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Fall 2019 Kalispell Core & Rail Redevelopment Project News Update Fall News Update Much continues to happen on the trail development although most of it is happening behind the scenes. This newsletter is to update you and share some opportunities to stay involved. Glacier Rail Park is complete. All rail work including storage for up to 56 rail cars, internal street work, water and sewer extensions and the new traffic light on Flathead Drive and US 2 are complete. This $11.2 million project reached substantial completion on budget and on time. CHS, the first rail park tenant, is well on its way to complete construction of their updated facilities. The fertilizer plant is operational, the grain handling facility (elevators) is complete and ready to go for this year’s harvest. The main warehouse and administrative offices are under construction and are nearly complete. In addition, the new Northwest Drywall facility is nearly complete. The Kalispell Trail component continues to move ahead. 30% design plans completed and submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration—July 31, 2019 Supplemental Environmental Assessment public comment period October 21—November 19, 2019 Final engineering will begin in December based on public comments The City expects to complete acquisition of the BNSF right of way property (rail banking) by January 2020 Phase II environmental site assessment to determine any necessary environmental clean-up along the tracks will be conducted following the land acquisition Environmental clean-up expected Spring/Summer 2020, as needed Track removal and Trail construction expected Fall 2020, coinciding with trail construction, moving from east to west Ribbon cutting – expected Thanksgiving weekend 2020 Street Connector - The City has completed a Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA), approved by the Federal Railroad Administration and available for the required 30-day public comment period, beginning October 21, 2019 and ending November 19, 2019. As part of the TIGER Project, Kalispell has committed to extend a street connector in the Core Area to improve pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle circulation when the tracks are removed. The SEA has been prepared to review three additional connector options. Initially, there were three new street connections studied in the 2017 Environmental Assessment: 6th and 8th Avenues WN and Woodland Avenue. Each route has poten- tial opportunities and limiting factors. In an effort to ensure a complete street connection can be built within the TIGER project timeline and budget, the City has completed the SEA to analyze 1st, 3rd and 4th Avenues WN, north of the Ka- lispell Center Mall, as possible connection points to reintroduce. Flathead County Fairgrounds Woodland Park Glacier Rail Park ---PAGE BREAK--- We Want to Hear from You The Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the Glacier Rail Park/Kalispell Core Area Development and Trail Project is available for public review and comment for a 30-day period from October 21, 2019 to November 19, 2019 ending at 5 pm. The document is available in hard copy at the Kalispell City Hall Water Department, the Kalispell ImagineIF Library Reference Department and online at: or The public is invited to attend public open house events on Thursday, November 7, 2019, from 11 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 7 pm at Kalispell City Hall, 201 First Avenue East, Kalispell, MT. City staff will be available to answer questions and take written comments. Interested persons may also submit comments on the SEA to the City of Kalispell via U.S. Mail to Katharine King, City of Kalispell Community and Economic Development Department, 201 First Avenue East, Kalispell, Montana 59901 or via e-mail to [EMAIL REDACTED]. Please call (406) 758-7713 for information or assistance. 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 via rail banking. 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; and second, construct the trail that replaces the existing railroad tracks running 1.6 miles east to west and construct one complete street connection across the existing rail line with only those infrastructure improvements required by the primary construction. Stay Tuned For updates on the Kalispell Core & Rail Redevelopment Project, follow the City’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/CityofKalispell/ or check the TRAIL tab on the Core & Rail website www.kalispellcoreandrail.com. For further information regarding the Kalispell Trail and Complete Street Project, please contact Katharine King (758-7713) [EMAIL REDACTED], Tom Jentz (758-7940) [EMAIL REDACTED] or Jarod Nygren (758-7941)