The heavy hand of Whitefish

I see that the heavy hand of the mayor, the council and the planning board, with the support of Central Avenue businesses, will do anything it pleases to get what they want.

They want to spend millions of dollars to build an unwanted parking garage, with a few city offices, where the old City Hall now stands. Whitefish is too small and too unique to have a parking garage. Especially on the corner of Baker Avenue and Second Street. That will triple traffic problems there.

With the millions they want to spend on that project, they could save 98 percent of it if they move City Hall to the corner of Fourth Street and Baker, and only spend a couple $100,000 to remodel the old professional building and have ample room for parking.

I do agree that the old City Hall may need to be removed. If you need parking then put in another surface parking lot at minimal cost to taxpayers. Better yet, if the downtown merchants want more parking space, then the downtown merchants should foot the bill.

It makes no sense to remove a vital parking lot on the corner of Central and Third Street to build a hotel with no room for parking, even if they put in underground parking. Parking for the businesses on the south end of Central Avenue and Third Street is a crucial need. I park in that parking lot when I need to take my mother for her hair appointments. I park there when I eat at the Buffalo Cafe, or if I need to go to Nelson’s Hardware, because you can’t find a place to park on Central Avenue.

— Dean House