Page 15 - Flathead Beacon // 7.16.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS
JULY 16, 2014 | 15
small business
HELPING
small business
Three Rivers Bank understands the challenges and situations facing small businesses in the Flathead Valley betterthananyone.
After all, we’re a small business ourselves.
IDAHO STREET BANK
233 E Idaho St. Kalispell, MT 59901 755-4271
MERIDIAN ROAD BANK
552 N Meridian Rd. Kalispell, MT 59901 755-5432
A Locally Owned, Independent Community Bank Since 1974
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
creatin
JOBS
A worker adjusts his final cleaners in the flotation room at the Troy Mine in Lincoln County. BEACON FILE PHOTO
Troy Mine on Track to Reopen This Year
Mine has been closed since rockslides in 2012
By BEACON STAFF
Lincoln County’s Troy Mine is on track to reopen later this year and re- sume full copper and silver production sometime next year. The mine, owned by Spokane-based Revett Mining Com- pany, has been closed since late 2012 when a series of rockslides blocked key
underground routes.
For more than a year, the company
has been building new underground tunnels to get to copper and silver re- serves. As of late June, the company had built 4,700-feet of tunnel to develop an area called the North C Bed. According to a press release, the project remains on schedule and within budget.
Access to another area, known as the I Bed, will require another 5,900-feet of tunnel, but if development continues as planned, the company estimates it will
resume full production by mid-2015. “We remain fully focused on return- ing the Troy Mine to producing capabili- ty,” said Revett President and CEO John
Shanahan.
Revett is also spearheading the de-
velopment of the Rock Creek Mine in the Cabinet Mountains. The Troy Mine first opened in 1981 but closed in 1993. It re- opened in the mid-2000s and produced copper and silver until it was shut down in late 2012. Prior to the rockslides, more than 200 people worked at the mine.
g
Leave Late, Miss Your Flight
Airport reports more people arriving late and missing flights
By BEACON STAFF
Leave for the airport late at your own peril. Last week, seven passengers missed an Alaska Airlines flight depart- ing from Glacier Park International Air- port, and officials from the airline are stressing the importance of arriving at least an hour and a half before flights de- part, or even earlier if your carrier rec- ommends it.
GPIA is a small airport that is far busier in the summer than at any other part of the year, and thus congestion is
inevitable. Nonetheless, GPIA Manager Cindy Martin stresses that congestion is not specific to Glacier Park Internation- al Airport, but is a problem nationwide. Most flights arrive and depart at the same time, creating a bottleneck at se- curity and check-in. People miss morn- ing flights most often, because “people tend to be a little slower, and things like traffic take longer than they expect,” she said.
Although it is small, GPIA processes hundreds of passengers an hour during peak times in the summer, with more flights passing through and many air- lines using bigger airplanes than they do in the off season. The problem is ex- acerbated by visitors thinking, “Oh, it’s a little airport,” and ignoring the carri- er’s guidelines for when to arrive at the
airport, according to Martin. Cutting it close may feel like you’re saving time, but even if you make the plane, your bag may not, and, “nothing ruins a vacation like arriving without your bags,” she said.
Beyond arriving early, in order to make your plane with minimum has- sle, Martin recommends familiarizing yourself with TSA guidelines, knowing how many bags you can bring and dress- ing in clothes that are easy to remove for security. Infrequent travelers are the most likely to violate any of these rules and slow the process down for everyone, but Martin recommends everyone to acquaint themselves with the airport’s guidelines before traveling.
For tips on flying at GPIA, visit
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
http://www.iflyglacier.com/index.php.