Darby Community Planning Committee members asked the County Commissioners on Monday to allow the Darby School District to opt out of the countywide zoning efforts. They told the commissioners that out of over 100 people attending the last Darby CPC meetings only three expressed support for the zoning process. All the other people indicated by a show of hands that they want out and they want out now. They do not want the process to continue.

Darby CPC meetings once attended by less than a dozen people have seen participation swell recently and almost all those coming to the meetings claim that they do not want the Darby School District to be a part of the countywide zone being established.

Chris Cobb-Taggart of the Darby CPC told the commissioners that the CPC would like to sponsor a straw poll in the school district during the May 6 elections in which the voters could opt out of the countywide zoning or endorse it as they wished.

“We want to be treated as separate from the rest of the county,” said Taggart. “You can’t get anything done at a zoning meeting if most everyone there is totally against zoning.”

Commissioner Kathleen Driscoll said that she was concerned about people trying to make a decision about zoning without enough good and accurate information. She wondered if the CPC was willing to go along with the upcoming informational mailing that the commission was arranging. She noted that in the last vote that established Interim Zoning the total was calculated at 826 for Interim Zoning and 843 against. She said that it was a close vote and there are other people out there in the community than the ones recently attending the CPC meetings.

Commissioner Alan Thompson said that he believed from the beginning that each individual school district would make zoning determinations of its own.

“If Darby wants to put in a gravel pit anywhere, or a race track anywhere, or a sexually explicit business anywhere, well I guess that’s their decision,” said Thompson.

But he cautioned that all those activities and more cause dissension, conflict and local resistance wherever they are proposed. He said that it makes sense for a community to decide where such activities and businesses are appropriate and where they are not. He also cautioned that countywide planning in some form would still intrude into the Darby area in the form of streamside setbacks along the river or in regulations governing development in the Highway 93 corridor. He said zoning in some respects will exist in the Darby district.

Commissioner Greg Chilcott said that if any community doesn’t want zoning that that was part of the process. He noted that people living in the Town of Darby would not be included according to law in any vote over county zoning. He also noted that 40 percent of the landowners could protest any zone that was adopted and veto it.

As far as letting the Darby District out of the zoning process immediately, Deputy County Attorney Alex Beal said that there was no official method for doing something like that before making a Resolution of Intent to create a Zoning District. He also said that holding a straw poll was possible but that it was not legally binding on the county, although the Commissioners could agree to honor the results of a straw poll if they chose to.

Commissioner Jim Rokosch expressed concerns about the idea of a straw poll. He said that the results of the poll would be added information for the Commissioners to consider but should not be binding on them. He said that people with fears about zoning should articulate those fears and concerns and express them to the CPC and go through the process. He said that he was concerned about switching horses in mid-stream in the process.

Several Darby residents and CPC members spoke out, saying that Darby should be able to opt out of the zoning process if that’s what the majority of the people want.

Other members of the public spoke out in defense of the zoning process and some, including attorney Curtis Cook, said that state law did not allow it. He said a straw poll is not binding on anyone but the Interim Zoning Regulation adopted by the voters did bind the whole county to the zoning process.

In the end Chilcott said, “We hear the Darby CPC loud and clear.”

He made a motion to the effect that the commission would honor the results of a straw poll to be taken among the Darby District voters. The motion was passed on a 4 to 1 vote with Rokosch casting the lone dissenting vote.

Beal said that while the commissioners could commit themselves to honor the results of a future straw poll, he would advise them to keep as much power over the ballot language as possible.

“You should set the ballot language for the poll since it will be coming back to you for interpretation and a decision, “he told the commissioners. “It is best that you set the language to begin with,”

The ballot language must be prepared by March 27 to be included on the May 6 ballot.

Lone Rock School lunches best in state

By Michael Howell

Montana State Superintendent of Schools Linda McCulloch was at Lone Rock School last Tuesday, March 11, to honor both the school and head of the food service department Patti Calkins for an exceptional food service program. At a school assembly McCulloch awarded Calkins and her “nutrition team” Cherrie Shaubono, Anja Thompson, and Danice Person, with the National Healthier Montana Menu Challenge Award for both breakfast and lunch meals. Accompanying the award was a check for $500 to be used by the school. Lone Rock is the first school in Montana to receive the award. The award program recognizes Montana schools serving healthy school meals that are consistent with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and USDA’s MyPyramid.

Calkins has been working at the school for 26 years. She and her team make the meals from scratch using whole grain foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy foods and low-fat entrees. They serve freshly baked, whole wheat breads and like to serve locally grown and purchased foods as much as possible.

A pioneer in healthy menu planning, Calkins said that it is not something that only a small school like Lone Rock can accomplish. “Any school can do it, no matter how big,” said Calkins. “It just takes the people to do it.”

Calkins thanked those gathered in the assembly and thanked the kids for eating her meals.

“I hope that in the years to come,” she told them, “that you continue to eat whole grain bread. It’s good for you and will help you fight off diseases and keep you strong. Eat your fruits and vegetables and be sure to burn those calories that you eat. We’ll all be better off for it.”

Wal-Mart withdraws plans for Hamilton supercenter

By Greg Lemon

The rumors are true: Wal-Mart is pulling back plans for a supercenter south of Hamilton.

“We’re just taking a step back and kind of withdrawing for now,” said Wal-Mart spokesman, Josh Phair.

Wal-Mart had submitted wastewater treatment plans to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for a commercial structure near Blood Lane, south of Hamilton off of Highway 93.

Those plans were just preliminary, said DEQ engineer John McDunn.

“We looked at it and it was well done,” McDunn said. “It would have been easily approved by me.”

The plan to pull out for now came as part of a national reorganization by Wal-Mart, Phair said.

“Basically it’s a decision related to our announcement last June that we were going to kind of slow down on supercenter growth,” he said. “Hamilton is one of the projects we’re withdrawing.”

The choice to not build in Hamilton wasn’t because the market in Ravalli County couldn’t support a Wal-Mart supercenter, Phair said.

“I think certainly the market in Ravalli County is one that we had interest in for a reason and I don’t think those reasons have gone away,” he said. “At some time we may want to revisit opening a store in that area.”

Wal-Mart’s decision was both celebrated and lamented.

Russ Lawrence, president of Bitterroot Good Neighbors Coalition, is relieved the store is pulling back for now, but would like to see the community press for further screening of future box stores.

“It’s great for the community, but it’s only great if we use this opportunity to have a discussion about what we want the community to look like and then put the planning in place to make that happen,” Lawrence said.

The Bitterroot Good Neighbors Coalition worked to get the Ravalli County Commissioners to pass an ordinance restricting the size of box stores to 60,000 square feet. The commissioners passed the ordinance in spring 2006, but voters overturned it later that fall.

Dallas Erickson from Stevensville spearheaded the effort to overturn the ordinance. He’s not happy Wal-Mart has pulled out.

“It’s a shame that they would go against that promise that they made to those who would want Wal-Mart,” Erickson said.

Erickson feels that the support his effort received in 2006 to overturn the box store size ordinance was a statement that people in Ravalli County want a Wal-Mart and the savings the store provides.

But Erickson is a proponent of free enterprise and was morally against the size cap and would be against any future size cap restriction.

In the future, Lawrence doesn’t see a size cap as the best way to manage box store development. He’d like to see big commercial developments be required to do an economic, cultural and historical impacts study, to demonstrate how the development will impact the community. In his mind, those should be requirements for a conditional use permit for any large commercial development.

“I would like to see a discussion of those values as part of a conditional use process,” he said.

Wal-Mart’s proposal didn’t have to go through such screening, Lawrence said, and left the community without any say in the process.

“Wal-Mart didn’t have to answer to anybody for what they were doing,” he said.

The store had to have an approved wastewater treatment plan and traffic management plan, but that isn’t enough, he said.

“It was a pretty low bar for them to clear,” Lawrence said.

During the process of finding a suitable building site near Hamilton, Wal-Mart developed some good relationships in the community, Phair said.

