MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Homeowners in Glacier National Park are seeking the park’s permission to restore a landline that had served as a lifeline last August when a wildfire raced toward the area.
The Missoulian reported on Wednesday that under the residents’ proposal, the Flathead Electric Cooperative would dig a trench from Wheeler Camp at Lake McDonald’s north end, nearly 2.5 miles (about 4 kilometers) around the lake’s west shore, to Kelly’s Camp.
This trench would carry the restored phone line. Local resident Bill Price says the area’s 14 landowners will fund the project.
Price says landline telephone service has always been a vital communication and emergency response tool for Kelly’s Camp because of the lack of cellphone service in the area.
Glacier National Park is taking public comments on the proposal through Monday.