Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 8.10.16

NEWS
Female Grizzly Bear Killed After Breaking into Campers Decision was made to remove the grizzly because of the degree of food conditioning
BY BEACON STAFF
State wildlife managers killed a female grizzly bear after the animal broke into three camp trailers in the North Fork of the Flathead River drainage.
John Fraley, spokesperson for Mon- tana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said an adult female grizzly bear was captured July 29 on private property south of Red Meadow Creek. A bear had broken into three camp trailers, which were unoccupied at the time but where people had been living.
According to Grizzly Bear Manage- ment Specialist Tim Manley, the bear was captured in a culvert trap that was set within two feet of one of the trailers. The trailers had been broken into on the evening of July 28. Once inside the trail- ers, the bear ate dog food along with food in the cupboards.
The unmarked 315-pound grizzly had cut herself on the glass of one of the
trailers and a fresh cut was found on the left front foot pad of the bear. The bear was not lactating and there was no evi- dence of her having cubs, according to FWP. No microchip or ear tags were found on this bear. Based on photos, FWP determined this grizzly bear also looked like the bear that got into garages, a barn, and killed chickens in the imme- diate area during the last two years.
The interagency decision was made to remove this grizzly bear from the popu- lation because of the degree of food con- ditioning, according to Fraley. The griz- zly was euthanized on Aug. 1.
“It is always regrettable to be put in the position of removing a grizzly bear from the population,” stated Region One FWP Wildlife Program Manager Neil Ander- son. “In this case the bear was heavily food conditioned and the removal was in theinterestofpublicsafety.”
news@ atheadbeacon.com
An adult female grizzly bear broke into three campers south of Red Meadow Creek. COURTESY PHOTO
ACCORDING TO GRIZZLY BEAR MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST TIM MANLEY, THE BEAR WAS CAPTURED IN A CULVERT TRAP THAT WAS SET WITHIN
TWO FEET OF ONE OF THE TRAILERS. THE TRAILERS HAD BEEN BROKEN INTO ON THE EVENING OF JULY 28.
reliance on tax-increment revenue fund- ing to restore the contingency fund.
It’s also possible the city could be reimbursed for some of the costs asso- ciated with the contaminated soil, Stea- rns said. The city’s insurance carrier has a pollution insurance policy for which the city has led a claim. The policy has a $100,000 deductible, but the city could recover $59,502, Stearns said.
There is also a chance the city might receive partial reimbursement from the state Department of Environmental Quality’s Leaking Underground Storage Tank fund.
tscott@ atheadbeacon.com
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White sh City Hall Budget Swells Again
Council restores contingency fund that was depleted by contaminated waste removal
BY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
The unforeseen cost of removing con-
taminated waste from the site of the new White sh City Hall and parking struc- ture depleted the city’s contingency fund, so city council recently approved additional money to cover the budget overrun.
Facing a cost overrun of more than $1 million earlier this year, the city coun- cil in January approved a new budget of $16,041,641 for the project that was ini- tially slated to cost $14.95 million.
But the unexpected costs from the contaminated soil removal, which ran
$159,502, sank the contingency fund for the project into a de cit of $69,537, according to City Manager Chuck Stea- rns, who outlined four budget options for the council to consider at its Aug. 1 meeting.
The contingency fund is a reserve of money set aside to cover possible unfore- seen expenses.
“Because contaminated soils were found when excavation of the City Hall site was done earlier this year, the con- tingency account is more than depleted,” Stearns noted in his report.
“To replenish the contingency account, we do need to request an increase in the
budget for the project or we will have to nd other costs to cut,” he added.
Stearns laid out two preferred options. The preferred option that the coun- cil adopted approved a change order of $123,641 to Martel Construction to remove Martel’s costs for the contami- nated soil from the contingency account. It then added $219,537 to the overall proj- ect budget, restoring the contingency account to $150,000.
That will enable the city to buy furni- ture for conference rooms and the lobby, while also providing a bu er if they run into other unexpected costs.
The city will have to ramp up its
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AUGUST 10, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM