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Wednesday, 07 May 2008 |
By Buck Traxler, I-O Editor
With Whoop-Up being right around the corner, June 7-8, the city council passed a variety of requests for activity for the weekend, or services, all under one umbrella.
Approved were the Rhubarb Festival having vendors on Main St., use of a garbage truck by the Lions Club at their morning breakfast and at the Whoop-Up grounds, requests for a police escort at the children’s and general parade, use of Legion Park for the Stick Horse Rodeo and a cake walk, and request to sell poppies.
Six building permits were approved, one at 509 S. Delaware for a house addition, 8 4th Ave. E., sidewalk; 16 N. Delaware, new fence; 116 N. Front, wire fence; 113 S. Virginia, deck work; and 95 Mountain View, fence.
The Northern Transit Interlocal sent a letter to the council requesting the second half of requested funds, $2,500.
The bus service to Great Falls and Kalispell has been in service for 17 days and there have been 96 riders through April. Mayor John Shevlin commented, “I think it is doing well and we’re seeing a few repeat riders.” This was already a budgeted item and was passed by the council.
Aldermen passed Resolution-967, which reinstates the city planning board, and dissolved the consolidated planning board, repealing R-958.
When passed in December ’07, R-958 established a board that included Pondera County and the Town of Valier to help with growth policy decisions. Because of changes in the way the city plans to implement its growth policy, it was felt that the city no longer wished to participate in a consolidated board with the county and Valier.
The resignation of Dave Froslie was accepted and on the recommendation of Rick Anderson, Public Works Director, Matt Fowler was hired to replace him.
Chief Gary Dent gave a report noting the CPD received 171 calls in April. In part, there were seven domestic situations, one business found open, seven vandalism cases, 19 traffic citations, one DUI issued and one ride home from a bar.
Anderson reported that the Interlocal had been doing sewer clean up in Cut Bank and now the truck was in Conrad for the next two weeks. He noted alley clean up will be on May 12.
Crews will be making only one trip through each alley. To make sure that everything you want picked up is out by 7:30 a.m. on May 12.
Crews will pick up trash, tree limbs and discarded items placed in the alleys. They will not enter private property. Crews will pick up appliances and tires, but only if they have a discard permit attached, which can be purchased at city hall. For more information, call the city office at 271-3623.
A request was approved to have 4-H club dog training classes in the Swimming Pool Park and for roads around Legion Park to be temporarily closed for a bike-a-thon fund-raiser on May 17.
City employees voted 15-7 to move forward in possibly getting health insurance through MMI. The council will have another work session on this project in the near future.
The next regular meeting of the council will be May 19, 7:30 p.m. in city hall, 411 ½ S. Main. |
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Wednesday, 07 May 2008 |
 NICE DONATION – Several Pondera 4-H Shooters present Randy Brenteson of the Pondera Shooting Sports Club a check for $10,370 to help make a shooting sports complex outside of Conrad. The complex will serve the whole community. The 4-H is one of several groups who will utilize the building for training, meetings and competitions. From the left is Clint Judisch, Krista Judisch, Dawson Berg, Will Early, Kailey Judisch, Kaylee Taule, Rob Brenteson, R. Brenteson, and Blaine Berg. I-O Photo by Buck Traxler
They donated $10,000 – that is not a typo – to the Pondera Shooting Sports Club so a building could be built.
“We need a place to shoot,” said Clint Judisch, 8, who succinctly summarized the reason for the donation.
4-H air rifle and archery participants do not have a permanent place to shoot. Last season, they learned their art and science of shooting at Prairie View School, but had to put up and take down their targets, safety nets and tables each time because the school now houses Conrad’s fourth and fifth grades.
Other shooting clubs face the same challenge.
“The 4-H air rifle and archery kids have been ‘homeless’ for quite a while,” said PSSC board member Randy Brenteson. “The other clubs could use an improved facility, too, so we decided to build one good facility for everybody to use.”
Working Hard for Their Money
The kids earned their donation through several fundraisers. Blaine Berg, among many other dedicated 4-Hers, sold tickets for the rifle that was raffled last winter, sold fireworks at the shooting sports stand, sold hamburgers during Whoop-Up and helped with the coyote calling workshop last winter.
Kaylee Taule, 12, appreciates 4-H shooting sports because it gives her a place and time to shoot her bow. As a kid who lives in town, she does not get many other opportunities.
“And I learn the right form when I shoot my bow, too,” she said.
Kaylee’s mother, Trish Taule, supports her daughter’s dedication.
“She learns a lot about safety, responsibility, sportsmanship and respect for firearms,” Trish Taule said.
Designed to Use
Club directors hope the building will be ready for action by November. Besides 4-H shooters, many people will benefit from a safe, efficient place to learn about all aspects of shooting sports. The Pondera Valley Trap Club, Pondera Valley Small Bore Club, adult archers, hunters’ education, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and families will have an opportunity to shoot. A large meeting room will be available to host regional competitions and educational activities.
“We hope we can meet the needs of all of our area shooting clubs,” Brenteson said.
Still a Long Way to Go
PSSC board members were thrilled with the donation from 4-H and could not be more proud of the kids who worked hard to make the donation possible. They also appreciate a $100 anonymous donation and a $270 contribution made in the memory of Gary Boucher.
Yet, the PSSC still needs to raise more money, namely $50,000 for the first phase of the building.
Many local businesses and individuals already have promised to help with labor and equipment – to the tune of about $150,000. And the club has applied to the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for a significant grant.
“We’re impressed with the generosity of these 4-H kids and the other in-kind donors. Now we challenge other groups to see how they might contribute,” said PSSC treasurer Chris Berg.
How to Help
Contributors can make a tax-deductible donation through the 4-H shooting sports program. That program is a registered non-profit organization. Others can help out by contributing time, money or equipment during construction. Farmers and ranchers can donate a bushel of grain, a calf or a lamb. Or two.
To offer a contribution or to learn more, contact Chris Berg at 278-0156. |
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Wednesday, 07 May 2008 |
 HOMELAND SECURITY – Emergency responder Dave Richardson of the Pondera Medical Center, recently completed Homeland Security training in Anniston, Ala. I-O Photo by Buck Traxler
The CDP is operated by the U. S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and is the only federally chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training facility in the nation.
The CDP provides federally-funded, training for emergency responders from across the United States and U.S. Territories, for 10 responder disciplines: Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Service, Fire Service, Governmental Administrative, Hazardous Materials, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Public Health, Public Safety Communications, and Public Works.
Healthcare and Public Health training is conducted at the CDP’s Noble Training Facility, the nation’s only hospital facility dedicated to training hospital and healthcare professionals in disaster preparedness and response.
Many training courses culminate at the CDP’s Chemical, Ordinance, Biological and Radiological Training Facility, the nation’s only facility featuring civilian training exercises in a true toxic environment, using chemical agents.
The advanced hands-on training enables responders to effectively prevent, respond to, and recover from real-world incidents involving acts of terrorism and other hazardous materials.
Responders attending CDP training are specially selected from the nation’s 11 million emergency responders. Training at the CDP ensures that responders gain critical skills and confidence to be better prepared to effectively respond to local incidents or potential WMD incidents.
Additional information about CDP training programs can be found at http://cdp.dhs.gov. For more information, contact Kathy Wood, CDP communications Director at 256-847-2316.
Editor’s note: FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering form all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror. |
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