Page 38 - Flathead Beacon // 8.26.15

PEOPLEINBUSINESS
Kalispell Gains a New Recycling Drop-off Site
Valley Recycling and Kalispell Medi- cal Equipment (KME) are teaming up to replace the recycling drop-off site that recently closed behind Super 1 Grocery Store in Kalispell. KME, owned and oper- ated by Kalispell Regional Healthcare/ Hospital, has stepped up to replace this site in their back parking lot off Fourth Ave. EN, just one street over from the former site. Since 2009, Super 1 Grocery partnered with Valley Recycling to sup- port community recycling needs by offer- ing a site behind their store for recycling drop-off bins, but recently had to close this to meet some of the store’s growing needs.
KME is pleased to step up and pro- vide this much requested public service, but asks the public to please respect this site by keeping it clean and by only enter- ing and exiting from the Fourth Ave. EN entrance, so traffic doesn’t impact their customers entering the building from.
The site will provide three covered bins with openings for placing only #1 and #2 plastics and metal in one bin; all paper, including newspaper, magazines, and office paper in a second bin; and all corrugated cardboard, brown paper bags, and paper-board or cereal-box type card- board in the third bin.
Valley Recycling says that the contam- ination rate in the bins from non-locally recyclable materials is not improving, and remains a constant problem and rev- enue drain for them. The worst contami- nation is from people placing plastic bags and plastic wrappings, boxes, glass, trash, and plastics other than just #1 an #2 in the recycling bins.
“It is vital to remember that our recy- cling centers are businesses and if they can’t make enough of a modest profit to cover their expenses they simply can’t exist. We all want recycling, but we will only keep and grow recycling options in the Flathead when we all pull together and only put the right items in the right bins,” says Mayre Flowers with the Was- teNot Project.
Immanuel Lutheran Communities
Plans New Senior-Housing Community
Immanuel Lutheran Communities in partnership with Mountain Plains Equity Group have developed plans to build a new senior-living apartment com- plex at 41 Meridian Court near downtown Kalispell. Timber Meadows will consist of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apart- ment residences for qualified, indepen- dent seniors who are on a limited income.
“The development of Timber Mead- ows is Immanuel Lutheran’s response to meeting a community need for afford- able housing for seniors who are on a low fixed income in the Kalispell area,” states Immanuel Lutheran CEO Jason Cronk.
“We ask. We listen. We serve.”
The two-story Timber Meadows
building will be built on 4.2 acres, with extensive landscaping and greenery throughout.
“The community will be located in downtown Kalispell with nearby access to grocery stores and the mall,” said Don Sterhan, President and CEO of the Moun- tain Plains Equity Group. It also has a view of Lone Pine State Park lookout and is close to the Rails-to-Trails walking paths.
Noted Cronk, “This new venture is consistent with our history of providing communities that are wonderful neigh- borhoods for older adults to connect and live fulfilled lives. We are excited to be expanding our mission off-campus to support seniors who can benefit from an affordable rate for one- and two-bed- room apartments along with amenities and social spaces.”
Immanuel Lutheran is partnering with the Mountain Plains Equity Group to apply to the Montana Board of Hous- ing for federal income tax credits to build the project. The board will announce tax- credit recipients in January.
North Valley Hospital Foundation Receives $200,000 Donation
North Valley Hospital Foundation has received a $200,000 donation towards the hospital’s Birth Center expansion, providing a significant leap toward its capital campaign goal of $2 million. Over $1.2 million has been raised for the proj- ect. The latest donation was gifted by an anonymous donor via the Whitefish Community Foundation’s Great Fish Challenge, which matches a portion of donations to participating non-profit organizations through Sept. 18.
North Valley Hospital Foundation is in its second phase of its capital cam- paign, Building for Generations, to raise $1.5 million needed for the construction of The Birth Center expansion plus an additional $500,000 for obstetric equip- ment and staff training for a total goal of $2 million.
The current hospital was built to com- fortably deliver 250 babies per year, but The Birth Center has seen a baby boom since moving into the new facility and delivered over twice that number in the last 12 months. The project provides for 2,730 square feet of new space and exten- sive renovation of approximately 1,045 square feet of existing space for addi- tional labor/delivery/recovery/postpar- tum rooms and a larger nursery to care for babies needing special attention. Other changes include a larger nurses’ station to accommodate multiple pro- viders and staff, a larger family waiting area, and a new lactation room to assist new mothers.
