Street projects should be done before school starts

At their regular meeting Monday, Polson city commissioners were assured that road construction on 17 Ave. from 1st St. E. to 2nd St. W. and on 4th Ave. E., in front of Linderman School, would be finished in time for the first day of school next week. Both are major thoroughfares for students and parents.

The 17th Ave. project started last spring and includes the construction of curbs, gutters and sidewalks, pavement reconstruction, stormwater improvements, and signage and pavement markings. The street runs in front of the Boys & Girls Club and St. Joseph Assisted Living Center.

The reconstruction of 4th Ave. was slowed down when workers discovered that the underlayment consists of a skimpy layer of gravel.

“When we milled the street up what we expected to find was a gravel subbase,” City Manager Ed Meece told commissioners. “What we found was an inch and a half of pavement over a thin layer of gravel.”

He said he was meeting with the contractor Tuesday to decide how best to go forward in order to have the street reopened when school begins Aug. 29.

Commissioner Carolyn Pardini inquired about businesses that have received Tax Increment Financing grants and subsequently changed hands or gone out of business. Among those was Wild Horse Distillery at the corner of Hwy. 93 and 1st St. E. and Scottage Cakery on 3rd Ave. E.

Meece said both projects met the required grant match, and grant recipients used the money for approved projects – in the distillery’s case, to prepare the property for building (the lot is now for sale); and for the bakery, to bring the building (which has since changed hands) up to code.

Pardini also asked about the progress of Nailtopia on 1st St. E., which received a sizable TIF grant last spring. Meece said he had reached out to the owner in the past month to check on its progress “but they have not requested or received reimbursement.”

In other business:

The commission unanimously approved first readings of two ordinances – one aimed at clarifying the code for municipal meetings and public hearings, and the other placing the public works director in charge of regulating and installing traffic-control devices, instead of the chief of police.

The amendments to the code regarding meetings and public hearings aims to “clarify and improve the proper protocol” by having agendas published a week in advance, and clarifying the process for offering public comment. The new language also helps differentiate protocol between commission meetings and public hearings.

The amendment moving responsibility for traffic control signage, such as no-parking signs, road closures and lane markings, from the police chief to the public works director helps streamline decisions about sign placement and clarifies which department is responsible for making sure signs are posted, inventoried and maintained.