Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 5.11.16

NEWS
CITY BEAT
WHITEFISH
Legacy Partners to Host Bike Fit Workshop
Join White sh Legacy Partners and White sh Therapy and Sport Center for a hands-on bike- tting workshop on the White sh Trail.
Getting a bicycle t speci cally to your body can make all the di erence in your level of comfort, e ciency, and overall enjoyment. Poorly t bicycles can lead to fatigue, aches and pains, and general discomfort.
Get the most out of your equipment with a custom bike- tting workshop with local experts from White sh Ther- apy and Sport Center.
Gabe Murphy will lead the work- shop at the Lion Mountain Trailhead on Thursday, May 12 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. His expertise will cover the basics on bike t for optimal posture and power.
The White sh Trail is the anchor proj- ect of White sh Legacy Partners and the result of collaborative partnerships pro- viding public access and recreation while protecting clean water, thriving forests, and prime wildlife habitat on open lands located in the urban interface of White- sh Montana.
To date, White sh Legacy Partners and City of White sh have established over 36 miles of a recreational trail sys- tem accessed by ten trailheads. The White sh Trail continues to pioneer conservation, education and recreation initiatives, with strategic partners, vol- unteers, and nancial support from the community.
For more information visit www. white shlegacy.org.
FLATHEAD
County Tentatively Creates New Child Advocate Job
The Flathead County Commission gave its OK to adding another full-time child crime victim advocate position to the sheri ’s roster, on the condition that the sheri receives a federal grant to pay for the position.
During its May 4 meeting, the com- mission agreed to approve a new posi- tion, which would last for one year, in s- cal year 2016-2017.
A child crime victim advocate pro- vides advocacy, crisis support, and case management services to child victims of abuse and neglect, as well as their non-of- fending families and caregivers.
The advocate makes referrals for fol- low-up services and enters data into the Crimes Against Children database, including referral information and track- ing from the start of cases through the end.
This position is also part of the mul- tijurisdictional team of representatives
KALISPELL
County, State Lawmaker Candidates to Appear at Kalispell Forum
The mayor of Kalispell and city coun- cil has asked candidates running for o ce in contested races where the dis- trict overlaps the Kalispell city limits to participate in a forum on Thursday, May 12 at 7 p.m.
The forum will be held in council chambers at Kalispell City Hall, 201 First Avenue East. This forum will be broad- cast on Kalispell’s public access chan- nel — cable channel 190 — live and then repeated at varying times up to the pri- mary election in June.
The city council is inviting candi- dates from contested races in Senate District 3; House District 11; and County Commissioner.
Mayor Mark Johnson will moderate the forum. It will consist of a one-min- ute introduction/opening statement from each candidate. Each candidate will then have an opportunity to answer three city-related questions. Response lengths will be held to two minutes per question. Following the question round, candidates will have a two-minute summary/closing statement. Each competing candidate will answer identical questions.
KALISPELL
Glacier High School Library Earns State Honor
The Montana Library Association has named the Glacier High School library the 2016 School Library Information and Technology Program of the Year. GHS Librarians Kerrie More and Lisa Lykins accepted this prestigious award at the
along with those in child protection ser- vices, law enforcement, medical, and other organizations. An advocate also provides emotional support during trial and probation hearings, coordination with the County Attorney’s O ce, and keeps families apprised of criminal pro- ceedings, including court preparation.
The Flathead County Sheri ’s O ce has applied for a federal grant to take care of 80 percent of the cost of adding this position, and has the 20 percent match already within the Crimes Against Chil- dren budget.
Commissioners Gary Krueger and Phil Mitchell approved the new job on the condition that the grant comes through in early June. If the county is not selected for the grant, the whole process stops.
But if the county is selected, the Human Resources Department wanted to be able to get a jump on advertising the open position in time for the new s- cal year.
Commissioner Pam Holmquist was absent from the meeting.
MLA conference in Missoula on April 8. The pair have served as librarians at Kalispell Junior High School, Kalispell Middle School and transferred to Glacier High School in 2010.
