Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 8.3.16

NEWS
CITY BEAT
KALISPELL
Broken Air Conditioning Unit Creates Budget Shortfall at Museum at Central School
The Museum at Central School is accepting donations to help address a budget shortfall after the aging air con- ditioning unit broke this summer.
Gil Jordan, executive director of the Northwest Montana Historical Society, which operates the local history museum inside the 123-year-old building in down- town Kalispell, said the unit was turned on June 25 and died shortly afterward.
After researching the situation and reviewed bids, the museum spent $48,300 to replace the unit and controls. The new equipment is now installed and working well, but the museum’s budget has taken a serious hit, Jordan said.
“This was an unexpected, and unbud- geted expense,” Jordan said. “We’re applying for grants, tapping into our modest reserves, have secured a low-in- terest loan, and are appealing to our members and generous donors to help us ll this surprise shortage of funds. In this 22,000 square foot stone and brick build- ing, where we host upwards of 250 events each year, air conditioning is not a luxury, it is a necessity.”
Jordan encouraged any friends and supporters of the museum who are in a position to help to provide a special donation.
The Museum at Central School works on a 40-year lease with the City of Kalis- pell requiring the non-pro t organiza- tion to be responsible for all maintenance and repairs inside and out the facility.
In 2010, the Northwest Montana His- torical Society came up with $86,600 to replace the failed leaky roof with an all- new 50-year roof. In 2014, the organiza- tion gathered $35,000 to upgrade out- moded, ine cient and failing heating circulation pumps, as well as $3,482 to repair and replace failed concrete side- walks and handicap ramp. This year the organization spent $11,000 to replace worn-out carpeting.
Checks can be made out to the Museum at Central School, 124 2nd Ave E., Kalis- pell, MT 59901. Donors should note “AC Project” on the check. The Northwest
FLATHEAD
New South Campus Building Open to Public
After a long wait, the new South Cam- pus Building is open to the public, hous- ing several of Flathead County’s depart- ments, but especially of note, the Agency on Aging.
The address for the new building is 40 11th St. W, which is directly across 11th Street from the county’s health depart- ment in the Earl Bennett Building. It will
A water-bottling plant is proposed on Lew Weaver’s land near Creston. BEACON FILE PHOTO
accommodations for persons with dis- abilities who wish to participate in the public meeting. If you require an accom- modation, please contact Lisa Peterson at 406-444-2929 or [email protected] at least three days before the meeting.
RONAN
Class Action Suit Moves Forward Against Police Department
A member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes is suing the City of Ronan for allegedly employing uncerti- ed and unquali ed police o cers.
Anthony Chaney led the lawsuit in October 2015 and on July 1, District Court Judge Jim Manley granted the plainti ’s request for class certi cation, meaning that anyone who had been sub- jected to detention, search or seizure by ineligible or unquali ed Ronan police o cers could join the suit.
According to court documents, the tribes entered into an agreement with local law enforcement agencies back in 2007 allowing the departments to police tribal members so long as they used cer- ti ed o cers.
In Chaney’s lawsuit, he alleges that an uncerti ed o cer unlawfully arrested him in July 2013. According to court documents, Chaney was at a bar in Ronan with his brother, who su ers from post-traumatic stress disorder, when his sibling started to have a PTSD-epi- sode. To help him through the incident, Chaney held down his brother in a grassy area in an attempt to calm him down, something he had been trained to do. Chaney held his brother down for more than an hour when multiple Ronan police o cers arrived. Despite being told that he was trying to help his brother, the o cers placed both men in handcu s. Neither man was ever charged with a crime.
Anyone who believes they may have been subjected to detention, search or seizure by ineligible or unquali ed Ronan police o cers are encouraged to contact Ann Sherwood or Justin Kalmbach at the Tribal Defenders O ce at (406) 675-2700 ext. 1125.
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$250,000 worth of items for the project, including the outdoor patio.
Community members rallied around the project and built the patio them- selves, with donated work and materials. A fundraiser seeking cash to out t the patio was successful as well.
Future work on the building may include a sky-bridge connecting the new building to the county’s health depart- ment, allowing for easier movement between them.
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Montana Historical Society is a 501(c)3 non-pro t organization. Donations are tax deductible.
CRESTON
DEQ Extends Comment Period for Creston Water Bottling Plant
State o cials have extended the public comment period on a draft permit for the proposed Montana Artesian Water Com- pany bottling plant near Creston.
The extension is due to a website error, according to a spokesperson for the Mon- tana Department of Environmental Quality.
“We want to give interested citizens a full opportunity to prepare and submit their comments on this permitting deci- sion,” said Jon Kenning, chief of the DEQ Water Protection Bureau.
The wrong fact sheet for the Montana Artesian Water Company draft Montana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit was posted on the department website for approximately one week from July 15 to July 20, according to o cials. The error was corrected as soon as it was discovered; however, DEQ is extending the public comment period until Aug. 15, giving the public an additional 10 days to comment on the draft permit.
Lew Weaver, the owner of Montana Artesian Water Co., is seeking to pump 710 acre-feet of water annually from an
house the county’s AOA program, as well as the Kalispell Senior Center, the coun- ty’s IT department, and it will have space for the county’s maintenance depart- ment and for the Flathead City-County Health Department.
The project, which cost around $7 mil- lion, was highly anticipated in the county, especially within the senior citizen com- munity. Before the building’s construc- tion began last March, there was a battle to bring it into existence.
Members of the senior community
underground aquifer near Egan Slough along the Flathead River, the equivalent of 1.2 billion 20-ounce water bottles.
Weaver’s request, and his goal to pro- duce 140,000 water bottles per hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at a facility on his farmland, drummed up considerable attention, fueling concerns among neigh- bors and residents across the valley.
Weaver has defended his plans, saying he followed the proper regulatory steps and studied the potential environmental consequences.
All the relevant documents, including the draft permit, fact sheet, and environ- mental assessment are available for pub- lic review and comment on the DEQ web- site at http://deq.mt.gov/Public/notices/ wqnotices.
The Aug. 1 public hearing was not rescheduled. During the public hearing, DEQ will record public comments on the draft permit. The public hearing is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the Cres- ton School gymnasium located at 4495 Montana Highway 35 in Kalispell.
Anyone who believes any condition of a draft permit is inappropriate or in error, or that the tentative decision to issue the permit is incorrect, must submit these concerns in writing to DEQ before the public comment period ends. DEQ will consider all comments in making a nal decision.
DEQ will make reasonable
asked the Flathead County Commission for new space for the county’s Agency on Aging program, which was headquartered at a building without the infrastructure or safety measures the seniors needed.
The commission began the long pro- cess of narrowing down options for a new space, considering existing buildings as well as constructing new ones. Eventu- ally, the commissioners settled on build- ing the South Campus Building, initially citing the cost at $6 million. When the cost jumped to $7 million, they cut about
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AUGUST 3, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM