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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 48
All about bitterroots
www.bitterrootstar.com
Find the latest updates and information on the COVID-19 pandemic at www.bitterrootstar.com Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Stevi approves water & sewer connection without annexation By Michael Howell
The Stevensville Town Council balked once again at annexing a 26-acre parcel of land next to the Town of Stevensville’s well field and instead approved the connection of the future residence on the property to the town’s water and sewer system without annexation while they “research the issue” of annexation. Discussion of the annexation request began with a couple of questions from Councilor Jaime Devlin who asked what precautions were being taken to ensure the town’s water quality was being protected and what steps
were being taken to protect the pond and wetlands located on the property. John Kellogg from PCI Engineering, who is helping property owner Jesse Reeves navigate through the town’s annexation process, told the council that each of the town’s wells was protected by an established zone and all lie within the town’s ownership on town property. He said the wells were also over 400 feet deep and that the wells were also protected by state rules and regulations from negative impacts. He said the best protection for the town’s wells at this point was to annex the property and zone it under C-2. He said
as far as the pond goes, the water right permit for the pond is for fish and wildlife and those are the values protected by the permitting system. Mayor Brandon Dewey clarified for the council that its options in response to the request included annexing and zoning into C-2; C-2 with conditions, or Residential, or with whatever interim conditions they may propose. Councilor Dempsey Vick moved to approve annexation under Interim R-1 zoning that would allow Reeves to run his home-based construction business. See STEVI, page 3
Stevensville recall election set
Johnny “Bitterroot” Stroud has a passion for all things Bitterroot, especially the bitterroot flower (Lewisia rediviva) that our valley is named after. Stroud works tirelessly to ensure the survival of this unique plant. Stroud needs help to collect bitterroot seeds this season. The plants bloom the first three weeks of June. Seeds get harvested three weeks after they bloom. John will teach anyone interested how to do this. Call 880-8286 or 777-5054. John doesn’t sell these seeds; he gives them away in order to make sure the bitterroot plant will not become extinct. He’s shown here at the Stevensville Farmers Market, sharing his knowledge of the Montana state flower with anyone who will listen. Victoria Howell photo.
The Special Election to Recall Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey is scheduled for August 4, 2020. Registration for the election will close at 5 p.m. on July 6, 2020. Dewey has submitted his response to the recall allegations. The recall petition alleges that Dewey violated Montana law, and municipal code and his oath of office by making an illegal contract deal for the town’s IT services without council approval. The mayor’s response, which will appear on the ballot along with the recall language, reads: “The Mayor did not violate Montana Law, Stevensville Code, or his oath in authorizing the purchase of IT services needed for the Town. The Town’s Attorney investigated and determined that all purchasing activities were done legally and compliant with laws. “Montana law has a process for bidding when dealing with “other than professional, technical, engineering, or legal services.” This process does not apply to IT services. According to MCA 7-5-4301 contracts for professional, technical, engineer-
ing, or legal services are excluded from certain provisions. “The Council adopted a Purchasing Policy in 2014 to delegate authority to departments and the Mayor for purchases in varying dollar amounts. Though this policy, the Council puts trust in the Mayor to spend within the budget without direct oversight. “The purchasing policy states that for other professional services, including non-construction services totaling between $1,501 - $25,000 per agreement, purchases contained in the current fiscal year budget …, Department Supervisor’s need only get confirmation by the Mayor prior to purchasing.” “With Council’s approval in the 2019-2020 Budget, the services totaling less than $25,000 in FY2019-2020 was consented to by the Town Council. The Council had authorized several payments to the vendor after the Mayor authorized the purchase.” If Stevensville residents miss the regular registration deadline, they may still register for the election by showing up at the county election office up to
