Looking Back for Aug. 9
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler.
50 Years Ago
August 9, 1973
Water rights in the State of Montana and particularly those in the Flathead area were the subject of discussion by Nancy Leifer of the University of Montana Biological Station at Yellow Bay, Bigfork, Montana, at the Whitefish City Council meeting. Leifer informed the council of plans to hold a public meeting to gather information on future water needs for the area and stated, “the statewide plan, to be finished by 1977, will stand as our claim against future water demands of the entire nation and deserves all the support we can give it.”
40 Years Ago
August 11, 1983
Funding for a new Whitefish Post Office was approved and an official announcement of where it will be built was expected in the following weeks. Jerry Reynolds, a spokesman for the postal service’s regional office in San Bruno, California, said the site on Baker Avenue between Fourth and Fifth Streets was the one likely to be chosen. Jerry Hanson, an agent with the Whitefish Land Office, said he has been in contact with the postal service every day that week. He said the appraisal the postal service had done was lower than the asking price on the property.
30 Years Ago
August 12, 1993
The Whitefish City Council met in a special meeting to approve the 1993-94 city budget and discuss a replacement for outgoing council member Donna Maddux. Prior to the meeting, the council interviewed Lin Akey and Karen Lauridsen for Maddux’s position and later voted unanimously to appoint Akey to fill the remaining two years of Maddux’s term. Doug Gilbertson and Victor Workman also expressed interest in the position, but both were running for open council spots in the November election and were, therefore, not considered.
20 Years Ago
August 7, 2003
A group of community leaders who preferred to see North Valley Hospital remain centrally located in Whitefish stated its case before the hospital’s advisory committee that was reviewing the relocation proposal to a site near U.S. 93 and Montana 40. Three alternatives to the U.S. 93/Montana 40 site, according to the study group, included city property on Baker Avenue, rebuilding the hospital at campus using additional property from the Greenwood Trailer Park and acreage owned by the Harrell family and rebuilding at the existing hospital location. “We don’t favor one plan over another, but we favor all of them over moving out on Highway 93,” said Don Nelson, a downtown business owner and member of the Whitefish Hospital Study Group.
10 Years Ago
August 7, 2013
The city of Whitefish’s preliminary budget was looking better than expected as more numbers were finalized. The city was expecting to increase its year-end cash balance by placing 12% of the budget into reserve, compared with the 10% anticipated for reserve during the initial budget talks. The city was expecting to place $1.12 million into the cash reserve at the end of the 2014 fiscal year. The property tax rate was expected to stay steady at 120.4 mills.