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Covering the Bitterroot Valley – “Where Montana Begins!” – Established 1985 – Locally Owned & Independent
’ ! l a c o L t a t s e B ‘The
Volume XXXV, Number 47
Find the latest updates and information on the COVID-19 pandemic at www.bitterrootstar.com Wednesday, June 10, 2020
www.bitterrootstar.com
Bitterroot Public Library levy passes
Black Lives Matter in the Bitterroot
The Bitterroot Public Library mill levy has passed with significant support from library district voters. The unofficial final vote tally was 5,313 for the levy with 3,641 against. This was the library’s first levy request in over 20 years. Library Director Mark Wetherington expressed gratitude to the voters in the library district. “The library, its staff and the Board of Trustees are so grateful to the voters to helping us maintain and grow our library so that we may continue to serve our community to the highest degree possible,” Wetherington said. “Our Friends of the Library, Bitterroot Public Library Foundation and other volunteers really stepped up and advocated in the community for our library and we are so thankful,” he continued. “We couldn’t have
Stevensville annexation request limps along
By Michael Howell Last Friday, Mary Fahnestock-Thomas sent out an email message inviting people to join her on Saturday at the intersection of First Street (Highway 93) and Marcus Street in downtown Hamilton. She said she was going to grab her George Floyd sign and go stand on the corner to show support for protests going on around the country in response to George Floyd’s death. “Today would have been Breonna Taylor’s [another victim of a police violence] birthday,” she wrote. On Saturday, a small handful of people could be seen standing on the corner of Marcus and 1st with their signs: End Systemic Racism “I can’t breathe.” These were the early birds. The next day over 200 people showed up with signs and masks in response to a call put out by Corvallis High School senior Frances Carrasco and some of her friends. It was a peaceful demonstration with some chanting, but mostly waves and thumbs up and some horn honking as people driving by acknowledged the protesters.
By Michael Howell
One minor incident was reported involving a man who came through shouting “white lives matter.” According to KECI TV reporter Kevin Maki, the man shouted at the protesters that “every demonstration ends up in violence because the violent people come there to use it for their gain.” According to Hamilton City
Police Chief Ryan Oster, the man was getting into people’s faces and creating a disturbance. He said an officer was able to get him to calm down and no arrest was made. The individual was issued a warning for Disorderly Conduct. “Other than that we had no trouble at all at the event,” he said. “It was very peaceful.”
Bitter Root Water Forum’s ‘Earth Stewardship Program’ goes virtual School has looked a little different this spring. Students, teachers, parents and more have needed to adapt. In previous years, the Bitter Root Water Forum has hosted field trips in May for their Earth Stewardship Program. The Earth Stewardship Program is a year-long effort with seventh grade students that features monthly classroom visits from community educators and wraps up with environmental education field trips. Due to
done this without their dedicated support. This funding will allow us to continue being a library that everyone can be proud of and find value in.” The levy will generate an additional $143,000 per year in revenue for the continuing operation of the library. This summer, the library plans to replace its roof at an approximate cost of $50,000. In addition to funding necessary maintenance projects, the increased revenue will allow the library to expand its programming for youth and families, purchase additional materials for the library’s collection, provide access to take-home technology devices such as wireless hot spots, and keep up with the costs associated with meeting the demands for library services and materials from a growing population in the Bitterroot Valley.
students learning from home this spring, the field trips were adapted to a virtual format. A student who participated stated they were glad “the videos were fun to watch.” The Bitter Root Water Forum is a local nonprofit that works to bring the community together to protect, enhance, and restore the watershed we all rely on. Their watershed education programs aim to inspire youth and engage adults on various topics related to water resources.
Through on the ground restoration, they work to improve water quality and wildlife habitat in the Bitterroot River and its tributaries. Throughout the 2019-2020 school year, seventh graders at Victor, Lone Rock, Corvallis, and Darby middle schools have welcomed many speakers into their life science classrooms. Students came to expect a monthly visit from a local professional who See WATER FORUM, page 9
The Stevensville Town Council held its first regular council meeting since March on June 4th at the North Valley Public Library’s community room. The change of venue was to accomodate for social distancing due to COVID-19 concerns. Meetings will continue to be held there for the time being. The Stevensville Town Council balked once again at approving an annexation request from Jesse Reeves, owner of a 26-acre parcel of land adjoining the town’s well field on the southeast edge of town along
Middle Burnt Fork Road. The last time the Council considered it, it was tabled until a contract could be completed with the landowner concerning an easement for the town to access the pond on the property and potentially place more wells. The town had an opportunity to exercise a right of first refusal on the property and purchase it last November. The mayor, based on consultation with staff, recommended purchasing the property because it was a crucial piece in the town’s plans for future development of the well field. The council felt it was not affordable at the time. Reeves had also offered
assurances that he would allow for some sort of easement in exchange for putting his home on the town’s water and sewer system. However, state law requires the town to annex the property if it is going to provide water and sewer services. This led to the initial request for annexation and to the question of completing a contract between the parties concerning the easement. The problem with completing the contract, Mayor Brandon Dewey told the council at its last meeting, is that the town is not prepared.
to the county commissioners and made them aware of the conditions and asked for a bigger, safer place to work. She said the commissioners told them to make a plan. But when they went to get a bid on an engineering for design of a new building or improvements in the old, Morris said that Commissioner Greg Chilcott suggested they go talk to the Victor Fire Department which had just moved to a new station on the edge of town and look into using the old fire hall located just across the street from Victor Park. It only took a 20-minute conversation with the fire chief, she said, to realize what a deal they had found. They started remodeling the building to suit their needs in midJanuary. The County Commissioners put $7,500 into the deal and Morris and the whole Weed District staff jumped in to do the
work. Maybe not all the work, but most of it. “We didn’t do any electrical,” said Morris, “and we didn’t do the framing.” But they did do a lot. They put the walls up to make the new office spaces and sheet-rocked them. They replaced ceiling tiles and put in molding and trim made from re-used building materials. They installed the flooring and the bathroom fixtures, using an old antique dresser for a washstand and old pan for a sink. It sounds funky, but it looks really neat. The road crew including Tom Burge, John Harris, and Joey Bryan all helped in the remodel, bringing tools from home and putting in a lot of sweat. They are very excited about the move. There is a parking bay for every vehicle they have now and a place
See STEVI, page 3
Ravalli County Weed District moves into old Victor Fire Hall By Michael Howell
Ravalli County Weed District employees did not just find a new home to house their operation; they pretty much built it. Or, more exactly, they rebuilt the old Victor Volunteer Fire Department to meet their needs. Just to be clear, they re-modeled the old fire hall themselves with their own sweat, labor and tools. If you ever visited the Weed District headquarters when it was housed in a shop near the airport north of Stevensville, you can appreciate the need for some more suitable accommodations. It was a little like a cross between working in a closet and working in the middle of an active shop. Now, things couldn’t be more different. The turn in events took place last January, according to Kellieann Morris, Noxious Weed Coordinator. She said they went
See WEED DISTRICT, page 8
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