Looking Back for April 19
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler.
50 Years Ago
April 19, 1973
A long discussion on the relative merits of various extracurricular sports programs highlighted the District 44 school board regular meeting. The discussion followed a sports budget presentation with a report that broke down the costs of interscholastic sports. Studying the figures, board member Mrs. Jessie Michels observed, “This looks like it’s for a boys’ school. I only see one sport here for girls, and that’s track.” Principal Joe Malletta agreed heatedly and said, “Only 3% of this budget is for girls. Every year we are financing the same programs for the same boys. We need to re-evaluate the whole program.”
40 Years Ago
April 21, 1983
More than $10 million in state funds was to be spent on Flathead roads between 1983 and 1985. The money was to come from the Reconstruction Trust Account, which was created when Gov. Ted Schwinden signed House Bill 730. Much of the money was earmarked for two large projects, Highway 2 from Hungry Horse to Coram and Highway 93 from Elmo to Rollins, according to Gary Wicks, director of the Montana Department of Highways.
30 Years Ago
April 22, 1993
The last in a series of public scoping meetings on the environmental impact statement (EIS) for U.S. Highway 93 between Somers and Whitefish was held. CRSS Civil Engineers, Inc., the Denver-based firm that was performing the EIS hosted the meeting, the first phase of the estimated two-year study. Scoping serves to get interested parties involved in the initial identification of areas of concern, development of project goals or the definition of alternatives to be addressed in the EIS.
20 Years Ago
April 17, 2003
Whitefish Lake water quality wasn't too bad but it was declining. Jack Stanford, limnologist and director of the Flathead Lake Biological Station, couldn’t tell if development around the lake was to blame, but he did cite reasons why the lake’s water quality was worsening. He said the 2003 Whitefish Country Water and Sewer District study looked at the lake’s nutrient load and compared data from a 1982 study to determine the lake’s current quality. “The results showed symptoms that water quality is declining,” he said. “Things have gotten worse.”
10 Years Ago
April 17, 2013
Developers turned their focus to Whitefish as the possible home for a $70 million resort with a convention center and 150-room upscale hotel. The boutique hotel, built in the style of Glacier Park lodges, would include 400-square-foot guest rooms, a restaurant, indoor and outdoor pools and a spa. A year-round ice skating rink was planned along with a 45,000-square-foot indoor water park with a wave pool and splash park.