Blacktail trail project gains funding

The Flathead County Commissioners allocated $300,000 last week toward a walk and bike trail project along Blacktail Road in Lakeside.

The trail, proposed by Lakeside resident Debbie Spaulding with the support of the Lakeside Community Council, will be a one-mile path from Stoner Creek Loop to Youth With A Mission.

The funds come from the Community Transportation Enhancement Program, which is administered by the state to strengthen non-motorized transportation.

The county is allocated CTEP funds each year based on population. Prior to the Aug. 4 meeting, the county had a total of $911,000 unallocated in CTEP funds, including the $341,000 the county received in 2010, Planner Alex Hogle said. The county initially had more than $1.2 million in CTEP funds but some was already allocated to projects such as the Sam Bible Trail and to support the cities.

The county requested letters with proposals for use of the funds by a June 1 deadline and received three, the Blacktail trail, a Swan River trail and the Red Bridge Project. A review team from the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office brought a recommendation based on its review of the proposals to the commissioners in early July that included funding two of the three projects, leaving out the Red Bridge Project, which is located in Columbia Falls. The commissioners wanted more time to think about the proposals and postponed their decision until last week.

Questions of fairness and adequacy of the committee's review had been raised.

"The validity has been put into question," Hogle said.

In looking into the issue, Hogle found that safety is a main priority for CTEP funds as well as promoting the use of non-motorized traffic.

Hogle said he consulted with the Montana Department of Transportation, the state agency in charge of the CTEP funds, and found that it does not have specific requirements for how local governments prioritize projects.

A few years ago a packet was created by MDT that the office had used in the past. The Flathead County Trails Plan is not yet officially adopted, so the packet from MDT was all reviewers had to base their recommendations on.

Hogle said he compared criteria the committee used to what had used in the past and they were similar.

Commissioner Joe Brenneman said he was not ready to go with the recommendations of the committee, saying that he had concerns about funding two of three projects when the money could be spread to all three. Commissioner Jim Dupont agreed.

"There have been no CTEP funds spent in that section of the community," Dupont said of the Red Bridge Project. "I don't know why we can't more evenly split the money."

Commissioners unanimously approved a proposal by Brenneman to split the funds between the three projects with $300,000 each to the Swan River and Blacktail trails and $250,000 to the Red Bridge Project.

The Red Bridge Project requested $500,000 over two years. Brenneman said this would be given with the understanding that if its safe route to school grant goes through, the funds are needed and the county receives $300,000 or more in CTEP funds next year, Red Bridge would receive an additional $250,000.

The funds are now allocated but will not be released until the projects begin. The next step for the Blacktail project involves completing a CTEP application to submit to MDT. It must receive approval and an MDT notice to proceed. The planning office will be assisting the groups with this process. It can take up to six months between submitting an application and the actual start of design and construction.

Spaulding has said that volunteer work and expertise from the community may be needed in the application process.

The other work to be done includes raising the 13 to 14 percent match required for the CTEP funds.