the community's help with the trail design. As the historic rail corridor declined it left a community separated. "The rail had effectively severed the town," Rail to Trail and Complete Street Project manager Mary Stewart. Stewart hopes they can bring new life into downtown Kalispell and connect the community again. "If we are successful this trail will knit together parts of the community that really haven’t been knitted together since the 1800s," said Stewart. Fixing it is the next step in the Core and Rail Redevelopment project that started with the Glacier Rail Park Site last year. Now city of×cials are ready to look at designing the old tracks into a trail system, after receiving a TIGER federal grant, but they need the community's input. "Give us their feedback. Let us know what they like and don't like, what they think would be great," Kalispell community development assistant director Katherine King told NBC Montana. Community members have been coming in all week sharing ideas. "Other things we heard were like the importance of adjacent businesses and how they approach the trail; different sites along the corridor have different types of historical signi×cance," said Stewart. Stakeholders rode along the train tracks Monday to see the different grade changes, Øat or canyon-like surfaces. They were able to see the wide public spaces along the rail that could be used for possible parks, libraries and more. "All the different design challenges we are going to face and opportunities," Stewart said. Community members registered in advance to ride in streetcars along the rail on Thursday so they can give input from what they see. The kickoff event aims to bring out the community’s major ideas to create something for the town that serves it rather than separates it. 61° (/weather) NEWS WEATHER (/WEATHER) SPORTS (/SPORTS) COMMUNITY STATION (/STATION) CIRCA WATCH (/WATCH) FACEBOOK TWITTER MAIL TRENDING