East 2nd utilities to be placed underground

Bill Kahle contends the City of Whitefish wasn’t following its own rules when the decision was made to keep overhead power lines along East Second Street when the roadway is reconstructed next year.

As a partner in developing the O’Brien Bluffs subdivision on the north edge of Whitefish, the Whitefish City Councilman says he was required to bury lines not only on the property he owned, but along a stretch of O’Brien Avenue leading up to the subdivision.

“The cost was significant, but we did the work,” Kahle said in an email to members of the resort tax monitoring committee.

“We have a city policy that private citizens need to abide by, so for consistency’s sake, the city should abide by the guidelines of the policy as well, whenever possible.”

Kahle brought the inconsistency to the attention of city council two months ago. His motion to bury the lines for the East Second project failed after a split vote Feb. 19. Yet, he pushed for it to be put back on the agenda a second time.

At the March 18 meeting Mayor John Muhlfeld broke a 3-3 split vote in favor of burying the lines. Councilors Kahle, Chris Hyatt and Phil Mitchell voted in favor of the motion.

“As a city, for work we do, we should set an example for developers and the residents in town,” Kahle said prior to his motion.

With the decision, utilities will be buried for the length of the reconstruction project from Cow Creek to Dodger Lane. Service lines to homes will be left overhead. Homeowners could choose to bury the service lines at their own cost.

The estimated cost for relocating the utilities underground is $269,682. The reconstruction project is to be paid for with resort tax funds.

Public Works Director John Wilson said re-engineering the project contributed to the cost.

“Engineering design has been completed with the utilities overhead,” he explained. “It needs to be redesigned to place power in the appropriate location [underground.]”

Kahle said it’s unfortunate engineer work needs to be tweaked at an additional cost, but that in the long term, it will be worth the price. There is a “laundry list” of reasons why burying utilities is preferred, he said. Aesthetics, safety and ease of maintenance being a few.

Kahle hopes the decision to bury utilities for East Second Street sets a precedent for future projects.

“Seventh Street is next,” he said, referring to a potential resort tax funded reconstruction project. “Now we know the expectation is to put lines underground.”

Still, he would like to see a formal policy in place.

“It needs to be specific and it needs to be fair,” he said. “I’m looking forward to talking this through with input from private developers, John Wilson and my fellow council members.”