Volume XIX, Number 47

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Stevensville Main Street Association at work

by Mel Walters, Board Member, Stevensville Main Street Association

The Stevensville Main Street Association continues its active and positive work in the community. Membership for the current fiscal year has increased by my more than 250 percent over the past year, enabling a stronger approach to the many projects being undertaken.

The Promotion Committee develops promotional strategies with existing community organizations and, aside from their popular and growing First Friday events, is currently preparing for Western Heritage Days and additional events throughout the summer.

The Design Committee is responsible for exterior enhancements, signage, preservation and presentation. They recently completed the banner project that added the beautiful and colorful banners to the downtown area and continue to work on informational signage for Stevensville, including a digital sign to promote the town and it's activities.

The Economic Restructuring Committee works to strengthen downtown business and to recruit new business. Projects currently underway include parking and building inventories, a survey of citizen desires and a very successful series of educational seminars.

The Organization Committee is responsible for oversight of the Main Street Office and the program manager, fund raising and planning activities. Projects currently underway include the Lewis and Clark bronze sculpture series, the Audrey Ebel Golf Tournament, a review of all by-laws and instructions and the development of a community plan through the use of a Resource Assessment Team.

With only the program manager as a paid employee, the vast majority of the work associated with the above activities, and others not mentioned, is undertaken by volunteers. While the Main Street Association has many volunteers serving on the Board of Directors, the various committees and in specific projects, with the many activities currently underway the group is very much in need of additional support. Volunteers are particularly needed on the Design, Promotion and Organization Committees. If you would like to help, contact Joan at the Main Street Office, 777-3773.

Join Main Street in the good work of preserving the community.

Hamilton in for difficult times

Dear Editor,

By all accounts the donnybrook at last week's Hamilton City Council meeting was a continuation of the antics of Mr. Scott and Mr. Sutherland that hit the local stage even before their election to the City Council. The fact they were elected is a clear manifestation of the careless approach the voters in Hamilton show toward city administration. This lassitude can be attributed to the smoothly running city government we have enjoyed lately.

Now, we collectively have "shot our selves in the foot." Unfortunately we have created a situation that already has resulted in responsible and knowledgeable public figures talking recall of these gentlemen. Also equally unfortunate, recall of one or both of these gentlemen is very remote unless they break the law.

The city has recently experienced a renaissance under the management of the mayor and past member of the City Council and some very dedicated and talented city employees who rightly so realized what the future held and have resigned.

Apparently Hamilton is in for some difficult times. For example the harassment of the Rocky Mountain Laboratories is very misplaced. The attitude of the new City Council serves no purpose except to create chaos. The expansion of the Laboratories campus has opened another opportunity for more "new city council" mischief. At the last City Council meeting Mr. Sutherland stated the City needs some control over what happens outside the laboratory campus during construction. Of course the City will have total control outside of the campus. The city has always had this responsibility. If Mr. Sutherland needs information he should bring himself up to date on his responsibilities as a council person and don't expect the Rocky Mountain Laboratories Administration to enter a discussion on a subject that is not in their purview. The mature approach would be to open a dialogue with the contractors who will construct the new facilities. However, such planning has probably been underway in the City Administration for some time. Since the new buildings are to be built on Government property why does Mr. Scott bother himself with construction planning? That is none of his business.

I admire the Mayor and Colleen Miller for their even-handed approach to their attackers. Few individuals would tolerate the treatment they endure at the hands of Scott and Sutherland. Mr. Scott's single-minded decision to give Mr. Olsen and his hardcore group of followers, who don't live in the City, a forum to rehash their opposition to the Rocky Mountain Laboratories at this point in time had no merit. Every resident of the County experienced Mr. Olsen's performance during the planning for highway expansion. Granting this Olsen encore to what has always been a misguided attack on the Rocky Mountain Laboratories only makes the City Council subject to more ridicule especially in light of the previous City Council endorsement of the expansion project. Our town has enough of that already.

Lastly, Mr. Scott's attempt to create an issue with the mayor over the financial impact of the Lab expansion on the city is really nonsensical. He chooses to ignore all that has been done prior to his arrival. His motives are self-evident and only furthers the irritation of reasonable thinking people.

Mr. Scott and Mr. Sutherland are newcomers to city government. Straight thinking would dictate their integration into the mainstream of politics should be a thoughtful process, not the unseemly stage performance we have witnessed so far.

Earl Pollard
Hamilton

Thanks from Friends of Library

Dear Editor,

On behalf of the North Valley Public Library Board of Trustees, library staff and the Friends of the Library, we would like to sincerely thank the many organizations, individuals and especially the voters of the Stevensville and Lone Rock districts for the confidence, efforts and strong support for the library and the future.

We have plans for library improvements that were put on hold, but will now be implemented. We hope to live up to our community's expectations as we become the first independent library district in the state of Montana.

Many thanks as we go where no Montana library has gone before.

Beverly Helrich, Spokesperson
Friends of the Library