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Whitefish City Hall Stays Put
Mayor casts deciding vote to keep future city hall in current location
Whitefish City Hall. File photo by Lido Vizzutti | Flathead Beacon
The Whitefish City Council voted 4-3, with Mayor John Muhlfeld casting the deciding vote, to follow a steering committee’s recommendation to build the future City Hall at the current site on Second Street and Baker Avenue. John Anderson, Richard Hildner and Frank Sweeney voted in favor of the resolution while Phil Mitchell, Chris Hyatt and Bill Kahle were opposed.
Those opposed expressed interest in further public outreach and surveying public opinion, City Manager Chuck Stearns said.
City Hall was built in 1917. A Future City Hall Steering Committee was assembled to begin moving forward with the development of a new building. After several months the committee narrowed the list of possible sites to two — the current location and a site on Baker Avenue near the post office.
City staff will now move forward with possible site renderings and hiring an architect, Stearns said. The new City Hall is likely to break ground in one to two years, he said.
An update to the city’s downtown master plan is currently underway along with a feasibility study looking at developing a parking structure downtown. Including a parking structure with the new City Hall will be considered, Stearns said. The exact location of the new City Hall has not yet been determined, and could be built on either the north or south half of the current lot. The plan is to finance the development using tax increment finance funds but without borrowing or accruing debt, Stearns said.
Those opposed expressed interest in further public outreach and surveying public opinion, City Manager Chuck Stearns said.
City staff will now move forward with possible site renderings and hiring an architect, Stearns said. The new City Hall is likely to break ground in one to two years, he said.
An update to the city’s downtown master plan is currently underway along with a feasibility study looking at developing a parking structure downtown. Including a parking structure with the new City Hall will be considered, Stearns said. The exact location of the new City Hall has not yet been determined, and could be built on either the north or south half of the current lot. The plan is to finance the development using tax increment finance funds but without borrowing or accruing debt, Stearns said.
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