City Hall locations reviewed

The debate over a new Whitefish City

Hall location could come down to simple economics versus creating a

city cornerstone.

Five options for the site of a new City

Hall were reviewed Aug. 15 at a Whitefish City Council work

session.

Alternatives include the current City

Hall site, a lot across Baker Avenue from the post office, a site

north of the library, two-thirds of a city block between Spokane

and Kalispell Avenue, and the Mountain West Bank location on

Spokane Avenue.

A 2007 assessment showed the new City

Hall should be about 18,000 square feet in size to accommodate all

of the departments, including administration and legal, public

works, planning and building, and parks and recreation.

Construction costs for a building of

that size is likely between $2.7 and $3.6 million, in addition to

land costs. The 2007 assessment estimated a total project cost of

$6.1 million, including construction costs, furnishing and

technology, and land acquisition.

The current City Hall site is estimated

to be worth between $3.5 and $4.5 million and could be sold to help

finance a new City Hall, or could be kept and used for future

parking, Whitefish City Manager Chuck Stearns reports.

The tax increment fund, a loan or a

bond paid by tax increment funds will likely be used to finance

construction. The city currently has $1.5 million set aside to fund

a City Hall project and they continue to set aside $250,000 a year.

In addition, they have $104,000 in collected impact fees to

use.

At the work session, councilors debated

cost as a priority and addressed the new City Hall as a potential

legacy project.

The alternatives that sparked the most

interest were the current City Hall site, the Baker Avenue site

across from the post office and the Mountain West Bank site on

Spokane.

The Mountain West site is likely the

least expensive with an option to buy the land for $2.1 million

plus remodeling costs. The building is 12,350 square feet, short of

the desired 18,000 square feet that is estimated to be needed, but

could be expanded.

Councilor John Muhlfeld ranked the site

as the least desirable of the choices. The pro was the price, he

said, but the site was too far from downtown and lacked

opportunities for a public-private venture in the future.

Mayor Mike Jenson said the site wasn’t

pedestrian friendly and that people downtown likely won’t walk to

the site. He said parking could be a problem, too.

Councilor Chris Hyatt noted that a MLS

meeting is held at the bank every week and that those meetings draw

more people than council meetings.

Councilor Phil Mitchell called the site

a no-brainer.

“Do you want to spend $6-7 million or

$3 million,” he said, referencing the Mountain West site’s low

overall cost.

Jenson was intrigued by the site across

from the post office because of elevated parking options. City

Manager Chuck Stearns said the site could help pull retail south of

Third Street.

“If you want to stretch retail south,

put an anchor like City Hall and parking there,” Stearns said. “I

like it. It’s not the most prime real estate in town and it

functions.”

Stearns told the council it’s generally

not in the city’s best interest to buy the most lucrative real

estate in town or on the busiest corners. Those should be reserved

for private development and retail, he said.

Jenson noted that the council has an

opportunity to do a legacy project with the new city hall.

“We are charged with looking at

Whitefish 100 years from now and what is it going to be like,” he

said. “How many times do you have the opportunity to get property

for parking, create a City Hall site and entice retail. We have an

opportunity to do a comprehensive long-term plan.”

During public comment, Ian Collins told

council that they are creating a “civic building.”

“In the past, people have made a

significant gesture to the importance of their city government,”

Collins said. “Kalispell remodeled a cheesy bank building, I think

we’d be taking the low road if we decided to go that route.”

He said the focus should be on keeping

City Hall downtown.

If the current site was kept as City

Hall, Jenson said, it might be best to put the building on the

newly acquired north half of the block. The south half on the

corner of Second and Baker would be better served for parking or

retail, he said.

Councilor Turner Askew said the city

could sell the south half with conditions that public parking be

part of any future plans.

It was noted that about 40 people work

at City Hall.