Fallon County
T IMES June 26, 2020
BAKER, MONTANA
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The Baker Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture Bingo ad and Russell’s Clothing Anniversary Sale ad that ran in the June 19 Fallon County Times were funded in part by a grant from the Eastern Montana Economic Development Authority.
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Council, community focuses on need for suspended Recreation Department By Brad Mosher
bmosher@countrymedia.net
Parkview Retirement Complex residents learn about renovation plans By Brad Mosher
bmosher@countrymedia
The residents of Parkview Retirement Complex found out Monday they have some decisions to make - and soon. The three Fallon County commissioners spent more than an hour explaining to residents and guests that they need to answer a question - if they would be willing to move out of their apartments for about eight months. The residents of the complex on Third Street also were asked another question by the three commissioners - whether to start the renovations this year or next. The commissioners also left with some decisions to make - how they can find places for the residents to move to during the renovations - and find the answers before another meeting in several weeks. The meeting was held in the greeting room of the complex with commissioners Deb Ranum, Roy Rost and Steve Baldwin. It was Rost who explained that once the renovations start that the residents would be displaced up to about eight months, but possibly less. “We still have to get this okayed through the county health,” Baldwin explained. “We want to know which direction you want to go - now or next year,” he added. According to Ranum, the complex has been in need of repair for a number of years and it has always been put off. “We have known for years that we would have to fix it up. We just kept putting it off and putting it off and doing other projects.” She admitted that the commissioners needed the two-week break before doing another meeting at Parkview just so they could also get some answers of their own. “We need to get more facts,” she added. Rost told the residents that the county would help in the search for extra housing. He also explained that when the building is vacant, the renovation can start and a big question for the residents is if they want to see it done sooner rather than later. According to the commissioners, there is a vacancy in a second area where one of the residents can move, leaving the county and residents looking for five places to where the remaining residents can move for however long the project takes to complete. According to the people in the building, some of the needed repairs include a carpet with gaps covered by strips of duct tape and also has exposed nails coming through. The residents have also cited problems with drainage where water comes through the walls into the basement and also problems keeping the rooms warm or cool, depending on the season. Rost noted that the residents would lose some of their closet space to have the forced air installed.
Although the City of Baker has suspended its Recreation Department in a cost-cutting battle with the loss of revenues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it still was supported by members of the City Council and almost two dozen residents attending the June 17 meeting in the Fallon County Courthouse. Councilwoman Tracey Goerndt started the discussion when she told the rest of the council the closure of the recreation department will be a hardship for the community, especially with the families that have children. “A lot of the working parents count on their kids having access to the after school programs. It helps them,” the councilwoman explained. She added that with some families, the after school program provides social interaction. “If, by chance we had to charge more, I am sure they would be glad to pay for that.” “If we don’t have that, either they (the children) are going to be at home without supervision or they are going to be on the streets. It is very, very important for these kids to have programs to go to, otherwise, when the parents are working, they are at home,” she said, adding that the Baker community does not have enough daycare. “Some of the kids are older and could stay home, but we want to keep them active. We want to keep them in team sports. We want to do all kinds of activities. That is where they learn a lot of their values – working with other kids,” she said. Councilwoman Pat Ehret added that she didn’t need to be convinced and that the
council was not completely done with it. “We need to see what happens when school starts and go from there. It is a program that is needed. The kids do love it. I worked there for a lot of years and I know that the parents would pay more if they have to,” Ehret explained. “I don’t want to see it go completely, but I think we can just wait and see what is going to happen in August,” she added. Angie Rabbitt, the former director of the recreation department, told the council she thought it was vital to the community. “If you save anything, I would hope that it would be the after school program,” she said from her seat in the audience. “It is the most vital program that we offered. There is a lack of daycare in this community. I am willing to work with anyone, even though I am not employed right now. I would love to see that it is there by the time that school started.” Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the recreation department had to cancel several programs that were money makers, according to Ehret. “She had to cancel the basketball tournament. She’s had to cancel some other things. That is money that was coming into our community and it didn’t come in this year.” “We are a community and we have to stand together … and let’s do it,” Ehret stressed. For Goerndt, it is a chance to look at the department again with the budget coming up. For Luke Holestine, the director of the city’s public works department, it was also a huge issue. “My department would love to help you,” he said. “It is a huge issue and I want it to be resolved because I think this community needs it and deserves it. I think 99.9 percent of everybody here knows it.”
#2 Justin Stieg, #64 Jason Moser, #42 Adrieonna James, #78, Tony Monson, #1 Casey Schladweiler, #428 Bryan Gardner, #102 Shad Bondell
Colstrip, Circle drivers win SCORR titles in opener
Covid Testing
COVID-19 drive thru testing was done in Baker on June 23 in the Fallon County Health Department parking lot. They completed 116 tests. They will do another sentinel testing event in a week or two.
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Obits.................................2 Files of the Times..............3 Chamber...........................4 Classifieds.........................7
For councilwoman Brittany Hoversland, the budget is something that has to come from the departments and city first before it gets to the council. “Do we have a say in funding? Certainly,” she explained. “It is not like we at the council get to set the budget on our own.” Rabbitt said that since she has been temporarily been laid off she no longer can submit a budget to the city for the recreation department. “I just wanted the council to know that it is something important to the community and hopefully we can put it back in the budget,” Goerndt added. The superintendent of the Baker school told the council that he needs to know soon what will happen with the after school program. “If we wait until August it will be too late,” Aaron Skogen explained. “As soon as school starts, we need the after school programs that very day. If we are just discussing it now, we need to get the ball rolling,” he added. Rabbitt told the council members that in her budgets, it was broken into programs and that the council would be able to determine what might be needed if they just brought back the after school program only. According to city clerk/treasurer Kevin Dukart, the department heads will submit their budget request by July 10 and then the budgeting process would move forward. “Then we’ll schedule meetings with the department heads to review those through late July,” he said. “Usually in August (the preliminary budget is done), after we get the taxable evaluation from the state of Montana. When we get that information, we can put in all the revenue estimates and expenditures.”
The Tri Area Racing Association hosted the first 2020 sanctioned race by Montana Short Course Off Road Racing Saturday just west of Baker. According to officials, there were seven Modified cars, 18 Superstock cars and one truck which raced into the night at the off road course north of the Fallon County Shooting Range. Lander Novak of Colstrip won the Superstock competition, followed by Brett Johnson of Glendive, Justin Stieg of Ekalaka, Casey Schladweiler of Glendive and Doug Stieg of Ekalaka. Clint Dietz of Plevna was sixth in the the Superstock competition, ahead of Cheyenne Tarno of Glendive, Darwin Stedman (truck) of Glendive, Doug Goerndt of Baker and Tony Monson of Glendive rounding out the top ten finishers. Tristin Sikveland of Circle finished 11th, beating out Taylor Heaton of Baker, Shad Bondell of Baker, Jeff James of Glendive, Zak Clifton of Glendive, David Adams of Ekalaka, Jason Moser of Baker, Nolan Fisher of Glendive and Ernest Lizer of Baker. In the Modified competition, it was Beau Sikveland of Circle winning. Justin Stieg of Ekalaka was second, followed by Buddy Johnson of Glendive, Trey Adamson of Baker, Jason Smith of Baker, Darwin Stedman of Glendive and Jason Moser of Baker. The next SCORR race is Saturday, June 27, at noon in Ekalaka.
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