Critics of Central Ave. streetscaping circulate petition

By RICHARD HANNERS

Whitefish Pilot

A petition is being circulated by a group of residents who want the city to take a second look at its plans for streetscaping Central Avenue starting this year.

Opposition to the project began to grow after the Whitefish Pilot published a Jan. 8 opinion piece by Toby Scott that expressed concerns about plans for wider sidewalks with bulbouts and raised pedestrian crossings at the intersections.

“This may be a wonderful thing at the shopping mall,” he wrote, “but it will not be an improvement to Central Avenue and our historic downtown look.”

Scott, who’s lived here 18 years, told the Whitefish City Council on Feb. 17 he had informally polled residents and downtown businessmen. He claims many disagree with the Heart of Whitefish merchants association, which supports the streetscaping plan.

While upgrading water, sewer and other underground infrastructure is necessary, Scott said, streetscaping is an “architectural concept” that resembles the “Disneyfication” that resort towns like Aspen, Vail and others use to imitate what Whitefish already has.

Scott said the bulbouts will be covered with snow and ice in winter and someone will need to water and care for the trees. He also claimed emergency vehicles will have trouble driving through the narrower streets.

Citing the current economic recession, Scott asked the council to reconsider the costs of streetscaping and not put the project out to bid.

Mary Jo Look, a former downtown businesswoman, also criticized the streetscaping project. She claimed the council approved the project despite public opposition because Heart of Whitefish supported it.

Central Avenue is an “historical street,” she said, and tourists seem to like it the way it is. Look called for leaving the street “pickup-, SUV- and pedestrian-friendly.”

Public works director John Wilson told the council the project has not been put out to bid yet, but it is in the final design stage and costs could increase for late revisions.

“We’ve covered this ground three times already,” he said.

Wilson also noted there is little cost savings between the extra concrete that goes into widening sidewalks versus the extra asphalt for a wider street.

Noting that the opposition came at “the 11th hour,” following a lengthy public process, councilor Nancy Woodruff said the council should nonetheless address the growing criticism.

“We’re the politicians — we’re supposed to do it,” she said.