Sorted by date Results 426 - 450 of 455
SWAN VALLEY - Members of the Swan Valley Regional Plan Committee (SVRPC) began revisions on the Swan Valley Regional Plan (SVRP) draft at their April 13 meeting. The SVRPC discussed and approved edits and comments submitted by Missoula lawyer Colleen Dowdall, local journalist Suzanne Vernon, Missoula Community and Planning Services (CAPS) planner Mitch Doherty, residents and those in attendance. The committee also heard an alternate plan submitted by Swan Valley resident Harry Blazer. The SVRPC voted to accept Dowdall’s edits to the f...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) decided how they would review and assess the public’s comments at their March 23 special meeting held at the Swan Valley Community Hall. This round of comments ended March 16. The committee members agreed to divide and reread the comments to become familiar with them as they work through the draft’s wording at the next meeting. The SVRPC also agreed to project the plan draft on a screen at following public meetings as they edit the draft so it is visible to all in att...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer District (SLSD) board received a possible funding package for the proposed treatment facility and Phase I of the collection system. The offer from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (RD) was discussed at the board’s March 17 meeting. It consisted of 5.7 million dollars in grants and 4.4 million in loans. District Manager Greg Robertson called the offer a “recipe for disaster” if the board accepted all the conditions that come with it. “Based on the structure that they are insisti...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council (SLCC) hosted WMG Group’s Nick Kaufman to discuss zoning. The council was also presented with an idea from the county to sell a public park on Double Arrow Ranch at its March 14 meeting. The council invited Kaufman, who is a land use planner, to speak about the pros and cons of zoning. The discussion of zoning come up due to the possibility of a cell tower being built in Seeley Lake. Kaufman explained that his first experience in Seeley Lake was in the 1970s when it was very much a lumber town. ...
SWAN VALLEY - Quick Response Unit (QRU) Medical Chief Dan Maloughney and Swan Valley Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Randy Williams spoke about their critical need for volunteers and commented on the Swan Valley Regional Plan (SVRP) draft at the Swan Valley Community Council (SVCC) meeting March 15. Kascie Herron and Rick Potts from Montanans for Healthy Rivers coalition also told attendees that local rivers and tributaries are eligible to be designated “Wild and Scenic.” “We are in a crisis situation right now,” said Maloughney. He said...
SWAN VALLEY - Swan Valley residents commented on the Swan Valley Regional Plan (SVRP) draft at the Swan Valley Regional Plan Committee (SVRPC) meeting March 9. Deadline for comments from residents was March 16. Several of the nearly 20 residents present at the meeting asked questions and voiced their opinions on the plan draft to the SVRPC. Questions asked are in bold. Responses from the SVRPC follow the question. What is a rough percentage of the community that gave input [during the envisioning process]? Out of 650 residents, 183 answered the...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) School Board unanimously approved a general fund levy to be voted on in the May 3 Special Election. The exact amount will be decided at the board’s March 22 meeting. District Clerk Sally Johnson presented to the board that the state funds allotted to SLE for the 2016-2017 school year would be approximately $21,300 less than this year’s budget due to declining enrollment. Johnson said this is a preliminary estimate of the shortfall since more information will be available from the Office of Publi...
SEELEY LAKE - CTA Architects Engineers (CTA) of Great Falls, Mont. met with Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) representatives and members of Alpine Artisans Inc. Thursday, Feb. 18 to finalize the design plans for the addition of the Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) stage and other safety features that will be installed. The MCPS High School bond that was approved last November funds the renovations and addition. CTA expects construction will begin June 11 and be nearly complete by the time school gets back in session in the fall, Aug. 28....
SWAN VALLEY- Missoula lawyer Colleen Dowdall, recognized in the state of Montana as an authority on land use, along with several residents presented their comments on the Swan Valley Regional Plan (SVRP) draft at the Swan Valley Community Council (SVCC) meeting Feb. 16. The public meeting regarding the draft plan will be held March 2 at 7 p.m. at the Swan Valley Community Hall. Swan Valley resident Harry Blazer asked Dowdall to be present at the meeting. Blazer offered to pay Dowdall and the committee agreed to review her comments along with...
SWAN VALLEY – The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) decided on the ground rules for the March 2 community meeting to which the community will be invited to bring questions and comments regarding the draft Swan Valley-Condon Regional Plan (SVRP) for the Swan Valley. The meeting will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Swan Valley Community Hall. While there will be copies of the draft plan available at the meeting, the public is invited to review it ahead of time at the Swan Valley Library or online by visiting w...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Elementary School (SVE) board discussed the Swan Valley Regional Plan (SVRP) at their monthly meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 9. They addressed how the SVRP will impact the school. They considered how the board will respond to the SVRP committee with comments on the school’s needs, growth and future along with other improvements to the SVRP before the public comment meeting March 2. The SVE board members agreed with board chairperson John Mercer that the SVRP Committee did a phenomenal job addressing the protection of sceni...
SEELEY LAKE - Managers for the Seeley Lake Sewer District (SLSD) updated the board on the funding package from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (RD) at their Jan. 21 meeting. The board also discussed their vacant board position. According to District Manager Greg Robertson, the federal budget deal that was passed in late Dec. 2015 contained funding through RD for Seeley’s sewer project. In the last month, RD has been allocating funds to the states. The RD informed Robertson that a 26-page funding package has been p...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board approved a $60 per trip stipend for patient transports to Missoula, Mont. between the hours of 8 p.m. – 8 a.m. effective Jan. 19. Seeley Lake Fire Chief Bob Vanden Heuvel also informed the board that he took the opportunity to acquire a 1987 Type III fire engine. The board has been discussing the Quick Response Unit (QRU) night transport stipend since mid-summer. At the July 21, 2015 meeting, the board, excluding members Gary Lewis and Al Rogers who were absent, unanimously approved $75...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council (SLCC) discussed its options after the state rejected the council’s request for traffic safety improvements on Highway 83 at its Jan. 11 meeting. The council also discussed the issue of new cell tower permitting in the area and welcomed newly appointed board member Carrie Sokoloski (see story page 6). The council requested the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) make changes in speed limits and crosswalks on Highway 83 in Seeley Lake. The council spent much of the summer collecting p...
