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SEELEY LAKE – To follow up on the Resource Team Assessment conducted Sept. 19-20 by Montana Economic Developers Association (MEDA), four of the team members returned to Seeley Lake Nov. 10 to help prioritize and kick-start the projects deemed most urgent by Seeley Lake community members. Following a brief review of the topics and issues resulting from the team's September interviews, attendees were separated into five groups of six to eight people. Each group decided which three topics they f...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake resident Adriana Walton was sworn in as a United States (U.S.) citizen Oct. 20. While becoming a citizen was never a dream of hers, the security and ability to live freely with her husband and participate in elections was enough impetus to trade in her green card. Adriana was raised in Araras, Brazil. During high school, her least favorite class was English. "I thought that [because] I come from a poor family, I will never travel outside of Brazil. Why do I need to l...
POTOMAC - Potomac veterans joined Potomac School students Nov. 10 for the first annual Veterans Breakfast and Assembly at the Potomac/Greenough Community Center (PGCC). Grades kindergarten through eighth sang songs, played instruments, recited and acted for the veterans and their families. Breakfast, provided by head cook Debra Blodgett, included pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, fruits, milk, juice and coffee. The poem "Veterans Day" by Jessica Hawkins was recited by Terri Klein's first grade...
A big Thank You to all who helped with our bake sale in October. To the ones who brought baked goods and to those who came and bought the great baked goods. Also, thank you to our great boosters who donated cash. The donations were so welcome, needed and appreciated. There is a lot of work going on at the Paws Up Animal Shelter headed by Rod Stevens Construction. It is very needed. Thanks Rod, Kathy and crew. Hopefully, Hazel will have time for a big opening to the public in early spring when it’s warmer. Once again we have dogs running on R...
Thank you John Devins for your comments and critique of our letters policy. We have not set a word limit on letters. However, we recommend letters be kept to less than 500 words. We attempt to work with those who submit longer letters to make them as concise as possible. In regards to why we allowed Bruce Friede’s letter to be printed, we will not limit someone’s ability to call out an elected representative for why they feel the community was misrepresented. We are aware of the tremendous amount of time and dedication those who serve on loc...
SEELEY LAKE - I really feel for the “snowbirds” who make up a quarter of the non-business resident parcels of the Seeley Lake Sewer District. Unless they subscribe to The Pathfinder, they will probably miss their chance to vote down a multi-million dollar bond issue that can severely impact their futures. The Missoula County Elections Office will mail ballots on Nov. 23 to every REGISTERED voter who is a resident or property owner in the Sewer District for a bond issue that, if passed, could potentially cost them $178 a month for the next 40...
SEELEY LAKE - The sewer question is about to be determined for the future of Seeley Lake. Many letters have been written and alternate proposals suggested. I have attended sewer board meetings for the last ten or more years and have watched the process carefully. Here are my conclusions. Is pollution of our ground water system taking place and is it due to human contamination? YES. All test wells show this and more test wells will only confirm this. Is this pollution getting into our streams and lakes? Of course – that’s where ground water wil...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley Lake Elementary fifth through eighth graders are doing electives. Sharon Teague, the sixth grade teacher, also teaches the art elective. Students are working with plastic and a heat gun to make plastic art. Teague got inspired by Chihuly's glass art which is glass heated and put into shapes. Teague's students took clear plastic recycled bottles and cut them into abstract shapes that reminded me of flowers, colored them with markers and then melted them a little. They turned...
For the third time in three years a countywide bond issue has passed with Missoula city voters in favor and rural voters opposing it. Rural voters were also outvoted in the county commissioner race this year like they were in 2014. The $30 million bond to pay for a new public library in Missoula passed countywide with 58 percent of voters saying “yes” to 42 percent “no” votes. However, rural voters in Clinton, Frenchtown, Lolo, Seeley Lake, Potomac and the Swan Valley voted down the bond wi...
SEELEY LAKE - There are still lots of challenges nationally for the housing market. However, 2016 is shaping up to be one of the best years for housing in a decade and the SEELEY LAKE real estate market is no exception. It’s been the “Perfect Storm” to be a BUYER or SELLER in the Seeley Lake residential real estate market in 2016. WHY? FOR BUYERS: Interest rates are still at all time, historical lows. Even though home values have continued to increase this last year, thanks to declining interest rates, it actually COSTS the same in princ...
HELENA - Water samples from Tiber Reservoir east of Shelby have tested positive for the larvae of aquatic invasive mussels, with similar tests from Canyon Ferry Reservoir near Helena showing “suspect” or inconclusive results, according to officials at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP). FWP, along with other state and federal agencies and the Montana Invasive Species Advisory Council (MISAC), are now working to determine whether adult mussels are present in Tiber Reservoir and to get further test results on Canyon Ferry. “This is the first...
The Clearwater Resource Council received notice that the larval form of the invasive mussels commonly known as zebra or quagga mussels have been positively identified in water samples from the Tiber Reservoir, east of the divide. Water samples from Canyon Ferry are giving inconclusive results. Until this finding, Montana was one of only five mussel-free states west of the Mississippi; the other states being Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming. The rapid response plan has been put in motion to assess the extent of the infestation and to determ...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) biologists in west-central Montana reported continued low elk harvests through Region 2 check stations, while deer harvests are on par with recent years through the first three weeks of the general big game hunting season. “The deer rut is definitely picking up and we’re seeing some bigger bucks come through,” said FWP’s Scott Eggeman, who operates the Bonner Check Station. “We’ll need some weather to push elk around and it looks like we might get it later this week.” Snow depths recorded at higher elevat...
