Sorted by date Results 78 - 102 of 455
SEELEY LAKE – At their Sept. 20 meeting, the Seeley Lake Elementary Superintendant Josh Gibbs updated the School Board on the current status of COVID in the school. While the school skirted COVID last year with no cases at school, SLE’s first case this year was reported Sept. 15. In other business, the Board approved hiring two new staff, discussed installation of solar panels on the school roof and approved a policy on staff sick leave relating to COVID. As of Monday, Gibbs said there were five positive cases in the school and 26 students wer...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board discussed a variety of items at their Sept. 16 meeting including paying plaintiff’s legal fees for failed lawsuits against the District, funding for a high school water testing program and dissolving the District. Board President Tom Morris received a letter from Don Larson asking for “help from the community” to pay legal bills related to a pair of lawsuits Larson filed to fight the proposed community sewer. In the letter, Larson states that he has already paid $84,000 and has been billed for...
POTOMAC – At their Sept. 7 meeting, the Greenough-Potomac Fire Board sold their 1991 Chevrolet, Type 6 Engine, affirmed the Chief’s authority to request gear be returned by inactive members and discussed their fee structure charged to residents and commercial businesses for this year. The Board received three sealed bids for the Type 6 engine. All of the bids were $5,000 or over. Bradd Kindle of Greenough was the highest bidder with a bid of $5,501. The board was pleased with the response and were surprised that all the bids were within $50...
SEELEY LAKE – At a Sept. 9 public hearing, the Missoula County Commissioners unanimously approved the notice of intent to file Alpine Trails Phases 3 and 4 subdivision north of Seeley Lake. While the staff with Missoula County Community and Planning Services (CAPS) recommended the removal of a gate restricting access to S.O.S. Road prior to approval, the Commissioners appreciated the solutions and explanation offered and felt that that condition of approval was not needed for Phases 3 and 4 to proceed. Alpine Trails Subdivision is a 30-lot s...
SEELEY LAKE – On Aug. 26, the Missoula County Commissioners unanimously approved the increase in fees and fiscal year 2022 budget for the Seeley Lake Refuse District. The total annual assessment for District residents increased $30 to $180 for 10 cubic yards of trash. Out-of District and specialty item fees also increased. The District is fee-based and the rates have not changed since 2011. At that time they were raised from $125 to the current $150. This allows every lot, tract or parcel of record within the District to dump 10 cubic yards (...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Elementary School Board unanimously approved the 2022 school budget during their monthly meeting Tuesday, Aug. 17. They also unanimously approved the appointing of Sara Lamar as a new trustee as well as curriculums for music and U.S. history courses. This year’s main fund will be $391,940.32. District Clerk Heather Mincey said this year their total mills are 76.89 which is lower than last year’s figure of 88.35. Mincey said this is because the district tax base has increased resulting in a tax bill reduction and...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board approved their Action Plan and jumped into action with reports on improving the District’s communication and researching sewer alternatives at its Aug. 19 meeting. The Action Plan, which had been discussed at length the last couple months, received very little updates from last month’s meeting with the exception of a spreadsheet to track work. Director Cheri Thompson said she added the spreadsheet so the Board could track work being done and better communicate that information to the publi...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Elementary School Board unanimously approved revisions to their School Reopening Plan revision during their monthly meeting Monday, Aug. 16. In addition they also unanimously approved the student handbook and reviewed the 2022 fiscal year budget. Superintendent Josh Gibbs said many of the changes in the reopening plan resulted from how they adapted at the end of the last school year. Since it was passed in May, masks will be optional unless the Board votes to mandate them or they develop some sort of metric. Face...
MISSOULA COUNTY - At their Aug. 10 meeting, the Missoula County Public School Board of Trustees approved their reopening plan and voted 6-3 in favor of approving their face covering guidelines for all K-12 public school students in the county including Seeley-Swan High School. The trustees will review the guidelines at their first meeting in October. Superintendent Rob Watson made a presentation on MCPS’ reopening plan. He said their COVID-19 mitigation strategies from last year will shift this school year. Watson told the Board there were s...
POTOMAC - The Potomac Elementary School Board unanimously approved a series of Montana School Board Association (MTSBA) policy updates on both first and second readings during their monthly board meeting Monday, Aug. 9. During the meeting the board also approved their 2020-2021 trustees’ financial summary and budget as well as reviewed their Return to School Plan. The required updates approved on second reading dealt with student immunization, administering medication and prevention of disease transmission. The recommended updates touched on f...
MISSOULA – At their meeting Thursday, Aug. 5 the Missoula County Commissioners appointed Garry Swain to fill Klaus von Stutterheim’s position on the Seeley Lake Community Council. Swain will fill the position until May 31, 2024. There were two applicants for the position, Swain and Seeley Lake business owner John Richards. Richards applied to fill Kris Martin’s term with Sharon Teague whom the Commissioners appointed Feb. 4, 2021. He again applied for Von Stutterheim’s position. At the Commissioners’ May 11 meeting, Richards was the sole appl...
POTOMAC – At their Aug. 3 meeting, the Greenough-Potomac Fire Board invited representatives with Robert Peccia & Association Engineering Firm and Montana Department of Transportation to discuss the reconfiguration of Clearwater Junction, at the intersection of Highway 200 and Highway 83. Board Chair Scott Gordon explained that the intersection falls in their jurisdiction and they wanted to continue the conversation about what the changes may look like and how that will affect their response. Jacquelyn Smith, preconstruction engineer for M...
