Page 16 - Flathead Beacon // 8.10.16

NEWS
CITY BEAT
COLUMBIA FALLS
White sh to Assist Columbia Falls as City Searches for New Police Chief
The White sh Police Department has o ered to provide temporary administrative assistance for the Columbia Falls Police Department while the city of Columbia Falls searches for a new police chief.
Columbia Falls Police Chief Dave Perrry was termi- nated July 1, nearly two months after a man who was arrested for assault walked out of the police station.
FLATHEAD
Public Comment Reopened for Proposed Hodgson Road Casino
The attempted pursuit of a new casino and tavern on Hodgson Road south of White sh received extra atten- tion at the Flathead County Board of Adjustment meet- ing on Aug. 2.
The proposed 4,500-square-foot tavern and casino would be located next to Ohs Auto Body on U.S. Highway 93, with the entrance on Hodgson Road. The project’s applicant and landowner is Gary Ohs, through Den Gar Properties, LLC.
On Aug. 2, the county’s Board of Adjustment was sup- posed to discuss and decide on a conditional use permit that would allow the project to move forward within the Blanchard Lake Zoning District. However, since there were only three board members present, the board gave the applicant the opportunity to hold o for a month and wait for the full ve-member board.
Board member Calvin Dyck told Eric Mulcahy of Sands Surveying, who appeared on behalf of Den Gar Properties, that a decision only needs a three-person consensus from the board, so they could move on it during the Aug. 2 meeting, but if one member decided to vote against it, the project would be dropped.
Mulcahy opted to forgo the meeting for a month, and will reappear before the board on Sept. 6 to request the conditional use permit from the full ve-member board.
The project had received no public comment up to the Aug. 2 meeting, but at least a dozen residents showed up to the meeting to talk about the casino. One man said he would have commented on the project, but he wasn’t informed it was happening.
Sta with the Flathead County Planning and Zon- ing Department explained that the o ce has to notify landowners within 150 feet of the property line, which meant many of the people at the meeting did not receive a letter about it.
But since the property owners decided to wait until the September meeting, planning sta said public com- ment on the project is open again, and will be taken until 5 p.m. on Sept. 6.
According to the planning sta report on the project, the applicant would tear down the existing buildings on the property and replace them with the casino building. County regulations require a conditional use permit for casinos and taverns located within B-2 zoning.
The entire property is about 3.8 acres, and would include 71 seats and four employees at maximum shift, meaning it would require 22 parking spaces. Access to the building would be an approach o of Hodgson Road, to the east side of the building.
Planning sta wrote in the report that the casino isn’t anticipated to “generate excessive tra c.” The report said planning sta nds the applicant request “gener- ally supported by review criteria.”
An o er by White sh Police Chief Bill Dial to help out Columbia Falls led to a plan to have White sh Assistant Police Chief Mike Ferda devote eight hours per week to help Columbia Falls review police case reports and take a look at policies and procedures.
Discussions between the two agencies resulted in a proposed interlocal agreement that the White sh City Council approved Aug. 1.
The agreement provides administrative personnel for oversight, guidance, case management and auditing areas of police function for the Columbia Falls Police
Department during the time the city is without a police chief.
The City of Columbia Falls will reimburse White- sh for Ferda’s time at his total hourly cost (including employer contributions and bene ts) of $54.74 per hour, including employer bene ts and contributions.
Columbia Falls is currently advertising for a full- time police chief, an application process that ends Aug.
31.
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NEWS
COUNTY BEAT
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AUGUST 10, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
A truck navigates potholes along Blacktail Road. BEACON FILE PHOTO
The Sept. 6 meeting takes place at 6 p.m. Board of Adjustment meetings usually take place on the second oor of the Earl Bennett Building, but planning direc- tor Mark Mussman said anyone planning on attend- ing should double-check before the meeting, because it could be held in the new South Campus Building depending on how quickly the planning department is moved over there.
For the full sta report, visit www. athead.mt.gov/ planning_zoning, and click the option for “Meet- ing Information.” The planning o ce is available at 406-751-8200.
FLATHEAD
Forest Service Accepting Comments on Blacktail Road Paving Project
The U.S. Forest Service is accepting public comments on a proposal to pave nearly 10 miles of Blacktail Road in Lakeside.
The Swan Lake Ranger District has released the envi- ronmental assessment for the road project, which seeks to stabilize and restore the road from milepost 3.5 to the top of Blacktail Mountain.
The project would provide long-term sustainable
access for land management and public use, according to the Forest Service. Recent analysis and eld reviews have found worn road surfacing, stability and erosion concerns, and concern for level of tra c service along Blacktail Road, the agency stated.
As part of the project, the agency would transfer jurisdiction of about 2 miles of road to Flathead County. It would reconstruct the road to accommodate a two- lane road with an asphalt surface while doing minor road alignments for safety and resource protection. The agency would also stabilize the ll slopes on a lower road segment above Stoner Creek and replace stream cul- verts as needed.
According to the Forest Service, the project would provide year-round access for recreation and commer- cial land management while mitigating safety factors.
The public comment period is open for 30 days.
Written, hand-delivered, and oral comments can be delivered to District Ranger, Rich Kehr at 200 Ranger Station Road, Bigfork, MT 59911; by fax (406)837-7503; or by phone at (406)837-7501. Submit electronic com- ments to comments-northern- athead-swan-lake@ fs.fed.us with the project name in the subject line.
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