SEELEY LAKE - Carrie Sokoloski was appointed to the Seeley Lake Community Council (SLCC) in December, filling the vacancy created by Cathy Kahnle's move to Flathead County. Sokoloski moved to Seeley Lake from Glendive, where she served on the City Council. She holds an M.S. in Public Relations and a B.A. in Organizational Communication from Montana State University, Billings. Sokoloski is a licensed property manager and operates a property management business with her husband, Ryan Sokoloski....
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) approved the draft regional plan with pending edits at their Jan. 13 meeting. Once the final edits are made within the next week, the plan will be available for the public to review and make comments on prior to the Swan Valley Community Council’s approval. Planner Bob Horne presented the committee with four new sub-sections to consider: wildlife-friendly fencing recommendations; improved communications between the county and council asking for a single point of contact for t...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan Hospital District Board met for their monthly meeting, Jan. 11. Currently the Seeley-Swan Medical Center is without x-ray capabilities due to a shortage of trained technicians to run the machine. The clinic has also been decorated with artwork from six different Alpine Artisans, Inc. (AAI) artists. Partnership Health Center (PHC) Director of Innovation Mary Jane Nealon informed the board that the Medical Center will be unable to offer x-rays until later this spring. When Cindy Lewis retired, PHC sent another staff...
SEELEY LAKE - Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) officials held a meeting Jan. 4 in Seeley Lake to discuss proposed changes to the 2016 and 2017 hunting regulations. FWP is accepting public comment on these changes through Jan. 22. FWP Region Two Wildlife Manager Mike Thompson explained that public comment is welcome, not only on the proposed changes, but also on the full regulations. Scott Eggeman, FWP’s wildlife biologist based in Seeley Lake, presented the proposed changes for the Seeley Lake, Ovando and Potomac area districts. Local D...
SEELEY LAKE - Cell Towers and Medicaid will be the main topics at the next Seeley Lake Community Council (SLCC) meeting, Jan. 11. Two new cell towers have been proposed for Seeley Lake, on Redwood Lane in downtown Seeley and at Salmon Lake. J.R. Reger, who wants to build the tower on Redwood Lane, laid out his plans at the SLCC meeting last November. The engineering firm working on the Salmon Lake tower has declined an invitation to the SLCC January meeting, saying they are waiting for Missoula County to process their application. Jamie...
District Administrator Lynn Richards announced at the Seeley Lake Fire Board meeting Dec. 15 that Missoula County is now accepting applications for one position on the board that will be voted on in the May 3 election. Trustee Al Rogers’ position is up for re-election. The trustee election will be held May 3, 2016. Richards said the Missoula County regulations for trustee elections have changed. Applicants are no longer required to get community signatures to be accepted. All applicants need to do is fill out the application, have it n...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) is in the final stages of editing the draft regional growth plan. At the Dec. 8 meeting, the SVRPC addressed comments and concerns from those on the committee and others that have been active in the process. Following the January meeting, the committee hopes to have a working draft to present to the community. Swan Valley resident Rick Ferguson suggested including the label “Crown of the Continent” for the Swan Valley in the Natural Resource Element. “It’s a good reminde...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board of Trustees accepted Rod Stevens’ bid for snow plowing both Station 1 and 2. Rod Stevens Construction was one of two bids received for the 2015-2016 snow-plowing contract. Stevens has held the contract for the last several years. Also at the Nov. 17 meeting, under the recommendation of Fire Chief Bob Vanden Heuvel, the board also agreed to suspend the cadet program until further notice. There were no questions or further discussion from the board on the decision. Vanden Heuvel also a...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee discussed the Implementation Element at their last meeting Nov. 19. Planner Robert Horne expects to have a complete draft for the committee to review at the December meeting. The Implementation Element outlines the processes and procedures and identifies the partnerships and collaborations needed to get things done. In the opening paragraph it states there are multiple methods and techniques to implement the plan but the community has opted not to recommend regulations. Swan Valley...
SWAN VALLEY - Newly elected Missoula County Commissioner Stacy Rye spoke at the Nov. 17 meeting of the Swan Valley Community Council (SVCC). She told those in attendance that the commissioners supported the citizens concerned about the danger to buses and drivers pulling in and out of the Swan Valley School (SVE) on Highway 83. The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) responded to Swan Valley citizens’ letters about the SVE safety issue in a letter sent to SVCC member Marcia Tapp. The MDT letter indicated that the no passing zone would b...
SEELEY LAKE - At the Seeley Lake Community Council’s (SLCC) Nov. 16 meeting J.R. Reger announced his company plans to build a cell tower in Seeley Lake. Also at the meeting, Cathy Kahnle resigned her position on the council. Kahnle explained that due to an address change, she will no longer be eligible to sit on the SLCC. Kahnle’s position, which runs through May of 2017, will be appointed by the Missoula County Commissioners. Individuals interested in the position may call the commissioners’ office at 258-4877 or fill out the volunteer form on...
