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7/1/2019 New bike racks coming to downtown Kalispell I KECI 1/3 Soon, bike riders will have three new places to lock up their bikes in downtown Kalispell. (NBC Montana photo) KALISPELL, Mont. — New bike racks are coming to downtown Kalispell, and they’re not just any bike racks. They are custom-made for the city. The Kalispell Downtown Association held a design contest. Bike rack designs had to be functional, buildable and capture the spirit of Kalispell. “We want to have some unique bike racks in downtown Kalispell that will add to our current art that we have downtown,” Kalispell Downtown Association executive director Pam Carbonari said. The Kalispell Downtown Association received 70 design submissions. New bike racks coming to downtown Kalispell by Marian Davidson Sunday, June 30th 2019 AA Next Up NBC MT Today: Wind blamed for cras… 01:3901:41 ---PAGE BREAK--- 7/1/2019 New bike racks coming to downtown Kalispell I KECI 2/3 “We had designs submitted from junior high schools, from senior high schools,” Carbonari said. “We had designs from artists not only in the Flathead Valley, but across the state of Montana.” ADVERTISEMENT SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING ---PAGE BREAK--- 7/1/2019 New bike racks coming to downtown Kalispell I KECI 3/3 From those 70 entries, the Kalispell Downtown Association chose 10 finalists. On June 26, the public voted on their favorites. Three winners will be announced by July 8. Those winning designs will be constructed by students at Flathead Valley Community College and installed downtown. “The more people you get involved in something like this, the better off that it is,” Carbonari said. “The public input, the school input, artistic input—it’s really a good opportunity for all of us that have been involved in it, and our community at large.” The cost for the racks is covered by the Kalispell Business Improvement District budget. All of the racks will be installed along Main Street. One rack will be located near Colter Coffee, one will be near Valley Bank, and the third will be on the corner of Main Street and 1st Avenue East. Carbonari said the racks will be built and ready to use this fall. “What we’re trying to do is encourage people to come downtown when the new bike trail comes into place next year,” Carbonari said.