OVANDO - Ovando residents came together in the Ovando School gym Thursday, July 30 to discuss whether the community should decrease the minimum developmental acreage from one to ½ acre in order to allow for more potential housing. Powell County Planning Director Scott Hazelton led the presentation and facilitated the discussion. Overall the community did not support the idea of smaller lot size but was interested in adding other zoning parameters. Hazelton said Powell County's motivation...
SEELEY LAKE - A half dozen residents participated in a Pathways and Trails Master Plan workshop at the Seeley Lake Community Foundation’s West Wing July 28. Missoula County is beginning the process to create a countywide Pathways and Trails Master Plan to guide the development and prioritization of regionally and locally shared-use pathways and trails that serve communities throughout the county. Missoula County Parks, Trails & Open Lands Manager Juniper Davis explained that the workshop was to gather community input on what gaps or problems t...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Elementary School Board unanimously approved a resolution allowing the public sale of the school’s surplus property during their regularly scheduled meeting Monday, July 19. They also approved new teachers, discussed curriculum upgrades and planned for next year. The extra supplies being offered to the public included file cabinets, TV monitors, computer monitors, tables and chairs. For a full list see the classifieds in this week’s Pathfinder. The items will be distributed in the form of a silent auction Tue...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Fire District Board approved Chief Dave Lane to research to see if there would be interest for a paid firefighter/paramedic or firefighter/EMT position for the District and what the cost would be. The board agreed they would hold a special meeting to approve or refuse the position should Lane get interest. In other business, the board approved the match to a Town Pump grant to purchase a second LUCAS Device, Chest Compression System to perform manual CPR, for the second ambulance. In his report, Lane said they r...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board continued discussing an Action Plan for moving forward at its July 15 meeting. In other business, Vice President Beth Hutchinson resigned her position ahead of the meeting and the Board approved a job description for an Interim General Manager position. The proposed Action Plan is a four-page document explaining the direction the Board intends to take in the coming year. In the overview it states that the Board will focus on assembling information to inform itself and constituents about w...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Elementary School Board unanimously approved the hiring of Aaron Morgenstern of Seeley Lake as the school's new principal and music teacher during their regular meeting Monday, July 12. In addition, they announced the departure of current Board Chair Nathan Richardson, unanimously approved policy updates on second reading and approved the appointment of their new trustee Kitty Logan, a former principal of the school. Missoula County Superintendent Erin Lipkind...
SEELEY LAKE – At their July 13 meeting, Seeley-Swan Medical Center Satellite Manager Georgiann McCoy informed the Seeley-Swan Hospital District board about their continued partnership with Missoula City-County Health Department to provide free gun locks to Seeley residents. She also updated them on the residency program that will be in full swing by mid-August. The Medical Center currently has 24 gun locks available to anyone in the community through a partnership with the Health Department Suicide Prevention and Awareness Program and P...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board adopted a resolution setting the method and assessment to collect taxes for their 2021-22 fiscal year at a hearing June 28. Following the hearing, the Board held its regular monthly meeting where it discussed an action plan laying out direction for the District and hiring a manager. The Board only received a half dozen protest letters out of the more than 500 properties in the District. District Manager Jean Curtiss said she received a few phone calls regarding the assessment. One of the issues...
MISSOULA COUNTY - The Missoula Board of County Commissioners held a presentation and accepted comments regarding a special election in November over a local-option marijuana excise tax during a public meeting Thursday, July 1. The discussion regarding the ballot’s language will continue at their July 15 meeting. In November the state of Montana voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use. In his presentation, Chris Lounsbury, Missoula County Chief Administrative Officer, said that as part of the legislative process, Montana House Bill 7...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Elementary School Board unanimously approved updates on their 3000 policy series during their regularly scheduled monthly meeting Monday, June 21. During the meeting they also approved a stipend for staff as well as the Safe School Reopening and Continuity Plan. Much of the updates on the 3000 series dealt with wording clarification and redundancy reduction for policies including bullying and harassment, attendance and enrollment and student records. Some of the updates came as a result of statewide legislative...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council received updates on Fourth of July activities as well as other upcoming local projects during their regular monthly meeting Monday, June 14. In the meeting, Jordan Lyons, Missoula County Community and Planning Services housing specialist, provided the results of a recent Community Needs Assessment; Claire Muller, Seeley Lake Community Foundation executive director, then announced updates on the Change Your Pace program; and Seeley Lake District Ranger Quinn Carver described project updates and...
POTOMAC - Members of the Potomac School Board approved a collection of Montana School Board Association (MTSBA) policy updates both on first and second reading with amendments during their regular meeting Monday, June 14. The Board also heard from the eighth graders on their recent school trip and approved the 2019-2020 audit. The required policy updates that were approved on second reading with amendments had to do with uniform complaint procedure; district policy and procedures; school calendar and day; school emergency and closure; entrance...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Fire Board amended their by-laws and approved the 2021-2022 budget at their June 15 meeting. They also addressed public questions regarding the mission statement, financials and public information requests. At a special meeting June 21, they approved a five percent raise for Chief Dave Lane and assigned Board Chair Scott Kennedy and Board Member Jon Kimble to a committee to further discuss the volunteer shortage and options. In his report, Lane said on June 13 following the windstorm, the District responded to 13 c...
