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Covering the Bitterroot Valley – “Where Montana Begins!”
’ ! l a c o L t at
June 29th, 2019
s e B e h T ‘ June 28th & 29th!
Volume XXXIV, Number 44
Giving back
Established 1985 - Locally owned & independent
Stevi council errs in stopping meeting for lack of town clerk By Michael Howell
Clover Buds (7-year-old and younger members of the MadHatters 4-H Club) Lyla Murillo, Annesse Torres, Madilyn Farrenburg Murillo, Patrick Kraft and his brother Julian presented a donation of stuffed animals and a $205 check for the purchase of kids safety helmets to the Emergency Room at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital last week. In the back row are Nurse Manager Jennifer Bush, Trauma Nurse Gwen Lawry and 4-H leader Susie Kraft.
4-Hers donate to hospital ER By Michael Howell
As part of National Hospital Week, several members of the MadHatters 4-H Club, presented a hefty pile of stuffed animals to Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital to be used in the Emergency Room to provide a little comfort to young children coming into the ER. Seven out of seven of the kids at the donation event had been to the Emergency Room at the hospital for one reason or another and found comfort in the stuffed animals and blankets that are made available by the ER staff. Madilyn Farrenberg Murillo, one of the five Clover Buds (age seven and younger) from the MadHatters 4-H Club, said, “A lot of kids come here when they get hurt and some-
times, they get scared.” She said that when she gets scared her kitty calms her down and that “having a stuffy could help them.” Along with the stuffed animals the kids also brought a check for $205 for safety helmets that will also be distributed through the ER. Nurse manager Jennifer Bush and Trauma Nurse Gwen Lawry from the ER were on hand to accept the donation of the stuffed animals and the check. Besides comforting kids coming into the ER, the Clover Buds wanted to do something to help keep kids from coming into to the ER to begin with. The idea of providing some safety helmets for kids who need them became a goal. They held a silent auction and raised over two hundred dollars.
According to MadHatter mom Susie Kraft, they were a little disappointed when they looked into the cost of sport helmets. She said based on their research they thought they could only purchase 4 or 5 helmets. Nurse manager Jennifer Bush said that by connecting with Kalispell Hospital that already had a helmet program in place in which bulk discounts are available they believe the donation will supply from 30 to 40 helmets. Bush said that there were a lot of very expensive sport helmets in the marketplace but statistically, she said, no matter what the cost, the helmets perform basically the same. She said if a child comes into the See DONATION, page 2
Earth Stewardship Program gets students out in the field By Michael Howell
As predictable as the return of loons in spring, young students from across the valley who have participated in the Earth Stewardship Program sponsored by the Bitter Root Water Forum over the course of the school year, began spilling out into the forest for an actual day out in the field. Last week it was mostly Corvallis 7th graders pouring into the Bass Creek Recreation area for their annual Field Day trip. Throughout the 2018-2019 school year, seventh graders at Corvallis, Victor, Lone Rock, and Darby middle schools have participated in monthly classes as part of the program. Through ongoing partnerships, the Water Forum was able to provide specialists from the Bitterroot National Forest, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the Ravalli County Weed District, Bitterroot Valley FFA, and O’Hara Commons who provided a variety of presentations on unique natural resource topics. Through these lessons, students learned about the importance of snowpack, irrigation, water insects, native Montana fish, the Bitterroot Valley watershed, noxious weeds, and recreational ethics and etiquette. Over 185
students participated in classroom programs this year. The end of the year is capped off with a hands-on, outdoor field trip to get them out of
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
the classroom and into the water. The 7th grade students from Corvallis walked a long distance See STEWARDS, page 10
Misinterpreting state law, the Stevensville Town Council abruptly adjourned its latest town council meeting without conducting any business last week, claiming that council cannot meet without the Town Clerk being present. Town Clerk Audree Tribbensee recently resigned due to what she called a hostile work environment created by council members. The Town’s Chief Finance Officer, April Van Tassel, has also resigned, effective last Friday, May 17. She too, told the Bitterroot Star that her resignation had to do with a hostile work environment created by some council members. Remaining Deputy Clerk Denise Philley has also submitted her intention to retire in October. “I could bail them out, I suppose, but I’m not going to,” said Philley. “They brought this on themselves and they will have to deal with it.” She said the current Council members have had ample opportunity to correct the situation but have apparently
chosen not to. Although applications are being accepted for the recently vacated job of Finance Officer, Mayor Brandon Dewey has refused so far to advertise for another town clerk. “I can’t see putting anyone else in the position while the hostile work environment goes unaddressed,” said Dewey. At the last meeting, Council president Bob Michalson moved immediately to adjourn the meeting “on account of the fact that we don’t have a stated Clerk as required by state law and after being in Bozeman last week for three days we were told by every member of the MMIA staff that we cannot hold an official meeting until you have a stated Clerk here or Denise.” “I’m sorry Brandon, but that’s the law,” he said. “We are only going by what Dan Clark and Angela Simonson told us. You should call Angela in the morning, she’s waiting for your call.” Mayor Dewey responded, saying, “So, the business of Stevensville grinds to a halt because
our clerk left under hostile circumstances.” Councilor Robin Holcomb said she had to agree with Michalson. “From what we were told we cannot hold a meeting without a clerk taking minutes. We asked if audio would work and were told no. We were told that as soon as roll is called and the Pledge of Allegiance is made, we must adjourn. We cannot have a meeting by law without a clerk,” said Holcomb. Michalson chimed in, saying, “This is not on us folks, this is state law.” Mayor Dewey asked for public comment on the motion but Michalson insisted that the vote be taken. The three councilors then voted to adjourn and the meeting was over. The Bitterroot Star contacted Dan Clark at the Local Government Center at MSU immediately following the meeting to inquire about holding meetings without a clerk. According to Clark, there See COUNCIL, page 12
Road, curb improvement work now in progress in Stevi area By Michael Howell
Eastside Highway through Stevensville Motorists in the Stevensville area will need to exercise caution while driving through Stevensville beginning Wednesday, May 20. The Montana Department of Transportation is updating sidewalk corners along Secondary 269 (Main Street) through downtown Stevensville in conjunction with planned pavement preservation efforts. Approximately 20 curb ramps are being updated as part of MDT’s Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan in their ongoing efforts to provide greater accessibility to residents and visitors. The updates to the sidewalk corners will allow all users to more easily get on and off sidewalks, including people with disabilities, parents with strollers, small children on bikes, delivery drivers and older adults. The new curbs will have gentler slopes to ease a wheeled device down and new landing areas at the top where pedestrians can turn to access the sidewalk. A tool to help people with vision
impairments is also being installed at the updated street corners. Called “detectable warnings,” the colored and textured surfaces will be installed in the areas where the curb ramp connects with the street. These features provide a sensory warning to users with vision impairments, alerting them that they are entering a roadway where vehicle traffic is present. The new street corners are also designed to limit water pooling in areas where the curb ramp transitions into the roadway. MDT uses a streamlined construction process to upgrade curb ramps, reducing the time required to finish these improvements. Work will be done during the day, so the public is asked to prepare for noise disturbances, minor pedestrian detours, and some parking disturbances. But both lanes will be open and vehicle traffic will not be delayed. The ADA curb improvement project will last from two to three weeks. Work on these improvements will be followed in midJuly by a pavement preservation project on the Eastside Highway
that begins about 1.2 miles south of Stevensville and goes north through town. The milling and paving is expected to take a total of 10 to 12 days to complete. A significant portion will be done at night to minimize the impacts on daytime work traffic. Chip sealing is scheduled for August and will be done in the daytime. A bridge guardrail installation is also planned along the Stevensville Cut-Off Road in midJune. The guard rail on a small bridge on a side channel of the river will be replaced. The work will be done in the daytime and a stop light will be erected at the site and traffic will be reduced to a single lane. Highway 93 A milling and paving project is also planned for Highway 93 from the McCalla Creek Bridge south of the Stevensville cut-off intersection, to North Kootenai Creek Road north of the intersection. This work will begin in late July and be done at night. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in both See ROAD WORK, page 12
Expect delays as Clerk of Court moves to online system
Corvallis 7th graders hiked into Larry Creek Campground at the Bass Creek Recreation Area for some hands-on education as part of the Bitter Root Water Forum’s Earth Stewardship Program. Michael Howell photo.
After years of preparation and planning, the Ravalli County Clerk of District Court will transition to a new web-based case management system. This will take place beginning Monday, June 3, 2019 and will be a precursor to electronic filing. Services will be available during the conversion process, but the public should be aware that there will be delays in customer service time and responses to voicemail, emails, and inquiries. To help ensure a smooth conversion, Clerk of District Court, Paige Trautwein, requests that when feasible, the public postpone applying for marriage
licenses, filing court documents, and opening new cases until the week of June 17. Should you find yourself urgently in need of a passport, consider utilizing the services of the post office in Hamilton. Court filings submitted on Thursday, June 6 and Friday, June 7 will not be processed until the week of June 10th due to the data conversion and startup of the new case management system. “Your patience during this transition will be greatly appreciated,” said Trautwein. “We apologize in advance for any inconvenience and are hopeful this transition will go
smoothly.” For more information, call Trautwein at 406-375-6710 or email ptrautwein@rc.mt.gov . As the keeper of the Ravalli County records, the Clerk of District Court office files more than 2,000 new cases and issues over 240 marriage licenses annually. The office retains records related to adoption, civil, criminal, dependent neglect, domestic relations, guardianship, juvenile, paternity, probate, and involuntary commitment cases. It is the Clerk of Court’s responsibility to ensure these records are as accurate and up to date as possible.