Looking Back: Sign ordinance discussed
Many construction projects were underway around Whitefish during the summer of 1984 and one of the most visible was the Pin and Cue bowing alley, located next to Safeway. Chris Kirchofffer was one of the carpenters working on the building which was expected to open Oct. 1. (Photo by Hugh Conklin)
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
Aug. 22, 1974
Whitefish Junior Rifle Club shooters competed in some very windy weather at the Junior Outdoor Position Regional meet in Anaconda. Whitefish took first in the team match with a total score of 1,377. Team members participating were Kathy Svee with 351, Julie Svee with a score of 344, Eddie Hale with a 343 and Velma Svee scoring 339. The team scores were taken from 20 shots prone and 20 shots standing.
40 Years Ago
Aug. 23, 1984
Councilman Gary Stephens asked the Whitefish City Council to approve the first reading of an ordinance which would have regulated the size, height and design of signs in and around whitefish. He was successful in convincing only Vince Caciari and Mayor Jim Putnam and as a result the ordinance was sent to the land-use committee for further review. Putnam said the city needs a sign ordinance, not because of signs now in the city, but for those that may be built in the future. “This has been going on long enough,” Putnam said. “It's either time to pass it or forget it.”
30 Years Ago
July 18, 1994
Lin Akey resigned from the city council after a year of service but said his community involvement was far from over. Akey, 41, who was appointed to the Whitefish City Council to replace Donna Maddux in July 1993, turned in a letter of resignation. “I'm not leaving the council for any other reason than business and time restraints,” Akey said. “I spent the whole month of July traveling and I found I just don't have the time. If I had the time, I would continue to do it.” Akey worked at Mountain Bank for Robert Thomas Securities, a full-service brokerage house. As a regional manager, Akey said his job takes him out of the Flathead several times a month and out of Montana nearly every other month.
20 Years Ago
July 19, 2004
Gladys Border and her husband moved to their little piece of Whitefish in 1952. "You could see across the fields to Columbia Mountain,” she recalled. Enormous pine and large trees reach up to the sky around her and they’re not the only foreboding presence for the 90-year-old Border. “Taxes are tough. They’ve gone sky high in the last 20 years,” Border said. She knows there are many who are worse off than she. She has seen tough times and has learned to be thankful for what she has.
10 Years Ago
July 20, 2014
With little discussion and no public comment Whitefish City Council unanimously approved a $40.4 million budget for the 2015 fiscal year. The total was at an 11.54 increase over last year. The budget included a 4.16% or $110,242 increase in revenue from property taxes because of a 3.47% increase in the city's certified taxable valuation, and because of a 0.8 mil levy increase allocated to the city’s library. “Whitefish has historically had very low property tax mill levy rates because of our resort tax rebate for property tax reductions, high property valuations, and maintenance district assessments,” said City Manager Chuck Stearns.