City will hold second public hearing on housing study
The west end of Columbia Falls with open fields beyond.
The Columbia Falls City Council will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. May 5 on a recent housing needs study.
The housing study found that the city has significant gaps in what people can afford to pay and what’s available to purchase in the city and surrounding area.
It suggests a host of different ways the city can bridge the gap, from higher density housing, like townhomes, to working with nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity to create more working-class housing in the city.
This is the second public hearing on the subject. The last one, which was before the city planning commission, was lightly attended and just one person spoke.
In other city news from last week’s council meeting:
The city heard from a couple that live near the new skatepark that users are playing music too loud. The city does have a noise ordinance that specifically addresses “boom box” stereos, noted Police Chief Chad Stephens.
The skatepark at Fenholt Park has proven very popular. The couple said other than the loud music, they had no problem with the park.
Resident Darin Fisher gave kudos to the city for getting Columbus Park in shape for the summer season quickly, as the nets at the pickleball and other courts were up quickly. The city is also looking at fencing in the volleyball pit to keep dogs and other animals out.
Councilwoman Kathy Price noted the walking path on Talbott Road had some rough spots with cracks that should be fixed before they become bigger problems.
In sewer news, the council OK’d $750,000 in state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation bonds to help pay for ongoing upgrades at the city’s sewage treatment plant.
About $367,000 of the bond would be forgiven if the city met certain conditions regarding the plant, which discharges into the Flathead River.
The remaining note of about $382,000 is a 2.5% interest for 20 years.
All told, the most recent upgrades to the system cost about $6.48 million, of which about $1.4 million was local funds and the remainder were federal funds from federal Covid-19 relief legislation.