SEELEY LAKE – Darin Smith started Rocky Mtn. Remodeling in Seeley Lake. He has worked in the construction industry for the past 20 years and is now specializing in kitchen and bath remodels and tile work. He looks forward to offering the best quality service for a reasonable price and strives to make his customers happy by standing behind his work 100 percent. Smith was born and raised in Spokane, Wash. He moved to Stockton, Calif. when he was 16 and has lived there for the past 30 years. W...
Would you buy a car without knowing the cost? Of course not, but hat’s what the sewer board wants us to do with its proposal. It has come up with a project that will cost between $12 and $20 million and will cost each household between $50 and $165 a month. Here’s a summary of some of the costs we face if we give the board a blank check and approve this project. • Construction Costs: There are two basic components, the treatment plant and the plumbing necessary to get the effluent to it. Because we’ll be pumping every gallon uphill, the pro...
After processing and cutting wild game meat, the grinding process begins for the meat set aside to be made into sausage or burger depending on spices used and fat added. A clean sanitary work surface is necessary as well as clean implements. An electric grinder with attachments, meat bags, tape and sealer are some things which can be useful during grinding. The meat is fed into the top of the grinder and pushed through the blades into a tube. Clean meat bags are placed on the end of the tube...
Across our beloved Montana, scores of dedicated folks are working to improve the quality of life for everyone in their communities now and far into the future. We are your friends and neighbors who are the strength behind the 75 local community foundations in the Treasure State. That says something about Montanans – our optimistic view of the future, desire to make our state a better place for our children and future generations and our willingness to challenge adverse situations and turn them into prospects for growth and opportunity in our h...
SWAN VALLEY - Swan Valley residents gathered in front of the Swan Valley Community Hall Nov. 11 to honor the valley's veterans. Speaking to the nearly 65 people in attendance, American Legion Post 63 Commander Rick Ferguson said: "The purpose [of this day] is to celebrate and honor all of America's veterans for their patriotism love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. I salute our local veterans and those who passed before us, who are now held in reverence on...
SEELEY LAKE – Veterans & Families of Seeley Lake (VFSL) has reached out to help local veteran Gary Ikerd and his wife Martha McManus. Thanks to volunteers, McManus now has a new handicap ramp and the freedom to get out of the house. McManus had not been able to go any farther than her front porch for the past two months. She was confined to a wheelchair and her handicap ramp was too steep, dropping 53 inches in 16 feet. The maximum slope of an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) handicap ramp...
SEELEY LAKE – Veterans & Families of Seeley Lake (VFSL) hosted their annual Veterans Day ceremony on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month this past Friday. Members of the community and seventh and eighth grade students from Seeley Lake Elementary joined in song, prayer and tribute to past and present veterans that were in attendance. "Today we recognize those who have protected and continue to protect our way of life," said VFSL President Barbara Knopp. "While Veterans Day is t...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Seniors hosted their annual bazaar Saturday, Nov. 12 with something for everyone. With 31 vendors, a snack bar and a Kids Corner, no one left empty handed. This is one of the major fundraisers for the Seeley Lake Senior Center. Coordinator Rachel Wilkinson said they had 21 volunteers plus SSHS students and all the helpers at the Kids Corner. Volunteers helped set up and take down the event as well as staffed the senior's raffle table and snack bar. An assortment o...
CUT BANK - On Oct. 30 in Rock Hill SC., with her husband, her parents and her children at her side, my sister Kim died of complications brought on by liver disease. She bravely fought a painful battle until she just wasn't strong enough to fight anymore. She had been doing much better and was even able to continue her rehab at home when an infection hit her quickly. Her sudden death was unexpected and has devastated our family. Me: "Aunt Kim died this morning." Sam: "Nooooo!" "Momma, how can I...
Perhaps the hardest thing for us as Christians is to remember that we serve a sovereign God. This is especially true when people or circumstances seem to us to be out of control. It is at these times that we tend to try seizing control, forget all of God’s promises and try to find reason where only chaos exists. We forget, or simply fail to call to mind, the reminder, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in...
Blood Donation Opportunity Nov. 21 in Seeley Lake SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley-Swan High School Student Council are sponsoring a blood drive for the community Monday, Nov. 21 from 12 – 5:30 pm on the Bloodmobile parked in the Seeley-Swan High School parking lot. To schedule your appointment, visit www.redcrossblood.org, and enter sponsor code: SEELEYBUS, or contact Sarah at 370-7898 (call or tex Openings on Missoula City-County Consolidated Planning Board, Deadline Dec. 3 MISSOULA - The Missoula County Commissioners seek applicants to fill a vac...
SEELEY LAKE – Two employees of Pyramid Mountain Lumber, Inc. were killed in two separate incidents Thursday morning, Nov. 17. The first, 60-year-old David Solum of Condon, was killed in a vehicle accident while travelling south on Highway 83 around 6:15 a.m. The second victim, 66-year-old Philip Pohlman of Seeley Lake, was killed during his shift at Pyramid just after 10 a.m. Solum was involved in a single-vehicle accident on Highway 83 near mile marker 25. Solum was ejected from the vehicle w...