Hamilton hires new administrative assistant

By Greg Lemon

The city of Hamilton has a new administrative assistant.

Last week the Hamilton city council approved the hiring of Nancy Anderson of Hamilton.

“Nancy’s really smart and she’s a quick learner and she’s going to be a good fit for the organization,” said Mayor Jessica Randazzo. “I feel really good about our potential to work really well and closely together.”

Anderson moved to Hamilton about 10 years ago and has been working at GlaxoSmithKline as a financial controller. She recently earned her masters of business administration from the University of Montana.

“When I graduated in May of 07, I decided that I really wanted to get out of the corporate world and do something different,” Anderson said.

She took some time off and when the job came open at the city, she felt like it would be a perfect fit for her.

“I thought that the skills that I had could really be valuable in this position and really be an asset,” she said.

The former administrative assistant, Steve Green, left his post last November, Randazzo said. He left the city with the budget completed, which was good because it gave her some time to search for his replacement.

The administrative assistant is the top assistant to the mayor. Anderson’s biggest job is helping the mayor with the budget, Randazzo said. But other duties include assisting other department heads with their needs. So Anderson will help craft a budget and handle human resource needs.

“It’s a very important position and demanding position,” she said.

During the last few months without an administrative assistant, Randazzo and her staff have all had to work harder.

“It’s been busy,” Randazzo said. “Our city clerk and myself, and some of the other staff on the management level, have put in a lot of extra work. I think we’ve handled it really well.”

Anderson’s first big task will be delving into next year’s budget, Randazzo said.

It’s something Anderson is looking forward to.

“The budget process I’m really familiar with and I’m looking forward to learning the (city’s) system,” she said.

Anderson started her new job Monday afternoon. The position comes with a $48,000 a year salary.

Stevi High School levy to be on the ballot

By Michael Howell

At its March 10 meeting, the Stevensville School Board decided to place a high school levy on the upcoming ballot but declined to place a levy on the ballot for the district’s elementary school. School Superintendent Kent Kultgen recommended a levy in both instances, but he also offered the Trustees a budget designed to make do without a levy in both cases as well. The Trustees approved placing a $170,000 high school levy on the May ballot.

Initially several of the trustees at considering a levy for the elementary school when it was getting an additional $335,000 in state funds based upon increased student enrollment. Kultgen gave the board three budget options, one with no levy, one with a $30,000 levy and another based on a levy of $60,000. Kultgen called the additional funds from the state “soft dollars.” He said the amount could go down or fluctuate in the future. He recommended placing either the medium or high levy amounts on the ballot.

Trustee Cathy Cook said that her priority was for the students and teachers, and the need for books, technology and supplies.

“I don’t have any problem with a $60,000 levy,” said Cook. She said it is only a $1.81 per month increase in taxes on a home valued at $200,000. She noted that a person could give up drinking a six-pack of soft drinks each month and make up the difference.

Many of the other trustees, however, expressed doubt that the public would support any levy given the $355,000 increase in funding and some expressed the fear that it would also jeopardize the chances of a high school levy which they saw as more needed.

A motion to approve the low budget submitted by Kultgen that would not require a levy but relies on the $355,000 increase from the state was passed on a 5 to 1 vote with Cook casting the lone dissenting vote. The board also approved a motion to cancel that part of the ballot having to do with an elementary school levy.

In board chairman Jim Cloud’s absence, Bill Goslin led the meeting and introduced the discussion of a high school levy, saying, “This is a totally different subject now because the high school is in really tough shape.”

He noted that there had been some increase in the high school budget due to state funds increasing by $31,000, but said, “In a budget our size that’s not a lot.”

Superintendent Kultgen gave the board three options, all involved placing a levy on the ballot. The options ranged from a low of $170,000 to a medium of $200,000 and a high of $230,000. Kultgen proposed that the high school levy be based on a percentage of the state-mandated budget cap. He said the average high school cap across the state for Class “A” schools is 93.08 percent. He said that for the 2008-2009 school year, Stevensville will be at 82.2 percent. He proposed attaining the state average over a period of several years. He recommended a high school increase of 5.2 percent to 87.4 percent of cap. That would be about 5.6 percent short of the state average. The elementary school is already at 87.4 percent of the cap.

Trustee Ed Cummings raised the question of how the 4 percent raise in wages would be met to equal the elementary school increase, since both schools must be equal, if there was no levy.

“It would mean cuts in personnel and in programs,” said Kultgen.

The $170,000 levy would mean a mill increase of 11.38 mills and cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $200,000 about $45.22 per year. It would cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 half that, or $22.61 annually.

The board came to some consensus that whatever the decision, it would require 100 percent support from the board and so it would be nice if the vote was unanimous. As a result, a straw vote was held to consider how much support there was for the medium proposal of $200,000. Four board members said they would only support the lower amount of $170,000. Two said they could support the medium proposal and one could “go either way.”

As a result of the straw poll the motion to consider the medium levy was withdrawn and a motion to approve the lowest levy of $170,000 was unanimously approved.

In other business the board:

- approved renewal of contracts with Principal Jim Notaro, Vice-principal Robert Dobell, and Administrative Assistant Bill Schiele.

- approved appointment of Geneva Stevens as High School Secretary at $8.38 per hour. Stevens will replace the retiring Secretary Sarah Nagel.

- approved the appointment of John Stewart to the Maintenance Dept.

- accepted the resignations of Darlene Elespuru and Ramey Lunceford

Human Rights Alliance condemns threatening atmosphere at zoning meetings

By Michael Howell

Just prior to the County Commissioners’ meeting with the Darby CPC members last Monday, the Commissioners also heard from a representative of the Bitterroot Human Rights Alliance, Bill LaCroix, about what he described as a negative, threatening and intimidating atmosphere at the Darby CPC meetings.

LaCroix quoted from a recent e-mail from Planning Director Karen Hughes expressing concerns about the threats and intimidation being aimed at her and her planning staff. He said the atmosphere being generated at the Darby CPC meetings also served to intimidate people and keep them from freely expressing their views.

He said the bulk of the rude behavior was not coming at the meetings but out in the community at large. He said it undermined the democratic process and he was asking people to change their biases.

Members of the public spoke on both sides of the issue.

Several members of the Darby community that have attended the meetings denied that any threatening behavior occurred at all at the meetings. They expressed concern about how their property rights might be undermined in the zoning process and they expressed fear of negative economic impacts related to zoning.

Others spoke in favor of zoning and the need for it and the need to have an atmosphere at meetings in which everyone feels able to express themselves and participate in the process.

The Commissioners took no action.

Helping local businesses: Entrepreneurship center will focus on economic growth

By Greg Lemon

Starting a new business can be a difficult road to travel, but a new project in Hamilton could make that journey a little easier.

The Ravalli County Economic Development Authority is moving forward with plans to build the Ravalli Entrepreneurship Center, a 10,000 square foot facility that will help local businesses get started, said RCEDA executive director Julie Foster.

The entrepreneurship center will focus on assisting businesses geared toward the bioscience and life science industries, Foster said. This focus is due to Hamilton being home to both Rocky Mountain Laboratories and GlaxoSmithKline.

But, the center can also help other businesses as well, she said.

The goal of the center is to provide start-up businesses with the tools they need to be successful.

These tools include help in crafting a business plan, advisory boards and access to capital programs, Foster said.

“What you could get on a day to day or weekly basis, is someone to be there and to mentor you,” she said. “Every little mistake – when you’re new – it does not take much to push you over the edge and pretty soon you’re not in business anymore.”

Beyond the mentoring and advising tools, the entrepreneurship center will also give new businesses access to high-end office space, boardrooms and conferencing tools.

The need for the center is obvious, Foster said. Hamilton is home to two major laboratories, RML and GlaxoSmithKline, as well as a growing Marcus Daly Hospital. These facilities provide opportunities for support businesses.

Examples of potential businesses might be an equipment calibration business, which would give the local labs a place to send their specialized equipment to be serviced. Or maybe a high-end venting and heating business, which would service the specialized venting systems at local labs.

“Another thing that we partially have, but we want to develop even more, is a list of opportunities,” she said.

This list would look at “what is needed here that we don’t have. What are people going outside of the area to buy?” she said.

Another benefit the center will provide is opportunity for people to network.

“The idea is to get people together,” Foster said. “Not just learn from the resource but to network amongst themselves.”

This could not only help business owners develop and enhance business plans, but also get in touch with investment partners to provide essential capital.

“I think that we have the people that are interested and the people on our advisory group that can make that happen,” she said.

The center will have room for about 18 businesses, but the number is flexible, she said. If one business needs more space, then the total capacity may change.

The idea for the entrepreneurship center began almost the same time the RCEDA came into existence in 1997, Foster said. Since then, the RCEDA has researched other successful entrepreneurship centers and recently completed their own business plan. The development of the business plan was funded by the Montana Department of Commerce and consequently won an award from the federal Economic Development Administration, she said.

This award is a big step toward receiving a key $1.5 million grant from the EDA, Foster said. The grant will cover half of the project. The matching value for the federal grant will come in land value.

The center will be housed on eight acres, four of which were donated by the Ravalli County Council on Aging. The other four were offered at a reduced price from the Bessenyey family, who owns much of the land that will surround the center, Foster said.

Businesses that are housed at the center will have to pay for the office space and some of the services, but the center will be non-profit.

The need for an entrepreneurship center in Ravalli County is great, said Monte Drake, president of First Interstate Bank in Hamilton and a member of the center’s advisory board. The burgeoning bio and life sciences laboratories and the growth of Marcus Daly Hospital have provided local businesses with a great opportunity, Drake said.

“We really do feel it’s going to fill a need,” he said “Something that’s missing here.”

The entrepreneurship center will help create high-paying jobs, which are crucial for the growing Bitterroot Valley, Drake said.

“Good paying jobs with benefits seem to be lacking and we hope that this will provide a catalyst for jobs that have benefits and have a higher salary attached to them,” he said.

It’s also exciting to see support for the center from the federal, state and local levels, Drake said.

The Hamilton city council recently approved plans to install a wastewater pump station to serve the area east of Old Corvallis Road, where the center plans to build. The pump station was a key piece of moving forward with the project, he said.

The plan now is to have the center running by the fall of 2009, Foster said. Between then and now, several things have to come together, including the federal grant. But everything is in place to move forward.

For more information on the project, contact Julie Foster at 375-9416, or go on the Web: HYPERLINK "http://www.rceda.org" www.rceda.org.

Darby Principal’s contract not renewed

By Michael Howell

At the March 10 meeting of the Darby School Board, trustees decided not to renew the contract of current Principal and Athletic Director Dan Peters. According to Carolyne Rennaker, who keeps the minutes for the board meetings, the Board decided on a 3 to 2 vote not to renew Peters’ contract.

Rennaker said that under state law a non-tenured teacher principal may be dismissed without reasons and that this is what happened at the meeting. Outgoing Superintendent of Darby School Bruce Wallace, who turned in his own resignation last month, made a recommendation not to renew Peters’ contract but offered no reasons for the recommendation.

None of the three trustees who voted in favor of the motion not to renew Peters’ contract voiced any reasons for the decision either. They were trustees Erik Abrahamsen, Brett Bender and Don Ray. Expressing dismay at the process and lack of any reasons being expressed, trustees Dixie Stark and Al Milton voted against the motion.

Rennaker said that several members of the public spoke in favor of renewing Peters’ contract and gave him high praise on his performance and abilities.

Superintendent Wallace, in a telephone interview, said that he would not add anything beyond what was said at the board meeting, that he recommended not renewing the contract and was not required to give any reasons and did not give any.

Page One •	Valley News •	Op/Ed •	Sports •	Calendar •	Classifieds •	Links •	About Us •	Back Issues •	Email Us •	Home
©2007 Bitterroot Star This site was Done By Dooney