Looking Back: County refuses to maintain and repair Wisconsin Avenue
Whitefish High School football players used the Big Mountain's CLIMB event as an informal practice in 1994. Players donned their jerseys and hiked the five miles to the summit. (Photo by Ted Burnham)
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
Aug. 15, 1974
The budget for fiscal year 1974 for the city of Whitefish was up substantially from the previous tax year. The new budget called for expenditures of $816,798.65 compared to $670,755.22 in 1973. The total to be raised by taxation in 1974 was $157,266.69 with a levy of 61 mills. The city’s budget for fiscal year 1974 showed a general fund budget of $180,000,63.36. The general fund budget included salaries for all city officials, maintenance of buildings, Health Department, insurance premiums, examiner fees, street lights and miscellaneous expenses. The street and alley costs were budgeted at $103,550.05. Parks and playgrounds got a budget of $17,131.17.
40 Years Ago
Aug. 16, 1984
Maintenance and repair of Wisconsin Avenue in Whitefish was the responsibility of the city, according to Charlie Phillips, supervisor of the county's road and bridge department. Philips said his crews and machinery would not be used any longer on that road. For the first time, the county refused any responsibility for the secondary highway, which had been annexed into Whitefish. Phillips said his department does not work on those highways which fall within city limits. “The town has responsibility unless they prove different,” he said.
30 Years Ago
July 11, 1994
Fire conditions in the state were so dry that the Whitefish fire department estimated a fire starting at the bottom of Big Mountain could reach the top within 45 minutes. Due to that threat, the Flathead County disaster team spent two days on Big Mountain passing out copies of a fire evacuation plan. The plan divides Big Mountain into two distinct areas, one below Ptarmigan Village, one above. In case an evacuation of the area is necessary, residents in Ptarmigan Village and above were asked to go up the mountain to the Big Mountain Complex. Those who live below Ptarmigan Village were directed to go to Whitefish Central School.
20 Years Ago
July 12, 2004
In the wake of a fatal electrocution of an 18-year-old boy in Whitefish Lake, the Whitefish Lakeshore Protection Committee introduced specifications to improve safety standards for waterline pumps in the lake. The lakeshore committee proposed that all submersible pumps on the lake be equipped with a ground fault breaker and that the electrical line feeding the pump be encased with rigid plastic. If the committee and the Whitefish City Council would approve the specifications it would make Whitefish Lake protection some of the most comprehensive in the state.
10 Years Ago
July 13, 2014
Construction began on a new building on the vacant lot at the corner of Baker Avenue and Second Street. The Galleries would be a two-story building housing retail space on the first floor and lodging on the second, according to Tyler Frank with Malmquist Construction. "It will be a good addition to Whitefish,” Frank said. “It will be a good connection of stores for Second Street.”