Looking Back: Kurtz is citizen of year, bypass mulled, inclusionary zoning OK'd
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
November 15, 1973
House Bill 465 provided that the department of Health and Environmental Sciences “shall adopt reasonable rules…” to enforce the new law chapter. The State Board of Health adopted such rules and has conducted public hearings on their content. The new subdivision regulations were essentially a tightening of the previously existing regulations. Some important differences in the new regulations included requirements for a registered professional engineer to design all community water or sewer systems and that no subsurface sewage disposal would be approved on the 100-year flood plain.
40 Years Ago
November 17, 1983
The 1983 Citizen of the Year award was bestowed upon longtime Whitefish resident Norm Kurtz. Charles Abell of the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, made the presentation to Kurtz in front of a dinner gathering of 113 people. Kurtz was recognized for his years of involvement in community activities in Whitefish. Kurtz said he believed that people in the community should not necessarily be thanked for their efforts. He said that everyone who is able to live here always ‘owes’ Whitefish whatever they can give.
30 Years Ago
November 18, 1993
Recent consideration of highway bypasses along Karrow and Baker Avenues and development throughout Whitefish sparked the interest of some who live in the southwest neighborhoods. “There’s not a lot going on right now, but people need to watch out and be aware of what may happen,“ said West Third Street resident Michele Hand. The neighborhood boasts a diverse mix of commercial, residential, recreational, agricultural and even industrial zoning and the Whitefish City LImits zig-zag the city’s southwest border, making planning confusing.
20 Years Ago
November 13, 2003
The Whitefish City Council would vote on a proposed mandatory affordable housing program for developers that, if passed, would have been the first of its kind in Montana. The city-county planning board unanimously decided to recommend a plan that would require developers to provide workforce housing in exchange for city incentives to offset the cost. Planners also recommended inclusionary zoning which required developers to provide affordable homes within their development projects.
10 Years Ago
November 13, 2013
A record $1.4 million was given to nearly 100 local nonprofits at the 13th annual Whitefish Community Foundation Grant Awards Presentation at the O’Shaughnessy Center. In 2012, about $345,000 was awarded. Foundation board president Carol Atkinson could only describe the evening as “awesome.” “It’s growing at a really good clip,” Atkinsons said. “When we started 13 years ago, we handed out $7,000.”