Page 17 - Flathead Beacon // 7.2.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS
Law Enforcement Braces For Busy Fourth
JULY 2, 2014 | 17
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Local departments plan extra patrols over long holiday weekend
By BEACON STAFF
Law enforcement agencies across the Flathead Valley are preparing for a busy holiday weekend, with extra pa- trols on land and water. Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said the Fourth of July weekend is usually one of the busi- est of the year, especially if the weather is good and it falls on a weekend, like it does this year.
“Our goal is to make sure everyone has a safe and successful Independence Day celebration,” Curry said. “We en- courage people to celebrate responsibly and not to drink and drive or drink and boat.”
Curry said the number of calls to law enforcement usually doubles during the holiday. To handle the load, extra patrols will be on duty across the county. The same goes for the Kalispell Police De- partment, and Chief Roger Nasset said his officers would be keeping an eye on the roads for drunk or impaired drivers.
“We’ll be looking for all of the activi- ties related to the Fourth of July, mostly drunk driving and illegal fireworks,”
Boats and jet skis cruse Whitefish Lake outside the designated swimming area. BEACON FILE PHOTO
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Municipal Matters
A recap of recent news from City Hall
KALISPELL
•The city council will hold a pub- lic hearing on July 7 on a proposal to expand the light maintenance district, which operates traffic sig- nals and street lights. City staff are proposing to enlarge the district to a citywide district instead of the current scenario that only applies assessed fees to properties within 300 feet of a light pole. The propos- al would not impact those proper- ties that are already being assessed; instead it would add assessments of $0.003 per square foot to proper- ties that are not being served by a private lighting system in the city right-of-away. Those who are being served by a private system would be assessed $0.0015 per square foot. If approved, the expansion would allow for the operation of the light maintenance district, which is struggling with revenues, to con- tinue through fiscal year 2024 and would include the installation of five new luminaries a year in areas without street lights.
FLATHEAD COUNTY
•A court hearing has been delayed yet again in the case involving the county commissioners halting a grant application that would pro- vide a group of homeowners with money to mitigate the erosion of a bluff near Whitefish Stage Road. The hearing was scheduled for last Friday, but both parties agreed on a continuation, which is the sec- ond since April. The new hearing date is 10 a.m., Sept. 23. The com- mission voted to stop the process of a $400,000 Federal Emergen- cy Management Agency (FEMA) grant. FEMA had agreed to pay $298,000, and the homeown- ers whose property is in danger of sloughing away paid the matching $102,000. On April 15, Judge Ted O. Lympus issued a temporary re- straining order against the county commission, saying that the com- mission and its “agents and repre- sentatives are hereby restrained and enjoined from terminating the grant approved by FEMA, by letter or otherwise” until the case can be heard in court.
McGarvey
Nasset said. “It’s also much easier to have your sober friend drive you home than have your sober friend bail you out of jail.”
Officials with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks are also encouraging people to be safe on the water over the weekend. FWP encouraged people to designate a skipper who won’t be drinking while on the boat; have approved lifejackets on board and readily accessible for every passenger and require children under 12 years old to wear lifejackets whenever the boat is in motion; and never exceed
the boat’s safe carrying capacity. The agency also encouraged that all boat ac- cidents be reported to authorities.
“There have been 31 boating fatali- ties in Montana in the past four years,” said Ron Jendro, Montana Fish, Wild- life and Parks recreational boating safe- ty administrator. “Boating accidents that result in more than $100 in damage must be reported to FWP. All accidents that result in the death or disappear- ance of someone, and injuries that re- quire medical treatment, also must be reported.”
WHITEFISH
• June Munski-Feenan’s legacy lives on as the North Valley Food Bank thrives in its new home off Baker Avenue. The founder and longtime director, who passed away Jan. 21 at the age of 86, is being honored by the city and food bank support- ers, who asked to rename the street leading to the new food bank loca- tion. A portion of West 15th Street is being renamed “June’s Way.” The food bank’s new director, SueAnn Grogan-King, and its board asked the city for the name change. The city council last month directed staff to craft a resolution changing the city street in honor of Munski- Feenan. A vivacious leader, Munski- Feenan remained actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the food bank more than 35 years after founding it in her garage. She also led the fundraising campaign for the food bank’s new 4,800-square- foot facility, which opened earlier this year.
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