Sorted by date Results 326 - 350 of 455
POTOMAC - Funding for the Friday Explorers program, school safety and staff changes dominated the Potomac School Board meeting March 12. The parent group striving to maintain the Friday Explorers program presented their second plan to the board regarding finances and resources for the 2018-2019 school year. The board shared their appreciation for the details in the presented parent plan and voiced their support for the program. A discussion followed where strong opinions were shared about the March 8 Pathfinder article entitled “Potomac School...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Community Council discussed how to distribute the completed second draft of the regional plan to the public at their meeting Feb. 27. The council members agreed that residents can peruse the plan and submit specific comments by the April 10 deadline. Council member Henry Westra asked what the council’s responsibility was in regard to the draft plan. “Do we have to say yes or no [to the draft plan]?” Westra asked. Council member Lacey McNutt said that their responsibility was to get it thoroughly out to the public....
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Fire District Board of Trustees held two special meetings Feb. 27 and March 1 to discuss the new chief candidates, address board concerns and approve revisions to several sections of the District’s Operations Manual. Chief Candidate The board received 32 applicants from the U.S. and internationally for the open chief position. The hiring committee presented the board with their top choice at the Feb. 27 special board meeting. The board agreed to extend the offer to the candidate from Nevada in hopes he would sta...
SEELEY LAKE - At the Feb. 20 Seeley Lake Fire District Board meeting Martin Cahoon presented the Board with a petition from Swan Mountain Estates to be annexed into the Fire District per Montana Code Annotated Section 7-33-2125. Swan Mountain Estates is a proposed 61-lot subdivision north of the Seeley Lake Airport in Powell County. Cahoon requested a decision on annexation prior to his meeting with Powell County in mid-March. Chief Michael Greer said developer Kurt Fredericks met with him and they toured the site. Greer was surprised how...
SEELEY LAKE – Missoula County Deputy Attorney Matt Jennings spoke to the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board Feb. 20 and nearly 20 members of the public about the distinction between the Seeley Lake Fire District and the Seeley Lake Fire Company. He made several recommendations on how to better clarify the roles of both entities moving forward. He and Seeley Lake Fire Chief Michael Greer answered questions regarding the recent volunteer terminations. The Seeley Lake Fire District was created in 1983. This is the entity that volunteers apply t...
SEELEY LAKE – Access to Seeley Lake Elementary School (SLE) during non-school hours and problems with the intercom system were the main topics discussed at the SLE School Board meeting Feb. 20. Staff changes and leave of absences were also approved. Discussion of the safety issues were prompted by a letter submitted by Bridget Laird and other SLE staff members. The complaint concerning the intercom is that general announcements cannot be heard in classrooms that are noisily engaged in an activity and the junior high school wing cannot hear t...
SEELEY LAKE – In addition to the discussion with Missoula County Deputy County Attorney Matt Jennings, the Seeley Lake Fire District Board approved the installation of two temporary dog kennels at Station #2 to be used by Animal Control and approved hiring Seeley Lake resident Jim Sackett for the maintenance position. Missoula City-County Animal Control obtained a $3,000 grant to build dog kennels to provide space for temporary housing due to disaster type situations. Missoula Animal Control Officer White requested permission from the Fire Dist...
SEELEY LAKE – Three eighth-grade students in the Jobs for Montana Graduates (JMG) Middle School Program gave a presentation to the Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) School Board Feb. 20 detailing the student-initiated T-shirt business. The JMG program is incorporated into Michele Holmes' eighth-grade technology class, which focuses on integrating tech skills with job, life and career skills. In her role as JMG Career Specialist, Holmes gave a brief overview, explaining JMG requires all p...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council discussed unanswered questions on the proposed 60-lot subdivision near the airport at their Feb. 12 meeting and voted to host a candidate forum ahead of this spring’s primary and local special district elections. The council also heard an update on the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act (BCSA) and received a demonstration of the county’s Property Information System. Developers of the proposed 60-lot subdivision presented and answered questions at the January council meeting. During the meeting,...
SWAN VALLEY – Representatives of the Flathead National Forest met with area residents at the Swan Valley Community Hall to discuss where the re-writing of the Forest Plan is in the process and the next steps. The Swan Valley Community Council arranged the Jan. 31 meeting. Forest Plan Revision Team Leader Joe Krueger presented on the plan. Rick Connell, Fire Management officer for the Flathead National Forest, and Eric Trimble, Timber Management Office Swan Lake Ranger District, helped address audience questions and concerns. The current F...
SEELEY LAKE - At their Jan. 18 meeting, the Seeley Lake Sewer Board voted to restart engineering on the treatment plant and Phase 1 of the collection system. In other business, they signed grant applications for funding to design Phase 2 of the collection system. Engineering had been put on hold until the notice and protest portion of the process was completed. The district didn’t want to spend the money if there was not going to be a project. Now that the landowners have approved the funding the process can resume. In a letter to District M...
SEELEY LAKE – A major savings in safety gear was a major point of discussion at the Seeley Lake Fire District board met Jan. 16. Michael Lyons from General Fire in Spokane, Wash. told Seeley Lake Fire Chief Michael Greer that all of the department’s firefighting turnouts and Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) are new enough and well within compliance. Rather than look at replacing the gear, he recommended some repairs and five lens will be replaced under warranty. The department needs to replace all 24 of their oxygen tanks this yea...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council packed the parking lot and filled the barn with residents wishing to learn more about a proposed subdivision at their Jan. 8 meeting. In other business, the council’s newest member, Lee Boman was sworn in. The council also discussed its trails fund, had an air quality update and accepted public comment, including a petition to roll back Seeley Lake’s reduced speed limits. The 60-lot subdivision is called Swan Mountain Estates and is located east of the north end of the Seeley Lake Airport in Powel...
POTOMAC - Potomac School board continued discussion on armed staff, the ending of the Friday Explorers program and adult education at their Jan. 8 meeting. They encourage the community to get involved in the discussions that will continue at their next board meeting. Weapons in School/Armed Staff A motion to discuss policy 1705 (Weapons in School) and the continuing safety at Potomac School prompted further discussion. At the invitation of Chair Cliff Vann, a Potomac resident with firearm experience presented some thoughts. That presentation...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer Board voted to levy special assessment after receiving protest letters from less than 50 percent of landowners at their Dec. 21 meeting. Three board directors are up for election in May of 2018. The special assessments will raise $5.79 million to fund construction of the district's wastewater treatment plant and Phase 1 of the collection system. The rest of the funding for the $15.7 million project has already been secured from various granting federal and...
SEELEY LAKE – After a successful Flu Shot Clinic Dec. 11 and the Tree Lighting Ceremony Dec. 16, the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District is gearing up for more training and events this winter. The board also approved a three percent raise for District Administrator Lynn Richards and opened the maintenance position. Fire Chief Michael Greer said that 25 people took advantage of the flu shots offered by the Missoula County Health Department. They also did four lead screenings at the clinic. Greer said they were interested in offering the service a...
SEELEY LAKE - Residents of Dogtown received an update on the issue of county road maintenance, or lack there of, at the Seeley Lake Community Council meeting Dec. 11. Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Clearwater Unit Manager Kristen Baker-Dickinson gave the update. The issue came to light in the summer of 2015 when Missoula County informed Dogtown residents who access their state lease properties via Grizzly Drive and Cub Lane that the county could no longer maintain those roads. The county stated that it could not use ro...
SWAN VALLEY - After lengthy discussion at its Nov. 21 meeting, the Swan Valley Community Council voted to table any decisions and the logistics concerning the Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee’s draft plan. Due to the holidays, council members and planning committee members’ absences and unanswered questions, the SVCC will wait until their next meeting Dec. 19 for further discussion. The timeline and the order for getting the draft plan to the community were addressed. Council member Henry Westra suggested that the SVRPC work on the cle...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Elementary School Board discussed the income SLE received from the Rice Ridge Fire. SLE received $120,770 for the facility rental and food income for the school’s use during the Rice Ridge Fire. After expenses, $48,685 was profit. SLE spent $2,856 on HEPA filters for the classrooms, $14,375 on the $500 employee stipend and $4,200 on a new walk-in cooler. The remaining $27,254 is available. The board verbally agreed to reserve these funds for preschool if needed. Superintendent Chris Stout said the Ortenberg Fou...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District listened to public comments and provided updates at their meeting Nov. 21. Interim Chief Michael Greer started Nov. 20. The District earned $44,952 on the Rice Ridge Fire. The District has received half of the payments. The Seeley Lake Fire Company applied for the Montana Community Foundation grant for $15,000 during the first grant cycle. If they get the grant, the funds will be used for radios. A special meeting to go through the budget and job descriptions will be held. The date will be d...
SEELEY LAKE - The last of the sewer district's public information meetings on the proposed $15.7 million sewer project was held Nov. 13. It is now up to the district landowners if the project can move forward. Joe Nickell from the public relations firm PartnersCreative ran the meeting. Presenters Dr. Walt Hill, Professional Engineer from Great West Engineering Amy Deitchler and District Manager Greg Robertson provided information on the project background and the process ahead. The presenters...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Fire Board offered Michael Greer an interim chief position for the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District pending finalizing the pay rate and job description. They also agreed to start advertising for a new fire chief and agreed to make preliminary comment on the 61-unit subdivision proposed in Powell County. Greer has been involved in emergency services his entire life and brings upper level management and leadership roles from his other work experiences. He graduated from paramedic school in 1996. He currently is a c...
SWAN VALLEY - The final seventh element entitled Implementation was discussed, edited and accepted by the Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee at their meeting Nov. 8. The appendices, taken from text of three elements contained in the growth plan draft, were also accepted by the committee. The committee debated about accepting committee member Diann Ericson’s submission as to how to integrate the appropriate Implementation sections into each element of the draft plan. The committee eventually agreed with committee member Sara Halm to keep t...
SEELEY LAKE – More than 70 concerned citizens attended the Department of Environmental Quality public meeting Nov. 2 to voice their support, concern or find out more information regarding the opencut mining permit submitted by Deer Creek Excavating, LLC. The meeting goal was to help inform the public of what is known about the Cottonwood Pit and to listen to public comments on the local perspective and conditions that may not be in the application that will help aid DEQ in their review process. The proposed Cottonwood Gravel Pit is located a...
MISSOULA - The Missoula County Commissioners approved a grant to help lower the initial operating and maintenance (O&M) of the proposed Seeley Lake sewer at their Oct. 25 administrative meeting. The commissioners also approved an edited version of the inter-local agreement between the county and Seeley Lake Sewer District. District Manager Greg Robertson explained the need for subsidies. The District has been split into four phases for constructing the collection system and only Phase 1 will be connected to start with. With no subsidies, the...
