Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 1.13.16

NEWS
Fatalities Increase on Montana Highways in 2015
Alcohol, speed and lack of seat belt use linked to most crashes, according to Montana Highway Patrol
BY MOLLY PRIDDY OF THE BEACON
Fatalities on Montana roadways increased in 2015 by more than 16 per- cent in 2015 when compared 2014, with a lack of seat belt restraints playing a major role in most of the deaths.
The state saw 224 roadway deaths in 2015, according to Montana Highway Patrol’s statistics. This is a 25-person increase from 2014, when there were 192 fatalities.
MHP District 6, which includes Flat- head County, had 23 deaths in 2015, an increase from 2014’s 22, but a signi cant decrease from the 40 deaths in 2013. Dis- trict 4, which encompasses Billings, had the highest total, with 41 fatalities.
Both the number of crashes and the number of deaths resulting from the crashes increased in 2015, with 176 crashes in 2014 compared to 204 in 2015. Alcohol was a factor in slightly fewer crashes and deaths in 2015, with 72 crashes and 77 deaths in 2014 compared to 69 crashes and 75 deaths in 2015.
Three of the most important statis- tics, according to Montana Department of Transportation director and former MHP chief Mike Tooley, are the increases in one-vehicle crashes, speed being a fac- tor, and crashes in which seat belts were not used.
In 2014, there were 124 one-vehi- cle crashes and 130 deaths, and in 2015 those numbers increased to 145 crashes
Materials from Donated Park Land
White sh is seeking bids to purchase and remove up to six buildings and other material on a piece of property donated to the city for a future public park.
City Manager Chuck Stearns said the city is inviting sealed bids from anyone who might want to purchase any of the buildings and either move them o the property or salvage materials, such as barn wood, from the buildings and sal- vage the contents.
Last year the city received a gener- ous donation of a 4-acre parcel of land on West Seventh Street from the estate of James Bakke. Bakke donated the land hoping it would remain as a “natu- ral park” close to its current condition, Stearns said. The city is removing build- ings on the property to make it more like a park. There are also materials on site, such as magazine collections dating back to the 1950s.
Bids are not due until Jan. 21. On Mon- day, Jan. 11, the city hosted an open house at the property, 611 West Seventh Street, starting at 10 a.m. Prospective bidders
Tra c moves along U.S. Highway 2 past two white markers placed by the American Legion. BEACON FILE PHOTO
measures, such as a proposal from state Sen. Dick Barrett, D-Missoula, to increase in the seat belt ne from $20 to $100.
“There are going to be crashes that people nd themselves involved in that a seat belt might not make a di erence, but a huge majority of them, it will,” he said.
In an e ort to curb those three fac- tors, Tooley said MDT will be teaming up with the state Department of Public Health and Human Services, along with the Department of Revenue, to better reach the 20 percent of Montanans not buckling up.
“Montana spent nearly $40 million in state funds to support folks that had been injured as a result of motor vehicle crashes due to lack of seat belt use, and that comes out of the DPHHS budget,” Tooley said. “And it’s after the fact. We could save not only a lot of money but lives if we could just convince people to buckle up.”
Tooley said the collaboration is likely to result in an edgier campaign aimed at young adults. It won’t be as edgy as the Montana Meth Project, but it will have a similar feel, he said.
He also acknowledged that some peo- ple blame roadway conditions for crashes, but said safe driving skills and proper preparation could eliminate those issues.
“Every road is safe if you behave,” Tooley said. “Just follow the laws – they’re there for a reason – and buckle up.”
mpriddy@ atheadbeacon.com
agency has been integrally involved in for 10 years is an absurdity,” Dobbs said.
Livers said he was limited in what he could say about the state’s intentions because a nal decision had not been made. But he added that the agency was reluctant to approve a permit that has “legal weaknesses” because it would likely face a court challenge given strong opposition to Montanore from environ- mental groups.
WHITEFISH
New Recycling Site Opens
The city of White sh’s new Central Recycling Site north of the corner of Rail- way Street and Columbia Avenue is now open and operational, according to City Manager Chuck Stearns.
There should be plenty of bins avail- able to meet recycling needs for alumi- num cans, tin cans, paper, paperboard, and cardboard, Stearns said. There is no glass recycling available at the site.
The three satellite recycling sites will be phased out and removed after Feb. 1.
news@ atheadbeacon.com
and 153 deaths. 2014 saw speed a factor in 47 crashes and 49 deaths, increasing to 69 crashes and 77 deaths in 2015.
“You put them all together and it leads to roadway departure,” Tooley said in an interview with the Beacon. “You leave the road and you’re unrestrained, you’re going to be ejected from the vehicle.”
This means 78 percent of the peo- ple killed on Montana roadways last year were unrestrained. Tooley said MDT would show up to support a pri- mary o ense seat belt bill in the state
or other interested people were invited City Seeks Bids to Remove Buildings, to attend the open house so they can see
Legislature – meaning the creation of a law that would make not wearing a seat belt a primary o ense, so law enforce- ment could pull over a vehicle just for that – in order to help realize Vision Zero, a multi-pronged initiative seeking to elim- inate deaths and injuries on Montana’s highways.
If such a bill passed, Tooley believes it would result in close to 90 percent com- pliance across the state, saving at least a dozen lives.
Tooley also said he would support other
e ect on surrounding waterways, said Tom Livers director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
“We’re not sure we can approve the full mining plan that’s been proposed,” Livers told The Associated Press. “We’re looking at what we can approve. Some may have to happen subsequently as we get more information.”
A decision is expected in late January.
The project is sponsored by Mines Management Inc. of Spokane, Washing- ton. It would disturb more than 1,500 acres and remove up to 120 million tons of ore from beneath the Cabinet Moun- tains Wilderness in Lincoln County, south of Libby, Montana.
Mines Management chairman Glenn Dobbs says anything less than full approval could make it di cult to attract investors or force a sale to a larger min- ing company that would delay the project.
Just last month, the mine appeared to have cleared one of its most signi cant hurdles when the DEQ and and U.S. For- est Service nalized a long-awaited envi- ronmental review of the project.
“To imply he (Livers) might not be able to approve the full mine plan in which his
NEWS
CITY BEAT
WHITEFISH
the inside of the house and the trailer. All buildings were open for inspection and viewing. City sta was present to answer questions about the buildings and answer questions about the bidding process.
There are eight buildings on the prop- erty, but only six are being sold. Stearns said the city plans to keep two buildings as park sheds.
There are no minimum bids on each building. The city desires prompt pay- ment and may take into account prompt- ness o ered by each bidder in determin- ing the highest and best bid.
LIBBY
Montana Looks at Partial Approval for Wilderness Area Mine
Montana o cials are considering giv- ing only partial approval to a $500 mil- lion silver and copper mine proposed beneath a wilderness area near the Idaho border, injecting uncertainty into a proj- ect that’s been in the works for more than a decade.
Regulators have continuing concerns with the Montanore Mine’s potential
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JANUARY 13, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM