Kalispell council to consider rail park bids

by Mary Cloud Taylor Daily Inter Lake
| June 17, 2017 6:44 PM

Kalispell City Council will award a contract for work at the Glacier Rail Park at Monday’s meeting.

City staff received bids from six contractors earlier this month, with the lowest proposal coming from LHC for the exact budgeted amount at just over $11.2 million.

LHC Inc., Schellinger Construction Co. and Missouri River Contractors submitted bids that came in under the city engineer’s estimate for the project of $12.2 million. City staff is recommending the contract be awarded to LHC Inc., which previously worked on the Kalispell Bypass and Whitefish 93 West construction projects.

Up to 62 percent of the project will be funded by a federal TIGER grant awarded to the city in October 2015. Westside/Core Area tax-increment financing will fund the remaining $4.3 million of the project.

The rail park will consist of a 40-acre property with rail access to serve rail-reliant businesses once the downtown railroad tracks are removed to make way for the Core Area trail system and businesses.

To see plans for the Glacier Rail Park and the Kalispell Core Area or for more information on Kalispell City Council meetings and agendas, visit kalispell.com/mayor_and_city_council/agenda.php.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.