Community packs meeting for Lakeshore discussion
By Amelia Wood
PBM Editor
Georgetown Lake residents packed out the County Commissioner’s meeting on Tuesday, April 9, for a discussion with the Forest Service concerning the maintenance of Lakeshore Drive.
The county recently posted signage on the road informing users that, as of Saturday, June 1, Granite County will no longer provide any maintenance services on the road. This encouraged a large number of residents to vocalize their confusion and dissatisfaction with the development.
The county began the discussion reviewing the various factors that led to the decision, including safety concerns, suspected vandalism, and the lack of available county funds to properly address the current state of the road.
Commissioners, along with the County Attorney Blaine Bradshaw, explained that a number of residents have expressed concerns over safety on the road, while at the same time speed bumps and signs seem to have been removed. Commissioner McLure also noted that the costs of reconstruction repairs have increased from $50,000 (pre-COVID) to $400,000 (based on a recent bid).
“We know the road needs to be fixed,” said McLure, but the repairs needed cannot be supported by the current budget.
Generally, the Commission expressed
See Packs page 15
PBM Editor
Georgetown Lake residents packed out the County Commissioner’s meeting on Tuesday, April 9, for a discussion with the Forest Service concerning the maintenance of Lakeshore Drive.
The county recently posted signage on the road informing users that, as of Saturday, June 1, Granite County will no longer provide any maintenance services on the road. This encouraged a large number of residents to vocalize their confusion and dissatisfaction with the development.
The county began the discussion reviewing the various factors that led to the decision, including safety concerns, suspected vandalism, and the lack of available county funds to properly address the current state of the road.
Commissioners, along with the County Attorney Blaine Bradshaw, explained that a number of residents have expressed concerns over safety on the road, while at the same time speed bumps and signs seem to have been removed. Commissioner McLure also noted that the costs of reconstruction repairs have increased from $50,000 (pre-COVID) to $400,000 (based on a recent bid).
“We know the road needs to be fixed,” said McLure, but the repairs needed cannot be supported by the current budget.
Generally, the Commission expressed
See Packs page 15
Committee pursues $2.75M tourism grant |
P-Burg administrator discusses job openings |
By Luke Ulatowski
Big names in Deer Lodge are pitching for a $2.75 million state grant to increase the city’s tourism. Brand MT’s Pilot Community Tourism Grant Program was created and funded by Senate Bill 540 and signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte on May 19 last year. The program lists “under-visited” communities See Grant page 14 |
By Amelia Wood
PBM Editor The common refrain, “not enough jobs to go around,” is often turned upside down in rural education and Philipsburg is no exception. High school principal and superintendent, Tom Gates, recently stated “generally, there are just not enough young people coming into education to balance out the number of teachers retiring or transitioning into another career.” At last week’s school board meeting, Gates read out a number of resignation notices and various other positions the school will be looking to fill in the near future. “We will be beginning the search for at least one elementary school teacher and, more than likely, an additional special education teacher for k-12.” But teaching positions only scratch the surface of the school’s needs. “We are always in need of cooks, custodians, substitutes, interpreter subs, bus drivers, activity drivers and paraprofessionals,” said Gates. “We understand this type of staffing can be difficult to fill in a small community,” continued Gates, “but we are trying to get the word out about these positions. These are the people that make the school day go smoothly, supporting students and staff alike.” The meeting also touched on the upcoming election, to be held May 7, which will feature a number of important issues including a technology levy and the open school board positions. Following Chairperson Sara Rouse’s recent move, there will be two open seats on the board; Denyse Lizer is hoping to be re-elected to her current seat while Jennier Graham has also put her name in the hat. Both are three-year terms. The ballot will be mailed out only and can be mailed back or dropped at the school. |