City keeps plan to remove Depot Park building

The city of Whitefish is sticking with plans to remove its building in Depot Park after city offices vacate it next year.

City Council Oct. 3 voted 4-1 to reject a proposal from the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce to lease the building and continue with long-held plans to demolish the building that houses the city parks and planning departments. Councilor Andy Feury was absent from the meeting and Councilor Katie Williams was the only vote against.

For council, the decision seem to come down to following through with the goal of increasing green space in Depot Park and the potential financial impacts of keeping the building.

Councilor Richard Hildner said making sure Depot Park provides open space in downtown is too important to forgo.

“The park is a beautiful face in Whitefish,” he said. “If we leave that building it’s like a pimple in the middle of the nose.”

Councilor Jen Frandsen said the revenue from renting the building would not offset the maintenance costs of the building. She also worried about where the city might find the funds later to carryout removal of the building once the tax increment finance district sunsets.

“There’s an overwhelming need to accomplish the park master plan upon our exit from that building,” she said. “If the TIF funds set aside for this aren’t used for the park then I can’t imagine how we will come up with those funds.”

In July Council voted to reaffirm plans to remove the building as outlined in the park’s master plan. However, council decided to entertain proposals from groups interested in leasing the space.

The chamber returned last week with a proposal that asked for a 10-year lease on the building at an annual rate of $34,000. The chamber planned to locate its offices there, along with operating a visitor information center and providing office space for unnamed nonprofits.

“We believe this is one of the best locations we can have to promote our city for tourism and for businesses,” chamber Executive Director Kevin Gartland said.

Councilor Katie Williams lobbied for keeping the building saying a balance could be struck between having green space and with the chamber operating the building as a visitor center.

“I support keeping the building,” she said. “We can still make the park have workable green space and the building can generate revenue. It’s a sound decision to keep the building and it does have use in the longterm. This building would be valuable to the chamber to interact with tourists.”

City Council this spring decided to re-examine an option to remove the building as set out in the city’s Depot Park master plan. Approved in 2012, the plan calls for removal of the building as part of a goal to create more green space. The planning and parks departments are set to move into the new City Hall once it’s constructed in 2017.

However, some city officials have said the Depot Park building could be a source of revenue for the city, and at some point city offices may need to again occupy the space.

After the meeting, Mayor John Muhlfeld said he disagrees with the decision.

“I somewhat disagree with the Council’s decision,” he said. “Any master plan adopted by this governing body is a general guide. We see deviations from the adopted downtown master plan, but look at the benefits that planning document has reaped for the city. The city’s needs are constantly changing, and I believe we can fulfill the goals of the Depot Park master plan while retaining the building and making minor changes to the park plan. Not only would the lease revenue benefit the city coffers in the short-term, but the option to relocate the parks department to this building in the future would at a minimum, give the city and future city councils an alternative to building a third story on City Hall, a significant savings to our taxpayers.”

“The building is one of just a few assets the city owns that can actually generate revenue,” he added. “From a strictly fiscal standpoint, I think the decision was a bit short-sighted and irresponsible. But we carry on as a city, and I will honor and respect the Council’s decision.”

Councilor Frank Sweeney said the park’s master plan is too important to ignore and there would be no guarantee that a future council would follow through with plans to demolish the building.

“I hear the argument that this would be a good building to have if we need overflow space,” he said. “The community has put a lot of effort into the park and I have a hard time retracting on that.”

Public comment on the future of the building has been split between those wanting to see it used as a visitor center and those who say the building should be torn down to increase the green space in the park.

Marcus Duffey, with Great Northern Brewery Co., asked council to consider letting the master plan evolve based on current needs.

“The economic priorities have changed — you have a building and a willing tenant,” he said. “People come in all day, every day to see us and find information they can’t find on their smartphone.”

Chris Schustrom, with the Heart of Whitefish merchants association, asked the city to honor the downtown and park’s master plans.

“To not remove the building would set back implementation of both those plans,” he said. “I ask you to stay the course.”