Page 8 - Flathead Beacon // 9.30.15

CITY BEAT 14 COUNTY BEAT 14 COURT BEAT 15 Newsworthy
Suspected Arson Fire Destroys Furniture Store in Columbia Falls Melby’s Home Interiors on U.S. Highway 2 burned early Sept. 27
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
Authorities say a fire that destroyed a furniture store in Columbia Falls this weekend may have been intentionally set.
Melby’s Home Interiors on U.S. High- way 2 in Columbia Falls burned down early Sunday morning. Officials say the building and all of its contents are a total loss.
The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office is seeking any possible information regard- ing the fire on Sept. 27. Sheriff Chuck Curry said evidence suggests the fire may have been set on purpose. Police officers
took photographs of the scene when they arrived.
According to the sheriff’s office, the fire was first reported at 5:40 a.m., Sun- day. Initially, the fire was confined to a small storage building at the rear of the store, but it quickly spread to the attic of the main store. Firefighters from Colum- bia Falls, Whitefish, Evergreen and Bad Rock all responded to the blaze.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who may have seen activity around the store in the early morning hours of Sept. 27 to call (406) 758-5585.
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RIGHT: A fire destroyed Melby’s Home Interiors in Columbia Falls on Sept. 27. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Trail of Cedars Restored in Effort to Expand Accessibility in Glacier Popular pathway near Avalanche was closed last week for paving project
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
During the peak of summer tourism, more than 1,000 people a day hike the one-mile round trip through the Trail of Cedars near the Avalanche Lake trail- head. Unlike several other trails in the park, this old-growth forest provides easy access.
The National Park Service teamed up with the Glacier National Park Con- servancy to re-pave part of the trail this month. Part of the trail is paved while the other portion is a boardwalk.
“It was not a smooth surface any- more,” said Jack Gordon, landscape architect and special populations coor- dinator for Glacier. “There were so many holes and potholes.”
The trail was one of the first hand- icap-accessible trails in the park, but it had since deteriorated to where it no longer met federal standards. It has been repaved with a sustainable non-as- phalt polymer pavement that Gordon said should last longer and may become the new standard for accessible trails in the park. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certi- fied material can also be colored to match the surrounding landscape. Also, unlike
Crews resurface the Trail of the Cedars in Glacier National Park on Sept. 24, 2015. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
to increase the accessibility of the bath- room and comfort station at the Ava- lanche Trailhead.
“We are very pleased to help make certain that everyone who desires, regardless of whatever physical chal- lenges they may struggle with, has the opportunity to experience the wonder- ment and renewal of spirit that Sarah and I experience whenever we walk the Trail of the Cedars,” he said.
HK Contractors, which has also done a majority of the work on the Going-to- the-Sun Road, and Valley Fence donated time, labor and equipment to help with the Trail of the Cedars paving project.
Gordon said if the non-asphalt poly- mer pavement is successful it might be deployed on other trails in the park, including the one looping Swiftcurrent Lake at Many Glacier.
Mark Preiss, chief executive officer of the conservancy, said his group of excited to help expand trail access in the park.
“There are a lot of places in Glacier National Park’s landscape where pro- viding access to all people is tough so we have to look for opportunities like this whenever we can,” he said.
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SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
traditional asphalt, which needs time to set, the trail was reopened immediately after the new pavement was put down.
To help cover the cost of the proj- ect, the conservancy included the trail restoration in its 2015 fundraising field guide. The conservancy raised $30,000
for the re-paving project and John and Sarah Graves of Whitefish covered much of it. John said the Trail of the Cedars is a special place for his family and that he wanted to ensure that future gener- ations could continue to enjoy it. The Graves have also fully funded the efforts