Tenth Street in Hamilton needs an upgrade, but the city of Hamilton and the Montana National Guard haven’t been able to reach an agreement on an easement that would allow the city to do the work.

“We want to add curbs, gutters and sidewalks on both sides of (10th Street),” said Hamilton city planner, Dennis Stranger.

The city’s plans would also add parking spaces on the west side of Claudia Driscoll Park, Stranger said. Currently, the park has no designated parking on 10th Street.

“That is our most heavily used park,” he said.

The hope was to start work on 10th Street in the next few months, Stranger said. But those plans, for now, rest on reaching an agreement with the Montana National Guard.

The state of Montana owns the National Guard Armory on the corner of Main Street and 10th Street, as well as the land comprising Claudia Driscoll Park, immediately to the north of the armory. The city needs an easement from the state, via the National Guard, to do any work on 10th Street.

Right now, that easement isn’t going to be granted.

In a letter to Hamilton’s mayor, Jessica Randazzo, dated March 11, Montana National Guard Brig. Gen. Stanley Putnam wrote that the National Guard wouldn’t grant the necessary easement at this time.

The National Guard’s long-range plan is to construct a Bitterroot National Guard Readiness Center in or near Hamilton, Putnam wrote. The readiness center would be a much larger facility than the current armory and could be used by other military units.

In his letter, Putnam outlined what the National Guard is looking for – a 10 to 15 acre parcel within or near Hamilton. The readiness center planned for such a piece of land would be a $15 million, 30,000 square foot facility, he wrote.

“We would like this facility to be built within or near your City where we can interact with the community and share resources,” Putnam wrote. “To date, we have been unsuccessful in making any progress to secure a new parcel. Your assistance in locating a 10-15 acre parcel within or near Hamilton could open new doors for both of us, which could prove mutually beneficial.”

City officials began asking the National Guard for the easement nearly a year ago, Stranger said. The National Guard initially requested the land swap, in which the City of Hamilton would swap land suitable for the readiness center for the land on 10th Street. But Hamilton doesn’t own a piece of land that fits the parameters of what the National Guard is looking for, he said.

“We don’t have any land to swap them,” Stranger said.

Hamilton leases the land of Claudia Driscoll Park from the state. The 10-year lease was renewed this month.

City officials are willing to work with the National Guard to find a suitable piece of land, Stranger said.

“I don’t know what we could do to facilitate their needs, but we’d be willing to work with them, that’s for sure,” he said. “I don’t see why they’re linking this to (the) 10th Street (easement).”

Improvements to 10th Street would add value to the state’s property, Stranger said. So their unwillingness to provide the easement is confusing.

In his letter, Putnam explains the decision as prudent given that the National Guard may decide to build a readiness center on the current site of the armory if a suitable piece of land can’t be located. Or they may move out of Hamilton all together.

“Obviously, neither of these are desirable, but with no other site, we may be forced to chose between them,” Putnam wrote. “Understanding that the new facility will be considerably larger than the existing one and will require additional compound space, off street parking, and property setbacks, it would have major impacts.

“Unfortunately, until a new parcel of land can be identified which would support this new facility, it would be ill advised to make any additional modifications to the current parcel,” Putnam’s letter continued. “Therefore we are unable to support your request for easement at this time.”

The National Guard is focused on being good neighbors to Hamilton and working with the city on finding a solution that works for everyone, said Lt. Col. Garth Scott.

“The senior leadership of the National Guard does plan to come to Hamilton and meet with Mayor Randazzo to discuss options,” Scott said.

The city would be willing to discuss buying the parcels comprising the armory and Claudia Driscoll Park, but right now that doesn’t appear to be an option, Stranger said.

Randazzo is hopeful Putnam’s position will change.

“That’s a show stopper basically,” she said.

She has contacted Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s office for assistance with the stalemate.

“We really want to make this improvement so the road’s safer,” Randazzo said. “We really can’t wait until the armory brokers a land deal.”

Helping get the Bitterroot’s best tree to the Capitol

By Greg Lemon

Are you ready for Christmas?

Doesn’t really sound right, does it?

Despite western Montana taking baby steps into spring, it is time for Bitterrooters to think about Christmas trees – well, at least one important Christmas tree.

The Christmas tree that will grace the west lawn of the Capitol in Washington D.C. this Christmas is coming from our valley.

And if you think the process of getting the perfect 70-foot-tall tree from the foothills of the Bitterroot Mountains to the manicured grass of the Capitol is simple, think again.

“It’s really an incredible production once you get into it and it’s all positive and good,” said Nan Christianson, public relations officer with the Bitterroot National Forest.

The “production” means picking out seven or eight candidate trees, which will then be whittled down to the perfect tree to stand in Washington D.C. It also means selecting an artist to create the traditional painting of the Capitol Christmas tree, collecting 5,000 handmade ornaments, and coordinating a tour route through Montana in November as the tree is trucked across the country.

Besides the large tree for the west lawn, Montana will also coordinate 75 smaller trees to be placed in offices around the Capitol. To dress up these trees, indoor ornaments will also be collected, Christianson said.

Traditionally, states providing the Capitol Christmas tree use the opportunity to put their communities and treasures on display, she said. For Montana, this will mean collecting ornaments from towns around the state, as well as traveling with the tree to Montana communities before it’s hauled across the country.

“Everybody we’ve talked to wants to be a part of it,” Christianson said.

The proposed tour route through the state is nearly 2,000 miles long, she said. The route has yet to be finalized, so the distances and destinations could change. Communities who want to host the tree have until the middle of April to let Christianson know.

And an operation like this takes money.

The Forest Service provided $90,000 for this year’s tree. But more will be needed.

When Idaho donated the Capitol Christmas tree in 2003, its budget was more than $1 million, most of which was donated from people around the state. In 2006, Washington donated the tree, with a budget of more than $500,000. Montana’s budget is set at $325,000, Christianson said.

Fortunately, many people and businesses have stepped forward. The transportation of the tree has already been donated. And many people are already submitting ornaments.

To help raise more money, the Capitol Christmas tree project is having its kick-off fundraiser this coming Saturday.

The event is dubbed “Tree-Tini” and will be held at the First Interstate Bank events center at the Ravalli County fairgrounds.

The event will give supporters a chance to taste the best martinis in the Bitterroot as well as enjoy music by Jack Gladstone and Blue Melon. Gladstone even penned a brand new tune for the event, titled “The Heart Of Montana.”

Local restaurants will provide finger food and there will be a silent auction, said Rick O’Brien, executive director of the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The auction will include the infamous leg lamp from the popular holiday movie, “A Christmas Story,” O’Brien said.

Providing the nation’s Christmas tree, or the People’s Tree, is an opportunity to showcase what makes Montana and its communities special, he said.

“We hope the Bitterroot will support it and turn out and get as excited about it as we are,” O’Brien said.

The Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce is a partner with the Forest Service on coordinating the entire production of getting the tree to Washington D.C. And raising support has meant contacting all the communities around the state and asking them to be a part of the celebration.

“We’re really promoting and marketing our state and the talents and generosities of our people,” O’Brien said.

The Tree-Tini will be the first chance for local citizens to come together and donate to the cause, he said. Tickets to the event are $30 for one person or $50 for a couple. Each attendee will receive a special martini glass.

For more information on the Tree-Tini event or the Capitol Christmas Tree project, contact O’Brien at 363-2400. Or go on the Web to: www.capitolchristmastree2008.org.

County contracts with state for air monitoring

County air pollution regulations on the horizon

By Michael Howell

Air quality in the Bitterroot Valley has improved enough, according to officials from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), that the county has slipped beneath the federal limits for fine particulates and is no longer considered to be in non-compliance with federal clean air standards. This is good news considering that last year the county was notified that it was not in compliance. But the county is bumping the limits, and the Commissioners agreed at a recent meeting with DEQ officials to contract with the state to collect air quality data and appoint an advisory committee to help develop voluntary guidelines for reducing air pollution. DEQ will pay the county $14,000 for the services of county Department of Health and Environmental Services personnel to collect air quality data and to instigate an informational and educational program aimed at reducing air pollution in the valley. This would include formulating a basic set of rules that could be followed “voluntarily” and lead to reductions in air pollution. Those guidelines could later be used to develop actual regulations.

The limit for fine particulates in a 24-hour period was originally set at 65 in 1997 but was reduced to 35 in 2006, based on accumulated research. Compliance with the federal standards is based upon the average of the three most recent years. Based on a three-year average of data taken from 2004-2006, that placed Ravalli County among the potential Non-Attainment areas in the state. The county, as a result, faced the potential loss of federal funds for being in non-compliance with the Clean Air Act. But with 2007 data now available, a new average, based on 2005-2007 data, has been computed and Ravalli County has slipped below the federal limit of 35. The county’s average for 2004-06 was 37.7. The 2005-07 average is 32.1.

Federal law also sets a limit of 15 micro grams per cubic meter on the annual mean average over 3 years of data. Ravalli County’s annual mean in 2004-06 was 8.6, in the period from 2005-07 the annual mean was 8.69. The county has been compliant with the annual standard every year except for the year 2000, according to DEQ Air Quality Specialist Bob Jeffery.

Jeffery presented the state’s air monitoring data to the County Commissioners at the meeting. The data for Ravalli County presented by Jeffery to the county commissioners, was gathered from the rooftop of the county courthouse from 2000 to 2005. From 2005 to today the data is collected by a continuous band monitor in the parking lot that takes hourly measurements on a continuous 24-hour basis. Jeffery said that these types of monitors have recently been accepted as usable by the Environmental Protection Agency for determining compliance with federal restrictions.

Jeffery explained to the commissioners that the data is presented in two forms. One includes the effects of wildfires and the other is a calculation that excludes days impacted by wildfires. This is done because the federal government and the state have decided that the effects of wildfires are beyond the county’s control and that, consequently, counties should not be held responsible for that contribution to air pollution in determining if they are meeting state and federal standards.

Bob Habeck, from DEQ Air Quality Planning and Policy Section, told the commissioners that the 35 micrograms per cubic meter of fine particulate limit was really the danger line, but that some people, especially the most vulnerable like the very young and the very old and the sick, are affected to some degree at lower levels.

“I’m asking you to take charge. I’m asking you to take the steps needed to make change and move forward with protecting the public health,” said Habeck.

Habeck said that Ravalli County’s levels of fine particulates were bumping the limit of what is legally acceptable and some action should be taken to keep the county compliant. He said that some form of regulations would be needed. But initially, he said, the county could take a first step by developing some voluntary guidelines for reducing air pollution. He said that his department was prepared to offer the county $14,000 for the use of county personnel to do the data monitoring for determining compliance with federal law and to develop a voluntary set of rules for reducing air pollution and an educational program to get that information to the public.

He said that money was also available down the road to help the county hire a three-quarter-time person dedicated to air quality concerns. He said that combined funds from EPA and DEQ could provide the county with $18,000 to $20,000 per year toward such a position. He encouraged the commissioners to start a technical advisory committee of “stakeholders” and look at devising a core set of rules.

Brian Spangler from the Business and Community Assistance Program part of DEQ’s Energy and Pollution Bureau, showed the commissioners a sign made to be placed at schools that advises bus drivers to turn off their engines while stopped. This was one kind of voluntary, educational program that could be instituted in the county. He also talked to the commissioners about the potential use of bio-diesel in county vehicles.

Commissioner James Rokosch said that he was uncomfortable with the way the county was bumping up against the federal limits and thought the county should be proactive in protecting the public health.

The commissioners agreed unanimously to enter the contract with DEQ, allowing the state agency to hire county personnel for data collection and development of voluntary guidelines to reduce air pollution.

Habeck also suggested that the County could “put some teeth” into its current regulations by establishing a fine for violation of the regulations.

According to Morgan Farrell from the Ravalli County Health and Environmental Sciences department, the County would have to instigate the kind of program being promoted by DEQ in order to enforce air quality standards. Right now, he said, violation of the state’s air quality laws are only enforceable by the state.

The county does have regulations on the books governing open burning and the disposal of waste. These rules prohibit the use of burn barrels and the burning of trash. Burning is restricted to vegetative materials and untreated lumber. Burning of refuse from construction or other businesses is prohibited. But these rules lack clout in the sense that no fines or other punishment is attached to them and Farrell says there is some doubt that they could be enforced without an air quality program in place such as DEQ is currently advocating. Without the ability to ticket or fine violators the rules are hard to enforce.

Farrell said that someone with a complaint about the burning of harmful materials might be able to seek relief by charging the person burning under the public nuisance law. But he knows of only one or two such cases ever being filed.

As it stands, he said, enforcement of the county’s burning regulations “is a frustrating process.” He said that the sheriff will respond to a complaint and tell the person to quit it, but no ticket can be issued and no fine assessed.

One county resident west of Stevensville told the Bitterroot Star that he has been a complainant for a number of years now. He said that his neighbor, who owns two businesses, burns refuse from those businesses at his home. He alleges that the refuse being burned violates both the County’s burning regulation and the state’s air quality standards. He said that the sheriff’s office has responded to a number of his complaints and requests that the burning cease. But no other action is taken.

The state could take action, he said, but the only enforcement officers are located in Helena. He said that to initiate that action a complaint must be made with full documentation that an offense has occurred. Even then, he said, if the violation is no longer occurring when the official responds, it is very difficult to prove that a violation has occurred. Without photographs identifying the violator, the location of violation and the person doing it, proving such a violation after the fact is very difficult, he said. He has received a letter from his neighbor’s attorney cautioning him not to go onto his neighbor’s property.

Phone calls from the Bitterroot Star to the enforcement division at DEQ in Helena last Friday and Monday have gone unanswered.

Local business to run PAC

By Michael Howell

The Hamilton High School Board of Trustees signed a contract last week with local businessman Jim Olsen, owner of Human Interactive Products, Inc, that will give the Hamilton Performing Arts Center subscription series a second life. The Board had recently determined that the Performing Arts Series was costing the District a significant amount of money and some board members questioned whether it was appropriate for the school district to be using tax money raised for the schools to support a community art performance program.

Concerned that the community and the school might be losing a valuable cultural program, Olsen presented the school board with a plan for taking over the program and leasing the facility from the school and the board took him up on it. Olsen presented a review of the series that included a financial analysis of 2006 and a nationwide survey of similar series. A key conclusion of the review is that ticket sales never cover the cost of the series and community support is required to make the series viable.

The Performing Arts Series brings nationally recognized performing arts to Hamilton and provides opportunities for local students to interact with Grammy Award-winning artists. The series has been held at the Performing Arts Center at the school since the center was constructed. The District has operated the performing arts series for about five and a half years.

Olsen agreed to take over the series and run it for one year to see if it could be run as a break even operation. If so he will continue operating it. If it should make a profit, Olsen has decided to turn the profits over to the school district, essentially operating as a non-profit organization.

Monica Grable has managed the PAC and the Performing Arts Series for the School District for over 5 years. She has now tendered her resignation, effective May 8, and will begin working for HIP Inc. to bring the community the same caliber of performances that the community has grown to love.

Grable said that the main difference in the new configuration of the program will be the chance to offer better services to the patrons. Working for the school district had come to be an overwhelming job, she said, as the series grew in popularity. Grable was responsible for all the rental uses of the PAC as well as all the school performances which used the facility. On top of that, she had to book performances and sell tickets for the ever growing Performing Art Series.

“It was getting impossible for a staff of one to get the job done,” said Grable. She is excited about being able to concentrate her energies on the series, which has become an all-consuming project in itself.

What should be remembered, she said, is that the school district made a strong effort to put the facility to good use and they deserve a lot of credit for getting the series going. “Without the efforts of the past superintendents we would not have the program at all,” said Grable. “Now it must also be recognized that without HIP Inc. stepping in and taking over we would probably not have a series in the coming year. HIP Inc. is doing the school and the community a great service.”

“It’s an exciting day for the community,” said Grable. “It is a much better solution for a lasting program.”

Stevensville town clerks resign

By Michael Howell

Both of Stevensville’s town clerks, Nancy Lowell and Sandy Holland, turned in their resignations effective immediately last Friday. The sudden departure of the clerks has left the town in a lurch. On Monday morning the newly hired temporary clerk and the town’s road supervisor were in the office but unable to respond to a request from a reporter to listen to a tape recording of the last town council meeting. They didn’t know where the tape recordings were kept. They also refused to acknowledge, under instructions from Town Attorney Kiethi Worthington, that the regular clerks had actually resigned.

The mayor, who might have been of some assistance, is out of town for the week.

In a subsequent telephone interview Lowell confirmed that both she and Holland had turned in their resignations on Friday. She said that she was unable to discuss the matter at the present time.

Town Councilor Paul Ludington in a telephone interview did admit that the resignation letters had been received. He said that the clerks had been involved recently in a grievance process as well, but he did not know if the resignations were connected to that grievance or not.

Worthington, the town’s attorney, told the Bitterroot Star that public records, like the tape recordings of a meeting, were not necessarily available to the public immediately upon demand. She also refused to acknowledge that any resignations had been received and said that any documents turned in by the clerks were related to a personnel matter and would not be made public.

An attorney working for the Freedom of Information Hotline in Helena said that public documents, like the tape recordings of a town meeting, were by law open to inspection by members of the public during office hours upon request. He said that the Town has no right of privacy and that if the clerks were willing to waive their own right to privacy then the resignations they submitted should also be open to public inspection.

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