Costs mount for downtown plan update

The cost of updating Whitefish’s Downtown Master Plan continues to mount.

With an unanimous vote Sept. 15, city council OK’d an $89,895 contract amendment with Portland, Ore.-based planning consultant Crandall Arambula. The amendment brings the total cost of the yet-to-be-completed document update to an estimated $196,849 to be paid from the city tax-increment fund.

The total is more than three times higher than the original estimate to update the plan.

In April 2012, Mayor John Muhlfeld broke a tie vote to go forward with the update. Former councilors Chris Hyatt, Phil Mitchell and Bill Kahle were in opposition.

At the time, Crandall Arambula’s cost estimate was $56,982 for three phases of work. The firm crafted the original master plan that was adopted in 2006.

Last week’s contract amendment was the third approved by council since 2012.

In voting to approve the latest amendment, councilor Andy Feury expressed concern about the cost.

“I’m not thrilled about the number, I’ll be honest about that,” Feury said. “But I was not very thrilled about the scope of work and product we saw in the first two amendments to the contract. I’m not thrilled about spending the money, but I am very comfortable with the scope of work now. I’d hate not to complete the task now that we’ve gone this far.”

Prior to council’s vote, Heart of Whitefish committee member Rhonda Fitzgerald urged the council to approve the contract amendment.

“The original master plan has been incredibly successful for Whitefish,” she said. “But there is more to be done. Approve this so we can continue with the good work our entire community has benefited from.”

Crandall Arambula presented refinements to the master plan draft update at a public meeting March 12 that was attended by nearly 80 people.

The plan lays out a path for future development around the downtown core, proposes zoning changes, and works as a companion to the growth policy and area neighborhood plans.

This summer, Muhlfeld and councilors Pam Barberis, Jen Frandsen and Feury met with Crandall Arambula to go over the proposed updates. The group crafted a list of additional refinements.

A proposed Highway 93 contra flow concept that would re-route truck traffic onto Baker Avenue is highlighted as one area where the group wants more refinement. They’re asking consultants to meet with the Montana Department of Transportation on the feasibility of the idea.

The group said the contra flow idea has not been fully vetted by the state or Whitefish.

“There are a number of engineering and community reasons for leaving the truck traffic as planned including the considerable tax dollars that both the city and the state have put into the design of the intersections that accommodate truck traffic on Spokane Avenue and not onto Baker Avenue,” the group noted in its comments.

The group also asked for refinements on the pedestrian framework of connecting Wisconsin Avenue to the downtown core. They note that the 2006 plan included discussion about connecting the areas, but that it was removed from the update.

They also asked to remove a proposal for commercial uses in the neighborhood south of East Second Street and west of Baker Avenue.

The focus and priority, the group said, should be the Railway District and areas north of the viaduct.

A proposal for a protected bikeway on Spokane Avenue also will be looked at. The group asked that Crandall Arambula meet with the city’s pedestrian and bike committee to discuss how the bikeway fits in with the group’s active transportation plan.

An analysis on the plan to build a new City Hall and parking garage downtown will be included in the latest plan refinement, as well.

The contract includes three meetings with Crandall Arambula to go over the revisions. Staff recommended eliminating one of the meetings, as funds are still available for the third meeting from the second contract amendment. It is estimated the cost of a meeting is $4,000, which would be deducted from the total cost of the amended contract.

Frandsen suggested keeping the working group together to go over the proposed revisions with Crandall Arambula, “to make sure tasks are completed as we have outlined.”