Residents press city over size, tree loss and outreach for Gateway safety project

Columbia Falls residents urged caution Wednesday over the Gateway to Glacier safety and mobility improvement project, saying the proposed cross-section is too large for residential streets, will remove mature trees and that communication with adjacent property owners has been inadequate. Those concerns came during the city’s public comment period, where several residents described the project as more appropriate for commercial corridors than narrow residential streets. “My concerns with this project are the scale, location and transparency,” resident Andy Zimmerman said. He said the plan for Thirteenth Street shows multiple travel lanes, parking lanes and buffer zones that would expand the right-of-way on what he called an already-wide residential street. The project’s potential loss of green space drew multiple comments. Janelle Rose, who described years of landscaping experience, said rock buffers planned for some medians will “be hot at first” and will encourage weeds, raising long-term maintenance questions. Amanda Johnson said removing heritage trees and altering front yards will change neighborhood character and reduce shade. City Manager (name not provided) told the council the city has worked with engineers and an arborist and will try to save trees where feasible. “It is not a one-for-one. There is nothing in the project that states a tree will be planted for every tree that comes down. However, we are doing our best to save as many trees as possible,” the City Manager said, adding that if bid prices allow, adding trees could be an add-on option. Staff described ongoing outreach: Jacobs, the engineering firm’s contracted public-relations team, has handled much external communication and the city said it will follow up with residents who requested information. The city scheduled a downtown parking and sidewalk open house for Aug. 27 and said it will host a public open house with the selected contractor after bids are awarded in October; a construction-specific open house is expected in December. The council and staff said temporary construction easements must be confirmed before the project can be bid; staff said they are evaluating which easements are critical for the federal funding package. Some residents asked why adjacent property owners were not contacted directly; the City Manager said staff and the engineers have met with several residents individually and will continue one-on-one meetings as needed. The project design is based on the city’s 2021 transportation study, staff said, which calls for sidewalks on both sides of collector streets as a modern standard. The city reiterated that the current design is at 60 percent and will be reconsidered as it advances to 90 percent and a final 100 percent plan when working with a contractor. No formal council action was taken Wednesday; the council approved the consent agenda earlier in the meeting. Staff said they will return to the council with additional geotechnical information, outreach updates and a more detailed list of temporary construction easements at the next meeting. Residents and councilors asked for more direct contact information for elected officials; one commenter said Columbia Falls does not publish contact details for elected officials and urged the city to remedy that to improve transparency. The council did not vote on design changes, tree policies or easement acquisitions during the session.