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Nelson’s Ace Hardware has gained approval for some assistance from Whitefish when the business relocates.
City Council last week approved $100,000 in tax-increment finance funds toward blight elimination at the future Nelson’s site on U.S. 93. The business is planning to relocate to the old Army Navy store site.
“Of all the projects that have been brought to council this will do the most in terms of eliminating blight,” councilor Frank Sweeney said. “This is going to be a great project.”
Nelson’s requested the funds, which are expected to be used toward site preparation including demolition of the existing building, dedication of right-of-way and landscaping.
“It will be great to eliminate blight on this property and also kickstart other projects in this area,” City Manager Adam Hammatt said. “The terrace and sidewalks they have planned will beautify this area.”
The site has been empty for many years.
“We have a vision to renew this highly visible block, while increasing both its functionality for our business and its aesthetics for the community,” owner Marilyn Nelson said.
In exchange for the TIF funding, Nelson’s plans to provide to the city, 10 feet of additional right-of-way on the south side of 18th Street and an additional five foot right of way on the north side of Commerce Street. In addition, they also plan to landscape a 40 foot section next to the highway that will be used for stormwater detention.
Nelson said the sale on the property is expected to close in time for demolition to begin in July.
— Whitefish Pilot
Chickens may soon be allowed in Libby
Libby residents can rest assured — adult roosters are prohibited in a draft ordinance to allow the keeping of chickens within city limits.
The so-called “Urban Chicken” ordinance has been making its way through the City Council resolution and ordinance committee and might be ready for presentation to the full council in early August.
At the committee’s May 29 meeting, councilors Peggy Williams and Kristin Smith reviewed the draft ordinance with Lincoln County Health Department Director Kathi Hooper, who has been providing input and feedback.
A handful of details remain to be worked out, including a limit on the number of hens that can be kept on any property. The draft ordinance presented on May 29 stated no more than six, but after some discussion it was agreed that a range of four to six — dependent upon a property’s square footage and according to a to-be-determined equation — might be more appropriate.
As for roosters, the draft ordinance states that none over the age of three months will be allowed.
Requirements for shelter, sanitation and access to food and water, among other items, are also outlined.
Hooper and Williams both said they’d heard numerous people express enthusiasm for the pending ordinance. Williams said she’d heard only one negative comment.
— The Western News
Nucleus Avenue revival continues with Gunsight Bar and Grill
Another chapter in the revitalization of Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls is about to unfold in the beginning of June. Owner Pat Carloss is set to open the new Gunsight Bar and Grill in the former Bandit (and Sportsman) Bar in Columbia Falls.
In the past eight months or so, the establishment has gone under a complete transformation. The ceilings have been stained, the floor has been finished, the bar is being rebuilt, the kitchen overhauled and the exterior has been remodeled to a standard it hasn’t seen in a half century.
In addition, Carloss and his staff have put in an outdoor bar, a stage for live music and an ugly old fence between the bar and the Nord Building will soon come down, replaced by a wrought iron fence, so pedestrians can see into the yard.
Carloss is no stranger to the Flathead Valley restaurant business. He already owns the Tupelo Grille, one of the best fine dining restaurants in Whitefish and more recently started The Abruzzo Italian Kitchen, which is in the former Truby’s location in Whitefish.
The goal is to make Gunsight a Columbia Falls destination.
“We want to be family friendly,” Carloss said during a tour last week. “People have been very supportive.”
He said the menu will feature “upscale bar food” with items ranging a modest $8 to $20.
The new restaurant will employ between 30 and 40 people, with both full-time and part-time jobs.
— Hungry Horse News