According to MLA executive director Debbie Kramer this award is conferred upon a distinguished Montana Teach- er-Librarian and the school library pro- gram in which they serve. This award recognizes the outstanding achieve- ment of the teacher-librarian in fully integrating the school library program with curricular goals. More and Lykins will also receive $500 from Follett Library Resources to be used for library development.
LIBBY
Revised Recall Petition Against Mayor Rejected, City Attorney Steps Down
A second petition for recall against Libby Mayor Doug Roll has been rejected but the woman who led it has vowed to keep trying to remove the community’s embattled leader.
Meanwhile, Libby’s newly-appointed city attorney resigned last week during a ruckus city council meeting, during which the public peppered Attorney David Tennant about seven counts of pro- fessional misconduct that were recently lodged against him by the O ce of Disci- plinary Counsel.
Tennant’s appointment as Libby’s chief lawyer has been a source of tension between Roll, who hired the city attor- ney earlier this year, and a number of cit- izens calling for the mayor to step down. In April, Tammy Brown led a petition for recall against Roll. In it, she alleged the
FLATHEAD
Jackola Selected for County Senior Center Upgrades
Flathead County will pursue a con- tract with Jackola Engineering and Architecture for the project of revamp- ing and updating senior citizen centers within the county.
Pending contract negotiations, the company, with o ces in Montana, North Dakota, and Washington, will work with the county to make sure the senior cen- ters comply with Americans with Dis- abilities Act (ADA) standards.
Senior centers involved include those in White sh, Columbia Falls, and Big- fork, along with the Adams Building in Kalispell, where the Kalispell Senior Center o ce will be located soon.
In 2014, the county completed an ADA evaluation for all its buildings and parks, and the senior center facilities had “some of the most signi cant de ciencies.” A preliminary architectural review (PAR) in 2015 identi ed the ADA improvements required at each center, as well as a few
mayor had violated his oath of o ce and the law because he has refused to sched- ule meetings or address items brought up by the city council. Brown’s rst two petitions have been rejected by the Lin- coln County Attorney who has said the complaint was not speci c enough but Brown has vowed to keep trying until Roll is gone.
Roll has previously denied the allega- tions lodged at him and said many of Lib- by’s problems lie with an inexperienced council.
During the May 2 city council meet- ing, residents took to the microphone to complain about Libby’s new city attorney and the process in which he was hired. Tennant was hired by Roll on a tem- porary basis but the action went unap- proved by the city council for weeks; Roll said he was within his given powers to hire the Kalispell-based lawyer, but come some councilors disagreed. But in April the O ce of Disciplinary Counsel accused Tennant of misconduct, alleg- ing he put a lien on a client’s property for nonpayment of fees, pursued fore- closure and then anonymously bought the property for well below market value at a sheri ’s auction creating a con ict of interest. After being confronted by numerous members of the public during the May 2, Tennant announced he would step down. His resignation was accepted by the council and the attorney walked out of city chambers.
On Monday, Roll told the Beacon that the city will start searching for a new attorney soon, although with the cur- rent drama on the council, he suspected it might be hard to ll the position.
news@ atheadbeacon.com
other general building upgrades neces- sary for safety and accessibility at the senior centers.
Later that year, the county received a community development block grant through the state Department of Com- merce to provide nancial support for the construction project addressing the ADA de ciencies.
If the county can reach contract agree- ments with Jackola, the company will be responsible for preparing a construction bid package and supervising that bid pro- cess. Jackola would also provide the proj- ect engineering.
Jackola was one of three companies that sent in packages in response to the county’s request for quali cations for this project. All companies were graded on a 1,000-point scale, with the highest scorer heading to contract negotiations.
Commissioners Phil Mitchell and Gary Krueger approved the selection, with Commissioner Pam Holmquist absent.
news@ atheadbeacon.com
NEWS
COUNTY BEAT
14
MAY 11, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM