Looking Back for Nov. 23

A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler.

50 Years Ago

November 23, 1972

The new Central and junior high school gym facility will be usable even if the community votes down a special levy necessary to finish it. Some of the public believed it was being forced to accept the special levy or be left with a useless shell of a building. But the building now under construction at First and Spokane, will provide usable physical education space for 60 students an hour even if it is not finished.

40 Years Ago

November 25, 1982

The Bulldog wrestling team couldn't have been happier with their first-place finish at the Hamilton Invitational, their first-ever tournament win. The Bulldogs, with 160 points, edged Darby who finished with 157.5 total points. “I think the win really meant a lot to the kids,” head coach Jim Withrow said. Dennis Spurlock, who wrestled in the 145-pound class, was the only Bulldog to capture first place. Brent Halverson, Steve Osborne, Jeff Burton and Scott Norby each took second.

30 Years Ago

November 26, 1992

The amount of southbound traffic on Wisconsin Avenue at 4:30 p.m. during ski season should be enough to warrant a traffic light at the north end of the proposed new viaduct. MDOT traffic engineers say the existing Y-shaped intersection of the viaduct, Edgewood Place and Wisconsin Avenue doesn’t exceed national guidelines for traffic, “although we’re getting close,” said Jim Weaver, MDOT supervisor.

20 Years Ago

November 21, 2002

The Big Mountain Road project, in the works for 13 years, would be delayed until 2007. The state set aside $6 million to reconstruct the five miles of road but the final construction cost estimates came in at $12 million. A Kalispell resident opposed using county taxpayer dollars for the road and called it “illegal.” “I can’t get these airhead county commissioners to come to the plate. I talked to Gary Hall and he said it was very interesting. He said he would look into it,” the resident said.

10 Years Ago

November 21, 2012

New cost estimates for the Whitefish High School construction project came in at $135 per square foot, which was $5 less than the original estimate. “We’re really excited about the plan and we’re within the budget,” said Baynard Dominick, the district’s consultant for the project. After creating design plans and acquiring construction cost estimates, the projected cost was $1.32 million over budget. The design team was making changes to bring the project within budget.