Page 17 - Flathead Beacon // 7.16.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS JULY 16, 2014 | 17 Woman Drowns in Glacier’s McDonald Creek
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By BEACON STAFF
A 33-year-old woman from Washington drowned in a creek in Glacier National Park over the weekend, according to the National Park Service.
On Saturday, July 12, Abigail Sylvester and her husband of Buckley, Washington were standing near the upper McDonald Creek Falls on the west side of the park when she slipped and fell into the water.
As Sylvester was swept downstream, her husband jumped in after her but then had to return to the creek bank. Park rangers found the woman a half-mile from where she slipped and performed CPR. She was then transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.
Park rangers are conducting an investigation into the in- cident. The Park Service is reminding visitors to use caution when around any body of water. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in the park.
Upgrades Approved for Wayfarers State Park
State parks division recommends building a ranger station with public restrooms at the park
By BEACON STAFF
Montana State Parks announced last week that Wayfarers State Park near Bigfork will get new improvements on site, after considering public comment on the project.
The decision notice from the state parks department recommends moving forward with development of a ranger station with public restrooms on the south side of the park’s entrance road.
In addition, the parks department will also move forward with converting
the existing, outdated Harry Horn pub- lic restrooms to a seasonal park host site and will enlarge the existing park main- tenance area in its current location.
Upgrading and updating the park in this manner will work for the public and the neighboring properties, the depart- ment said, because “visitor safety is best served by directing ranger station traffic away from the busy entrance booth,” and placing a ranger station in that location will give it the best buffering from neigh- boring properties while being easily ac- cessible to visitors entering and leaving the park.
While making the decision on the project, Montana State Parks deter- mined there would be no significant im- pacts on the human or physical environ- ment.
This upgrade is the first of two pro-
posed for the park; the second would include a new group picnic shelter to be built in the day use area near the lake- shore. In conjunction with the new pic- nic shelter, the current upper day use parking lot would be expanded to ac- commodate an additional eight to 10 ve- hicles.
The parks department intends on moving forward with phase two when the money is available. Phase one was projected to cost $344,000.
This decision notice action is subject to appeal, which must be submitted to Montana State Parks’ Administrator in writing and postmarked by Aug. 11.
Wayfarers State Park is one of five state parks providing public access to Flathead Lake. In 2013, Wayfarers State Park had more than 124,900 visits, up 11 percent over the prior year.
Municipal Matters
A recap of recent city council and county commission meetings
KALISPELL
•Randy Kenyon is retiring from the Kalispell City Council after 14 years, and applications are being accepted to fill his vacant seat for the remainder of his term. Kenyon received a plaque recognizing his public service at Monday’s council meeting in City Hall, and the long- time councilor expressed gratitude and encouragement, urging other residents to be actively involved in their community.
“The city council is not this big huge divisive thing that people think it is. It’s very congenial and it’s a way to contribute to your community and it’s actually kind of fun,” Ken- yon told the Beacon. “I just encour- age people to get involved. It really makes a difference. One person re- ally can make a difference in a town like this.” Kenyon has served as one of two councilors from Ward 3 since 2000. He recently retired from his
career in the disabilities business after 40 years and will be turning 64 soon, and he said he and his wife, Donna Harrison, are moving full- time to a home in the North Fork. The City of Kalispell is accepting applications from residents who live in Ward 3, which spans most of downtown, west toward Foys Lake Road and the south-east side to Woodland Avenue. Applications are due July 25, and the city hopes to fill the vacant seat by Aug. 4. The term would extend through Dec. 31, 2015. The replacement councilor would need to run for election in November 2015 if they wished to retain the position for another four- year term. Letters of interest must be submitted to the city clerk, 201 First Ave. E., Kalispell, MT 59901 or emailed to cityclerk@kalispell. com. Letters of interest must in- clude the applicant’s legal name, home address and telephone num- ber, along with any additional in- formation that the applicant wishes
the council to review. For more in- formation call the city clerk at 758- 7756. Kenyon said he is proud of his community service, especially the aspects of running a city that go un- seen, such as delivering vital servic- es like water to residents. Looking back on his time serving on coun- cil, he regrets how the north side of town quickly developed with box stores, but described it as a learning process.
But Kenyon remains optimistic about Kalispell’s future, including the downtown and core area, which he says will ultimately showcase the city’s unique identity and histo- ry. He is very hopeful that the new downtown planning efforts and the ongoing Core Area Revitalization Plan will fuel redevelopment.
• Last week the city council tabled a proposal to expand Kalispell’s light maintenance district until a work session could be held to review fur- ther information.
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Prime Rib