By then, the family had expanded and expanded again. Now David Huls worked the farm along with his father, milking cows, raising hay and grain, and kids. The dairy became a ‘Grade A’ dairy, according to Tim Huls, one of David and Jennie’s sons. “I don’t know if it was the first but it was one of the first Grade A dairies in the valley,” said Tim. The milk was sold to the Missoula Community Creamery at that time. There were quite a number of Grade A dairies in the Corvallis area and so they formed Western Dairy Lines and sold their milk to Safeway in Butte for several years. Other plants that Huls Dairy shipped its milk to over the years were the cheese factory in Corvallis, the Creamery in Stevensville, Ravalli County Creamery in Hamilton, and for the past 35 years, Country Classic Dairies Co-Op in Bozeman. Dave and Jennie’s family grew as the dairy grew. Dan, Bruce, Tim, Julie, and Jeff joined their parents in working on the farm. All graduates of Corvallis High School, some went off to college. But, as properties around the dairy were put up for sale, the boys purchased these acreages and came home to work. The work was divided up according to the property purchased as well as who
was more suited to do the different duties. Dan and Bruce handled much of the farming, planting, irrigating and harvesting alfalfa and grain. In 1977, Dave and Jennie purchased Howe’s Creamery in Hamilton. They continued the tradition of making great ice cream. In addition, they added the Hamilton House bottled milk and a full line of dairy products. That same year, Tim and Jeff purchased the home place and continued on with the milking. There is more to milking cows than just milking them. Baby calves must be fed, replacement heifers raised and ongoing breeding. There are a lot of records to keep on all the cattle so that the best cows are kept and they are milking to their best effort. Tim’s wife, Trudy, handled much of the cattle management and then became the bookkeeper for the business. Dave passed away in 1985 in an auto accident but the family continued on with the dairy. In 1990, the farm was incorporated into Huls Dairy, Inc. with Dan, Bruce, Tim and Jeff as the owners. The property that each of the boys owned was then leased by the corporation and the property owned as tenants in common was transferred to the ownership of Huls Dairy Inc., according to
and including on Election Day. Between noon and the close of business on the day before Election Day, they can complete and submit a voter registration card, but will need to return in person to the Ravalli County Election Office on Election Day to pick up and vote a ballot. All qualified active and inactive electors of the Town of Stevensville are entitled to vote in said election. Ballots will be mailed to Active Electors only on July 15, 2020. If you are a registered voter and do not receive a ballot, contact the county election office to update your information as necessary and receive a ballot. Persons who wish to register and who are not presently registered may do so by requesting a form for registration by mail or by appearing at the Ravalli County Election Office, 215 South 4th Street, Suite C, Hamilton, Montana. If you have moved, please update your registration information by filling out a new voter registration card and submitting it to the Ravalli County Election Office.
‘Another one’s gone’ – Huls Dairy stops milking By Jean Schurman
The last cow was milked on Memorial Day at the Huls Dairy barn located on Simpson Lane, northeast of Corvallis. It was the end of an era that began in 1910 when Spencer Smith Huls and his wife, Inez, began milking cows on the farm located on Sutherland
Lane, directly west of the current dairy location. The dairy at that time was a Grade B dairy which meant that the cream was more valuable as it was used for butter and ice cream. The remaining liquid, whey, was then fed to hogs on the farm. In 1924, A. Spencer Huls, Inez and Spencer, along with his
wife, Marie Sutherland, joined the family farm and continued farming and milking. In 1948, Spencer and his son, Dave, continued the tradition of a family partnership and began working together. The dairy continued operating this way until the early 1950’s when the rules governing milk production changed.
This family photo hangs on the wall of the milking barn at Huls Dairy along with many other awards and family photos. Shown are Dave and Jennie Huls with their children: Tim, Jeff, Julie, Bruce, and Dan.
hulsdairy.com. Working closely with family can be a good thing or it can be a bad experience. Dan said his dad had showed them how to get along and how important it was for each of them to communicate with one another. “It’s not for everyone,” concluded Dan. The next few years was a time of expansion and improvements for the dairy. They purchased the property just to the east of the main farmstead and built a new milking barn, one that was state-of-the-art. The milking barn not only was a milking barn but also the data center for the entire dairy. Each cow had an ID and they were tracked for how much they were eating as well as how much milk they were giving. The old dairy on Sutherland Road became the nursery and place for the younger heifers. Among the many awards they received over the years, the 2000 Montana Family Business of the Year award is probably one of their most coveted. They received the award from Montana State University in the oldest family business category. The Huls family then set upon their next project, the waste management system consisting of a methane digester, settling See HULS DAIRY, page 2