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Covering the Bitterroot Valley – “Where Montana Begins!”
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Volume XXXV, Number 25
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Covering the Bitterroot Valley – “Where Montana Begins!”
Hamilton mayor presents 2019 progress report
The capability of the DaVinci Robotics System was demonstrated at a Daly Hospital Foundation gala last summer. Amy James-Linton photo.
Hospital receives $500k from foundation for robotics system The Daly Hospital Foundation Board of Directors recently voted to disburse $500,000 from its investment earnings and targeted fundraising campaign to help Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital (MDMH) purchase a new DaVinci Robotics System for the Surgery Center. Tom Grymes is the Treasurer for the Foundation with responsibilities to oversee the investment accounts. He said, “The markets have been very favorable and at the time the funds were needed, the market was at its all-time high. The generosity from major donors, the work of our fundraising efforts this year, and the fundraising efforts of previous board members all contributed to the availability of these funds.” “It was a community-wide effort to increase our hospital’s ability to provide quality care with state-of-the-art equipment and help the Foundation fulfill its mission to generate funding that benefits the entire community,” Grymes said. Philanthropist and longtime Daly Hospital Foundation supporter, Frank Godchaux, passed away earlier this year and his family bequeathed a gift in his honor which was used to help purchase the DaVinci. In gratitude for their support, the waiting room at the new Surgery Center is named in the family’s honor. Two of the three surgical suites are also now named in gratitude for substantial gifts received. One honors the memory of Greg Gates, MD, and the other recognizes the longtime cooperative relationship with architect Marty Noyd of Oz Architects. He designed the new addition and after its opening,
offered a gift back to the hospital through the Daly Hospital Foundation. “We are very grateful for generous donors who support our mission,” said Stacie Duce, DHF Director of Philanthropy. “This is the largest gift transferred to our non-profit hospital from the Foundation since the ICU was built. It represents a cumulative generosity of large and small donations and for everyone, we are extremely grateful.” “At our Gala last summer, representatives from DaVinci actually brought similar equipment to the grounds of the Daly Mansion for our guests to see the amazing technology and even sit down to see how steady their own hand was while operating the robotics arms,” Duce said. “Our messaging is intended to be very clear to our supporters about the purpose of fundraising efforts and the impact it has on our hospital. It takes state-of-theart equipment to deliver quality care and recruit talented medical providers.” Duce said. “Strategically disbursing funds motivates us to replace them all over again and operate our Foundation like a healthy stream where funds come in and flow out to directly benefit families seeking medical care from MDMH.” “It has been an exciting year for Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital, made possible through a caring team, our community, and a healthy Foundation,” John Bishop, MDMH Chief Executive Officer. In April, we gathered for the ribbon cutting and dedication celebration for the hospital’s beautiful new surgery center, this fall, we welcomed three new surgeons, Drs. Clark, Waggener
The Stevensville High School ‘We the People’ program is holding a community hearing on Thursday, January 9 at 6 p.m. in the Stevensville Multi-Purpose Choir Room. The program is in its third year and has now had over 45 students compete in this 30-year program sponsored by the Center for Civic Education. The purpose of the program is to provide excellent civic education instruction that culminates
in a state level and national level academic competition. According to Social Studies Instructor Wesley Wells, students from all six units will deliver a Congressional Testimony style response to one of the State Hearing Questions as the students prepare to compete in the Montana State Competition in Helena on January 21st. “This event serves as our formal dress rehearsal and gives
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
and Metcalf. We opened two new medical clinics, Bitterroot Surgical Associates and Bitterroot Dermatology, purchased the DaVinci Robotics System, and starting January 2nd our urgent care clinic ‘Convenient Care’ will be extending hours.” “This would not be possible without being the recipient of donations from the Daly Hospital Foundation in the amount of $500K and recent equipment purchases from MDMH employees. Sizable contributions are a testament to our staff, community, and the health of the foundation,” Bishop said. “Without a strong team, community, and foundation, it would be challenging to continue to grow and meet the local healthcare needs. “As we move into a new year, it is a perfect time to reflect and recognize the trust our patients, donors and the foundation puts in us,” said Bishop. “Patients trust us with their lives, and donors trust the Daly Hospital Foundation to make timely donations to the hospital, and the donors and foundation trust the hospital to use the funds to enhance quality care and grow services. It is with much gratitude that I say thank you to our team and to each of you for choosing to keep your healthcare and donations close to home. We have learned that together, anything is possible. Thank you for your generosity and trust in us.” To make a donation to the Daly Hospital Foundation visit www.mdmh.org/give, mail to Daly Hospital Foundation at 1200 Westwood Drive, Hamilton MT 59840 or contact Stacie Duce at Stacie.duce@mdmh.org or call 406-375-4674.
Stevi ‘We the People program’ to hold community hearing
our school community a chance to see the great work our students produce,” said Wells. Guest Judges include Senator Fred Thomas, Representative Sharon Greef, and Commissioner Greg Chilcott. Special Guest Speaker will be the Honorable Kathleen DeSoto, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Montana. The public is invited to attend.
“It was a busy and productive year for the City of Hamilton,” states Hamilton Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf at the beginning of his 2019 Mayor Report to the City Council. His report offers a month by month account of the City’s accomplishments which he attributes to the efforts made by the City Council, City Employees, County Officials, Community Partners, Hamilton Schools and, of course, himself. Some of the mayor’s highlights are as follows: January 2019 Appointment of City Council President, Planning Board Representative and Zoning Commission Representative: At the January 2, 2019 City Council meeting, the City Council voted to appoint Councilor Travis Martinez as the Council President. As Council President, Councilor Martinez ran the Committee of the Whole meetings after setting the agenda. The Council President met weekly with the Mayor to discuss upcoming meeting agenda items. Their weekly meeting allowed for both to be more prepared for Committee and Council Meetings. Councilor Rod Pogachar was voted in
Hamilton Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf as the Planning Board Representative. Councilor Joe Petrusaitis was voted in as the Zoning Commission Representative. They will attend those prospective meetings and report back to the City Council. February/March 2019 Snowstorm: The large snowstorm began on Monday, February 25th. The snow accumulated very quickly and by early afternoon the mayor had declared a snow emergency and sent most City employees home before the roads
became impassable. The Hamilton Police Department called in a little extra help due to call volume, accidents and to get notifications out for moving vehicles in the designated routes identified by the snow emergency. The Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department equipped their vehicles with chains and kept the access to the firetruck bays clear. They encouraged residents to keep their hydrants and gas meters cleared of snow. The City, County and School District consulted to consider and declare school closures. The City and County agreed to communicate throughout the storm. City street crews worked until 8:00 pm, plowing streets and emergency routes. The street crew returned to work at 4:00 am on Tuesday to resume plowing. The city reopened at noon on Tuesday, February 26th. In the following weeks, the street department had two or three workers from 4:00 am to 5:00 pm (60-hour weeks). They ran plows, snowblowers, dump trucks and a loader. They loaded and removed snow as best as they See HAMILTON, page 3
Stevensville mayor positive about potential in new year Just like that, the year 2019 is behind us and we welcome not only a new year, but a new decade as well. With any transition or change in time, many of us take time to reflect on the previous year. Hopefully, that reflection leads us to strive to do better than the year before. We ought to use our experiences, both good and faulty, as tools to venture towards success in whatever it is that we want to be or do. This New Year marks the half-way mark of my first term as Mayor of Stevensville. Many of you may see this as an opportunity for two more years of achievements for our community. Others, well, are likely counting down. Regardless of whether you stand in support of our current
Hamilton Mayor Brandon Dewey administration, my hope is that as a community, we continue to preserve our neighborly ways and
respect for one another in the New Year. Despite some setbacks, Stevensville experienced many successes in 2019! We’re seeing the community grow with in-fill of our business districts and build-out of subdivisions within the Town. Property owners continue to make improvements to existing establishments, bringing new opportunities in the coming year. The capacity of our Town government is strengthening with a qualified staff who are eager to meet the needs of our citizens. In the first half of my term, the community has seen the administration and Town Council bring continued investment into our infrastructure, See STEVI, page 3
New police officer on the beat
John Ellington is the Town of Stevensville’s newest police officer, having started work on December 17, 2019. Ellington is a veteran, having served in the U.S. Marine Corps infantry, serving in combat in Afghanistan. Following his five years in the Marines, Ellington attended Police Academy and then took a job as a County Sheriff’s Deputy in Highland County, Florida. After that he worked in the city of Lakeland’s Police Department, before moving to Stevensville. Ellington has a wife, Keri, and a four month old child. He said that Lakeland was a city of over 100,00 people, sitting in the center of the Florida peninsula, it was also sandwiched between even bigger cities. The work was pretty stressful, he said, so he and his wife decided to take their baby and “go somewhere nice.” He said they were familiar with Montana because Keri’s parents live in Darby and they thought Stevensville would be a nice place to raise a child. Ellington said it was nice
Stevensville Police Officer John Ellington to be working in a small town and that he enjoyed the special attention he was getting from Police
Chief James Marble in making the adjustment to a small town community environment.