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Volume XXXVI, Number 11
Traveling Brewfest?!
www.bitterrootstar.com
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Zoning Board of Adjustments to hear controversial request concerning church expansion
By Michael Howell
The Hamilton Zoning Board of Adjustments (ZBA) is set to hear a request from the St. Francis of Assisi church, representing the Roman Catholic Bishop of Helena, to build a larger church on its existing property at 411 South 5th Street in Hamilton. The church property is zoned Residential Single Family. The meeting will be conducted remotely via Zoom (go to www.cityofhamilton.net) on Monday, October 5 at 5:30 p.m. The church reconstruction project as proposed will increase the building’s capacity, requiring more parking spaces. Due to increased parking requirements and proposed building designs, the church is also asking for three associated variances. The proposal has been controversial and some residents in the area have lodged objections.
As a result the ZBA has considered establishing a 3-hour limit for the whole meeting. The applicant would be limited to 15 minutes to make a presentation and the “neighbors” would be allowed 15 minutes to comment. Each “side” will also be given a chance to make a 10-minute summary after the entire public comment had been received. The board will vote to approve or deny the Conditional Use Permit. If it is approved, the three variance requests will be considered and voted on each in its own turn. Public comment will be accepted before every vote. One variance request involves allowing the steeple to be built to a height of 54 feet 8 inches which is 9’ 8” above the allowed 45-foot building height limit. A second variance would allow for a rear yard setback of 2 feet to the rear of the property line rather than the 20-foot setback currently
required. A third variance requests allowing 133 parking spaces (65 off-street and 68 on-street) to count towards the total parking spaces required, providing improvements be made to the curb, sidewalk, gutter and street where the majority of that parking will occur. The City recently received a comment in opposition to the project from former District Court Judge and former Hamilton City Judge Jim Haynes who owns property in the area. For one thing, Haynes believes that the City needs to address the issue found in staff reports that the church has violated and continues to violate the terms of its 2005 Conditional Use Permit (CUP) allowing for the current building. “These violations must be addressed and corrected before
bucket-full or $5 per five-gallon bucket-full to have your glass recycled and help save the planet by reducing what is deposited into our local landfills. Montana has not yet established a glass recycling infrastructure, and there are no bottle manufacturers in the state to melt and reuse our glass. Recycling Works in Missoula collects, crushes, and stores glass locally and then ships it down to Momentum Recycling in Salt Lake City. Momentum is the closest process-
ing facility with the means to efficiently create and use aggregate. “They do a fantastic job of separating and sorting glass so it can be turned back into bottles and products like home insulation and sandblasting material. We are also happy to support local projects that utilize our glass for reuse purposes,” said Ted Geilan of Recycling Works. Ravalli County Recycling, the non-profit that recently closed
See CHURCH, page 3
Glass recycling event scheduled By Michael Howell
Al Mitchell, Executive Director of the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce, invites you to support the Chamber and have a good time, too, by purchasing a glass filled with tickets that are good at several of the valley’s breweries and cidery. Jodi Wright photo.
The City of Hamilton, Ravalli County Recycling, and Recycling Works of Missoula have teamed up to provide a glass recycling opportunity for Bitterrooters on Saturday, October 3rd at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The recycling event will take place at the north end of the Fairgrounds and can be accessed by entering the north gate located on Old Corvallis Road. You pay $1 per gallon
See RECYCLING, page 6
Commissioners recommend Chamber of Commerce to lowering speed limit at Bell hold 26th Annual Brewfest Crossing and Eastside Hwy
By Michael Howell
So where is the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce holding its 26th annual Bitterroot Brewfest fundraiser this year? The short answer is: “Lots of places!” As is the case with many nonprofit organizations in the valley under restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chamber has had to get creative in terms of its fundraising efforts
this year. The annual brewfest has traditionally been the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Due to concerns about large gatherings, the Chamber has decided to hold a small event, limited to only 50 people on the grounds of the Daly Mansion. Called the Bitterroot “Small Batch” Brewfest, the limited event is scheduled to happen on October 10th from 5 to 8 pm. There will
be hors d’oeuvres by Seppi’s Market and live “Oktoberfest” music. Anyone wishing to attend can purchase tickets for $100 each at the Chamber Office in Hamilton or call 363-2400. But what about the rest of us? No problem. You can still support the Chamber by joining in the Traveling Bitterroot Brewfest and downing some of
See BREWFEST, page 11
By Michael Howell
In response to the Montana Department of Transportation’s request for input on the traffic study recently completed for a section of the Eastside Highway stretching from Corvallis to Stevensville, the Ravalli County Commissioners have recommended reducing the speed limit in the area of the intersection of Willoughby Lane and Bell Cross-
ing Road. According to MDT, the study led them to consider potentially lowering the current 65 mph speed limit in the area of Bell Crossing intersection based on accident history and other factors such as traffic congestion in the area and some visibility issues near the intersection. They suggested that lowering the existing speed limit from 65 mph in some stretches to 60 mph as it currently
is on the stretch from Hamilton to Corvallis, could also be considered. The Ravalli County Commissioners, after reviewing the study, said that they agreed with the MDT findings and recommended reducing the speed limit at the Bell Crossing intersection to 45 mph. They specifically stated that they did not recommend any other 60 mph speed zones between Corvallis and Stevensville.
Conduct of Stevi council president to be addressed at COW meeting
By Michael Howell
An effort to move forward in putting Stevensville Town Council President Bob Michalson on trial by fellow council members was sidelined at the last council meeting for further discussion in a Committee of the Whole meeting. On July 9, 2020, council member Jaime Devlin preferred
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charges against council member Bob Michalson alleging Code of Conduct violations, ex-parte communication, and improper influence of an elected official. Following Robert’s Rules of Order, this initiated a process in which the Mayor was required to investigate the allegations and schedule a trial before the Town Council to address the charges. Mayor Dewey issued the results
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of his investigation on September 11, 2020 in a memo in which he “outlines a pattern of unprofessional and disruptive behavior by Michalson in his official capacity as a Town Council member.” Michalson’s conduct as a council member came under scrutiny previously when former Town Clerk Audrey Tribbensee filed a complaint with the Mayor alleging she was being bullied
and harassed. An independent investigation was conducted by a Missoula attorney that found, after interviewing all council members and all town staff, that Michalson’s conduct met the definition of “bullying and harassment” contained in the Town’s Personnel Policy. However, the policy did not include any penalties for such conduct. A lawsuit filed by the former clerk seeking close to
$500,000 reparations is still in litigation. Michalson later resigned but then was elected to serve again and took office again in January 2020. The current investigation and report conducted by the Mayor only considered allegations about Michalson’s conduct since taking office again this year up through July 9. The report includes examination of a couple dozen emails
and Facebook posts by Michalson, a letter of resignation from Town Clerk Monica Hoffman, an open letter to the public by town employees and an affidavit from council member Dempsey Vick. Mayor Dewey put Michalson on notice back in March, emailing him a “courtesy reminder” that he must adhere to the Town’s Code of Conduct. See STEVI, page 3
MARSHALL Paid for by Ron Marshall for HD 87 . 840 South 1st . Hamilton, MT 59840
HD 87