“We are very thankful to receive such a generous gift toward The Birth Center
expansion,” said Jason Spring, CEO of North Valley Hospital. “This community has supported its local hospital for many years and it’s been through the strong culture of philanthropy in our area that allows us to continue delivering quality health care to the citizens of the Flathead Valley.”
North Valley Hospital broke ground on the expansion on April 20 and expects the first of three phases (the actual addition) to be complete and ready for patients in late September. The second phase incor- porating the expanded nurse and pro- vider station is scheduled for completion at the end of October with the final phase incorporating the new nursery, lactation room and family waiting area finished in early December.
For more information on the Building for Generations campaign, please visit www.nvhosp.org and click on the Foun- dation tab.
Plum Creek Grant Will Keep Backcountry Volunteers in Touch
A grant from the Plum Creek Founda- tion will help volunteers who are working in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex stay in touch with the rest of the world.
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foun- dation (BMWF), based in Hungry Horse, will use its $1,140 grant to purchase two handheld satellite tracking devices that will be used for trips into the complex, an area of more than 1.5 million acres.
“For more than 15 years, the founda- tion has led groups of volunteers on envi- ronmental projects in ‘The Bob,’” says Carol Treadwell, BMWF executive direc- tor. “These BMWF projects introduce youth and adults to the wilderness, and for some, it is a life-changing experience. The safety of our volunteers and crew leaders is paramount, and we needed a way to be able to communicate when in ‘radio dead zones.’”
Treadwell says the 300 to 400 volun- teers, aged 12 to 80, participate in 40 trail maintenance and weed eradication proj- ects each summer. The Plum Creek grant will be used to purchase two SPOT satel- lite trackers that provide location-based messaging and emergency notification technology.
In 2013, Plum Creek Foundation awarded a $2,000 grant to the BMWF for bear-resistant coolers to keep perishable food fresh in the backcountry.
For more information about the Bob, please see http://www.bmwf.org/. For trail conditions visit: http://www.bmwf. org/trail_conditions.html#conditions.
Alpine Theatre Project Enjoys Record Attendance
Alpine Theatre Project just completed its most successful summer season to date, with over 7,500 patrons in atten- dance during its three-and-a-half week
run. This season continues an upward trend in summer attendance ever since the professional theater company changed its summer format to a rotat- ing repertory format whereby shows are rotated on a nightly basis. It credits com- munity support for a large part of the success.
“This was an incredible summer sea- son of three rotating shows filled with Broadway talent,” says ATP Producing Artistic Director, Betsi Morrison. “We were sold-out so often, we had to add extra performances for the first time in our history.”
Alpine Theatre Project largely credits word of mouth to the success of this sea- son’s productions of Chicago, Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash, and Big Fish.
“We can take out all the advertising in the world,” says Walrath, “But it comes down to Flathead Valley residents tell- ing their friends, neighbors, and visitors about the world-class professional the- atre they have in their backyard.”
Alpine Theatre Project moves on to its next program, a production of Shrek the Musical Jr. with local students in grades 1-8 in September. Patrons are encour- aged to visit atpwhitefish.org for more information.
Backpacker’s Ball Raises $275,000 for Glacier Conservancy
Nearly 300 people gathered at the Green Valley Ranch in Coram to cele- brate and support Glacier National Park at the Glacier Conservancy’s annual fundraising event, the Backpacker’s Ball. The event brought in more than $275,000 that will directly support the park’s high- est priorities for the coming year.
The amount includes $72,600 raised in a Live Drive that will directly support children’s education programs in the park, including an initiative announced earlier this year by President Obama that strives to create the next genera- tion of park stewards by getting every fourth-grader in America into a park. These funds will be fully matched by the BNSF Railway Foundation and the Gla- cier National Park Conservancy.
“We’re thrilled to see the ongoing sup- port of the businesses and individuals in our community for our backyard park,” said Glacier Conservancy president Mark Preiss. “These funds represent a signifi- cant investment in preserving and pro- tecting Glacier for future generations.”
The Glacier National Park Conser- vancy will soon be kicking off its fall fundraising campaign, including Day for Glacier, to focus on additional critical park projects and programs for 2016.
Glacier National Park Conservancy is the official philanthropic and out- reach partner of Glacier National Park, and invests in preservation, education and research that enrich the Glacier experience.
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AUGUST 26, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM