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| Volume XVIII, Number 8 | Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2002 | |
Page One News at a Glance Full EIS to be done on proposed lab expansion Stevi school board chairman taken to task Stevi adopts budget Full EIS to be done on proposed lab expansion By Michael Howell Following an examination of the recently completed Environmental Assessment for a planned expansion at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, officials at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced Friday that a decision had been made to do a complete Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to further assess potential impacts of the project. NIAID, the parent agency of Rocky Mountain Laboratories, is a component of the National Institutes of Health. It supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious and immune-mediated illnesses, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, illness from potential agents of bioterrorism, tuberculosis, malaria, auto immune disorders, asthma and allergies. NIAID Director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci was in Hamilton last Friday to answer general questions about the need for a high security containment laboratory facility to be located at the current site of Rocky Mountain Laboratory (RML). Fauci said that his agency had been preparing for an expansion of research into bioterrorism agents for two to three years before the 9/11 attacks and subsequent anthrax attacks pushed everything onto a fast track. Following those events Fauci said that White House officials were told that NIAID was "willing to step up to the plate, no matter what, to make the nation more secure." Conferring with the Office of Homeland Security, a general plan was outlined which included creating required research facilities, funding basic research as well as diagnostics, therapy and vaccine production, and creating a network of clinical research facilities across the nation. The plan was approved by President Bush and the NIAID budget was increased by $1.5 billion for this fiscal year to implement the plans. Responding to questions from the press, Fauci said that it was not NIAID¹s job to defend against bioterrorist attack. "But we can make the country infinitely better prepared to respond if we are attacked," said Fauci. Fauci said that it was the work of the FBI and the CIA to try and prevent terrorist attacks, but with a sustained commitment to research "we could make an enormous difference in impact and the number of casualties." Asked about the decision to build a laboratory for developing and analyzing the most potent bioterrorist pathogens in a populated area rather than in a more secure and isolated area, Fauci said that there was a "critical mass of expertise" already located here. "If we tried to duplicate that somewhere else, to replace the physical and intellectual capital already in place here would take a decade and cost about $1 billion," said Fauci. RML is already the site of biosafety level 1, 2 and 3 labs. The level 3 lab was only recently completed. The planned biosafety level four lab would cost an estimated $66 million and bring an estimated 65 new scientists to the facility. There are only four other such facilities in existence in the U.S. RML employs civilian scientists and they will not be directed to change their research, according to Fauci. New scientists will be hired with the appropriate expertise and initiative to pursue research into new agents when necessary. Fauci also said that fears that research into certain vital areas of public health will take a back seat to bioterrorism research are unfounded. He said that funding for all their other existing research programs, such as AIDS research, was also increased under the latest budget. Fauci said that, based on highly classified briefings he has attended, he does not believe there is any evidence that placing a biosafety level 4 lab in Hamilton would make the city a target for terrorist attack. "These types of facilities are generally not the target of terrorist attacks," said Fauci. He said that an attack on RML would not have the strategic or emotional impact that an attack on the New York Metro, for instance, might have. Fauci was asked if local people will have a say in whether this laboratory is constructed or not. "That¹s an unfair question because it is complex," said Fauci. "We need to do this here for the good of the country and we hope the people of the Bitterroot will understand that. We will never make everyone happy." Construction on the lab was originally scheduled to begin this spring but now that a full EIS is being conducted the earliest construction could begin would be in a year or two, according to NIAID Research Director Thomas Kindt. "Personally, I'm very happy and not surprised that the decision was made to do an EIS," said RML's new Associate Director Marshall Bloom. "We take the issues that are being raised in the community very seriously. The lab has always strived to be a good member of the community and a good neighbor. The decision to do an EIS was just a reaffirmation of that commitment." Although Fauci and other officials have refused to answer any specific questions concerning the safety, security, design and construction of the new facility, he said that a series of future meetings was planned to address those concerns and technical experts would be in attendance to answer those questions. A group of concerned citizens has formed called the Coalition for a Safe Lab. Members have expressed frustration at not getting any answers to specific questions concerning the proposed development and also lobbied strongly for an EIS to be conducted. County and City of Hamilton officials have also expressed concerns about preparing and planning for emergency responses and impacts upon traffic, security, emergency services and the impacts upon the city's water and sewer systems. |
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Stevi school board chairman taken to task By Michael Howell At a tense meeting of the Stevensville School Board last Monday, School Board member Jim Tadvick asked School Board Chairman Dan DePauw to resign from the board or at least to step down as chairman of the board because he has repeatedly acted outside his authority as a board member in dealing with students and administrators. DePauw asked that the meeting be closed due to his privacy concerns, but attorney for the Montana School Boards Association Elizabeth Kaleva, who was in attendance, said that as chairman of the board, DePauw could not claim a right to privacy in the discussion. Mr. and Mrs. Bob Wisdom, parents of the student involved in the incident precipitating the meeting, waived their son's right to privacy and asked for an open meeting. The Wisdoms' son, Michael, was recently expelled from school for coming on the school grounds under the influence of drugs, after allegedly smoking some marijuana. The boy confessed to purchasing and smoking what he thought was marijuana before coming on school grounds for a driver training class. The boy's father claims that his son was tested for drugs the day following the incident and was found not to have any drugs in his system. Wisdom believes his son must have purchased some other substance and thus was not under the influence of drugs as claimed by the school. He has threatened to sue the school over the issue. In the meantime, the School Board decided that the boy could practice football and attend the games but could not play in them. When DePauw heard that Michael Wisdom had played in a recent game, however, he tried to contact the coach, Keith Chambers, and question him about it. Unable to reach Chambers, he called the Montana High School Association and inquired about the rules of eligibility. He also called the boy's probation officer and asked about the terms of his probation. As a result of his inquiries, Chambers was found in error for allowing Wisdom to play and the school was fined $50 by MHSA. MSBA attorney Kaleva said that DePauw was out of line and acting without authority when he attempted to circumvent the Superintendent and deal directly with Coach Chambers over the issue. She saw no problem with the phone call to MHSA about the eligibility requirements so long as no student was mentioned by name but only general information requested. She did, however, believe that his call to the boy's probation officer was also out of line and done without proper authority. Kaleva said that she believed that the probation officer only answered DePauw's questions about the boy because he believed that DePauw was questioning him in his position as School Board Chairman, but his questioning was not authorized by the board. Tadvick said that DePauw had overstepped his authority in the past on other occasions. He said that with the Wisdoms it was serious and called upon DePauw once again to either resign or step down from the chairmanship. "The point is that you are micro-managing," said Tadvick. Board member Greg Chilcott echoed Tadvick's concerns about dealing directly with staff and personnel instead of going through the Superintendent and the call to the boy's probation officer. "It's a problem and we need to deal with that," said Chilcott. "I also think we have a problem with the Wisdoms and we need to deal with that." Board member Wayne Stanford said, "I think we need to be careful about making calls. I'm not sure it's serious enough to resign. I think he (DePauw) has heard the message." The Wisdoms asked for DePauw's resignation. Mr. Wisdom accused DePauw of singling out his son to get back at him for the trouble he was causing over his son's expulsion and said that the two of them should settle it themselves. Kaleva said the board could not force a member to resign and that the ball was in DePauw¹s court. DePauw denied that he was singling out Michael Wisdom for any reason and denied that he had done anything wrong. He said that he made the inquiries he did because of his concern about the school violating eligibility requirements and the team being disqualified from its games. DePauw mentioned each board member by name and referred to problems they faced in the past. "We all have conflicts of interest," said DePauw. "It's difficult at times to decide what's right. I agree that I have been out of line and not just on this issue." He pointed out the many things he does for the school that are not part of his duties as a board member. "Do I go above and beyond what is required? Sure I do. Have I been overzealous? Yes, I'll be the first to admit it. But I have not tried to be vindictive." Refusing to resign or give up the chairmanship, DePauw characterized his actions as due to his passion for the job. He apologized to both Tadvick and the Wisdoms but defended his intentions as being in the best interest of the school. Superintendent Dennis Kimsey, who had been asked by DePauw to comment, said to DePauw, "Ninety-five percent of what you do is great. But the other five percent has been out of bounds." Tadvick then read from a prepared statement saying, "In extreme, rare circumstances, the Board may find it necessary to take a more formal approach with respect to a member who constantly violates the principles of majority rule. This issue most often crops up when an individual board member repeatedly acts individually without regard to the actions of the Board as a whole. In such circumstances, if only to limit the Board's exposure for actions of an individual member, the Board may have to distance itself from the conduct of the individual member. A sample motion in such a case might read as follows: "Montana law requires that this board act only as a board. Only the vote of a majority of this board's members creates action by this board... we as trustees are only to exercise our power and perform our duties as trustees when doing so collectively and only at a regular or a properly called special meeting. Further... it is only when acting in their official capacity at a regular or special meeting of the board or a committee thereof, that the trustees of each district are individually immune from exemplary and punitive damages. In light of the fact that Montana law requires that we act as a board, and only take action collectively, I am concerned regarding the community's interpretation of recent actions of Dan DePauw, a single member of our board. In light of those concerns, I move as follows: That the actions of a single member of this board are not the action of the board of trustees. That the community and its members be placed on notice that unless specifically authorized by motion of this board, an individual trustee of this board holds the power of and expresses his or her opinion as an individual community member and that such individual's opinion should not be construed as the opinion of the board of trustees." The motion was seconded and DePauw said that he would vote in favor of it if his name was removed so that it just referred to any board member. Tadvick said that no names were included in the motion itself as written. The motion passed unanimously. |
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Stevi adopts budget By Michael Howell The Town of Stevensville adopted a budget for the 2002-2003 fiscal year totaling $617,290. The total market value of property assessed within the town's jurisdiction in 2002 was certified at $52,013,627, up from the $48,489,845 valuation of 2001. The total taxable value was certified at $1,867,527, close to a $130,000 increase over the previous year. The taxable value of newly taxable property in Stevensville was $61,704 in 2001. The taxable value of newly taxable property in 2002 was $112,821. As a result the mill values calculated for the coming year total 85.65 mills. Of that, 79.4 mills go to the general fund, 4 mills to Firemen's Disability, and 2.25 mills for zoning and planning. According to Town Clerk Nancy Lowell, this year's budget is really close to last year's, with the greatest increase being to the Police Department which now has three full-time officers being paid out of the general fund. |