Only one chance to get City Hall right

There are a lot of things I don’t get in life. I don’t get the Civil War re-enactments where people hide behind trees dressed like Confederate and Yankee soldiers and shoot at each other with blanks. I don’t get that OJ Simpson was found innocent. I don’t get that tires and mattresses are always on sale. Also, I don’t get the city of Whitefish spending $12 million for a new City Hall in downtown Whitefish.

I realize the hard work, cost and analysis that has gone into the proposed design and location of the new Whitefish City Hall. I thank city council for the long hours and effort put into this important project. I propose that City Council step back and take a long hard last look at the decisions made to date. There is only one chance to do this right.

In my opinion the proposed design appears opulent for our quaint city of Whitefish. Look at the design of the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce building on Spokane Avenue. It is attractive, functional and cost far less than $12 million to build.

The purpose of City Hall is to serve as the chief administration building for city departments and their employees, city council, mayor’s office and perhaps a community room. I don’t believe the purpose of a new city hall is to create a costly architectural masterpiece.

The proposed location has been debated for many hours. But is it really the best location? Each day I drive by the city police, fire and court buildings and the new food bank on Baker Avenue, the thought occurs to me this would be the perfect location for City Hall.

It would be a unique campus that would house all city services with ample parking and easy access. A City Hall building could be constructed to blend in with the prevailing architecture at a cost considerably less than $12 million.

Also with the current proposed location and design, there will be three two-story buildings on the same corner.

The American Bank, the new boutique hotel and the proposed City Hall. The line of site in all directions at the intersection of Baker and Central avenues will be restricted. This is not a big deal, however it will have a different view and feel than we are accustomed to in Whitefish.

We all acknowledge parking is an issue in downtown Whitefish. The proposed parking garage could be built as planned next to current city hall property or in a different location. It does not need to be next to city hall. Also without the new city hall downtown, parking spaces used by city employees would be freed up.

I believe better use of this downtown location is for revenue generating retail space, not a palace for city offices.

Again, I appreciate the hard work done to date on the new city hall planning. I feel compelled to urge city council to step back, take a long last look, re-examine the design and location decisions with functionality, cost and public opinion in mind.

You only have one chance to get this right.

— Chuck Martin, Whitefish