Looking Back for August 16
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
August 16, 1973
User fees for campgrounds and picnic areas in the 16 National Forests of the five-state Northern Region had been discontinued, Regional Forester Steve Yurich announced. Yurich explained that a new Federal law, amending the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, describes the facilities necessary before fees can be charged. The new law applies to day-use areas as well as campgrounds and applies to all Federal agencies concerned with management of recreation facilities.
40 Years Ago
August 18, 1983
The Glacier All-Stars reached the top rung of the ladder, thanks in large to the efforts of coaches Bruce McEvoy and Bill LeLievre. First came their victory in the district tournament at Memorial Field. That was followed by winning the state championship in Libby. Then came the biggest surprise when they won the regional tournament in Wheatland, Wyoming, the first time a Montana team had ever done so. They were then off to the Babe Ruth World Series in Frederick, Maryland.
30 Years Ago
August 19, 1993
Bowing to opposition from neighbors and adjoining property owners, the Whitefish City Council shot down a request for an expanded business zone on Wisconsin Avenue. The proposed zone change from residential to commercial was grounded in a request from two property owners who requested the zone change in exchange for an easement across their property. The easement would be used for a new east-west road linking Wisconsin Avenue with Dakota Avenue. “The issue is the zone change, not the road,” said Ed Meek, owner of Alpine Village Market. “It is greedy, call it what you will, but I don’t want to see a grocery store across the street."
20 Years Ago
August 14, 2003
Whitefish Hills Forest developers requested a zone change and amendments to the subdivision regulations and won easy approval from Flathead County Commissioners. A recommendation from the city and county planners that the developer pave 8,000 feet of KM Ranch Road to curtail dust was turned down and commissioners instead proposed a rural special improvement district or RSID to pay for the project. The RSID means the estimated $150,000 cost of pavement would be paid by current residents and the new owners within the subdivision.
10 Years Ago
August 14, 2013
Efforts were underway to annex a number of properties into the city that were wholly surrounded by Whitefish city limits or have city utility connections. During a work session, the Whitefish City Council directed staff to move forward with plans to annex about 50 properties along Houston Drive and 17 on East Lakeshore Drive. “We’ve been trying to concentrate on larger areas that are more substantial in size,” City Manager Chuck Stearns said. “Those that have utilities or are wholly surrounded.”