New council agrees to help Twins project

The Whitefish City Council stepped up to the plate on Monday by agreeing to help the Glacier Twins with their new grandstand proposal.

Bob Lockman, the chairman of the Stadium Grandstand Task Force, had requested that the city waive the $990 architectural review fee in a Dec. 29 letter.

The new grandstand will replace the historic 1,000-seat structure that stood for 66 years at East Second Street and Fir Avenue. The original structure was condemned, torn down and hauled away 2002.

Lockman noted that plans and estimates for the new grandstand were reviewed and unanimously approved by both the city's Park Board and the city council in fall 2002, and he pointed out that the council also approved waiving the building permit fee at that time.

According to the minutes, on Oct. 7, 2002, former parks director Dan Keyes presented a construction agreement and long-term lease for the city-owned Memorial Park in which the Glacier Twins would accept full custodial and financial responsibility for the stadium on a year-round basis for the next 25 years.

According to the agreement, the city would provide some maintenance and inspection services, and the Twins would sublease the facility to the Whitefish School District for sports and other events.

Former city manager Gary Marks explained at the time that keeping public money out of the project would prevent it from getting bogged down by bureaucratic contracting provisions.

After the council unanimously passed the construction agreement and long-term lease, councilor Turner Askew asked how the city could help fund the new grandstand. Marks said the city could waive permit fees, and Rita Hanson, representing the Twins, made that request.

Former councilor Sarah Fitzgerald then motioned to waive the building permit fee, and Askew seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-1, with former councilor Kim Fleming opposed. It isn't right to waive fees because it's bad public policy, Fleming said — how was the city to say no to the next person?

Given that background, city manager Chuck Stearns told the council on Monday, "we are bound to honor that motion." However, things have changed since then, he noted — the city now pays building permits for its own projects, and the council recently rejected the Soroptimists' request to waive a building permit fee.

Stearns also explained that "my general disposition is not to waive any permit fees administratively," both as a general rule and because of the current financial condition of the planning department. Instead, he recommended that the council require payment of the fee and then consider contributing directly to the project as a way to offset the fee.

Mayor Mike Jenson cautioned the council that they will see a lot of requests for fee waivers in the near future.

When asked by councilor Phil Mitchell what city projects exist where the city paid its own fees, Stearns said it was a new change and cited the Emergency Services Center currently under construction as an example.

Stearns also noted that the 2002 council only waived the building permit fee. But city planning director David Taylor pointed out that in 2002, architectural review fees didn't exist.

After pointing out that the Soroptimists' building is not city property and the hard work the Glacier Twins has done for the project, councilor Chris Hyatt motioned to reimburse the architectural fee after the Twins paid it, as suggested by Stearns. The motion passed 4-2, with councilors John Muhlfeld and Ryan Friel opposed.