May public meeting date set for Courthouse project
A public hearing has been scheduled for the courthouse facilities space project. The hearing will be held May 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Stillwater County Pavilion.
The commissioners received no new correspondence or comments on the courthouse project during the past week.
Contractor
A contractor for the new Road and Bridge Department shop was selected during the Mar. 31 Stillwater County Commissioners meeting.
Great West Engineering reviewed bid packages from contractors that had been opened on Feb. 3. Outback Construction of Missoula was the contractor recommended by Great West out of the seven bids that were received.
Stillwater County Treasurer Jerry Friend said the money for the new shop is already in place.
“It will not raise taxes,” Commissioner Chairman Dennis Shupak said.
Commissioner Maureen Davey said they had been talking about the need for a new shop for several years, and it had always been their intention to build it without needing a bond.
Friend said the old shop has been used for as many years as possible.
The cost of the project will be paid from the capital improvement fund.
Pine Crest Fire
Stillwater County DES Coordinator Carol Arkell said there were 114 people assigned to the fire. Personnel are from a number of agencies, including Columbus Fire Rescue, Park City Volunteer Fire Department, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Stillwater County Sheriff’s Department, Bureau of Land Management, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and fire contractors.
This is another example of how important volunteers are, Davey said, since they stepped up to handle the initial attack on the fire.
Davey said they are asking everyone to be very careful because fire conditions are very high. It does not take much to get something going, she said.
Arkell said it is very important not to light something on fire. A fire lit today could take off two days from now, she said.
Materials Agreement
A materials site agreement between Stillwater County and Tri-Creek Land was also approved during the meeting. The agreement allows for the purchase of up to 60,000 yards of crushed material at a cost of one dollar per yard.
The new materials site will provide gravel for Stockade Road and any other roads in the area.
This is an example of landowners working with the county to help improve roads in the local area, Davey said.
Legislative Update
The legislature is currently considering appropriations bills in both the House and Senate.
“They are going over them with a fine-toothed comb,” Davey said.
Stillwater County Treasurer Jerry Friend mentioned House Bill 621 which had passed a second reading on Saturday, Mar. 28. The bill would “revise tax lien, sale and title laws related to residence tax delinquency,” according to the legislature website.
Friend said the intent of the bill was good, but it was totally impractical for county treasurers.
HB 621 failed in a third reading on Mar. 31 by three votes.