As most folks know, spring in Montana is unpredictable and we are now officially into spring by a couple of weeks. One aspect of spring in Great Falls that is almost always predictable is the annual Great Falls Public School District levy. The District rarely misses the opportunity come springtime to bemoan the shortage of…
In the midst of a conflicts of interest plague, Great Falls seems relegated to loser out status in the tournament of economic development in our state. Why has Great Falls lost population, manufacturing jobs and a brighter outlook for the future? Certainly, Great Falls Development Authority chief Brett Doney’s stated solution to the problem: “we…
A meeting yesterday between the City’s Planning staff and GFPS representatives about the District’s plan to buy the Campfire property located at 1925 2nd Avenue South, demolish the historic building and build a pocket parking lot, produced some disappointing news. It could also be viewed as some good news if you feel the District’s plan…
In our previous posts addressing solutions for solving the parking shortage for GFHS, we have outlined the school district’s plan and our plan. Another Bad Decision What About The Zoning? Solutions Anyone? 7-0 Currently, GFHS has approximately 380 on-campus parking spots, which is by conservative measure about 300 short. In order to address the parking…
There exists an emergent trend in the local discourse these days, and it goes something like this: if you oppose something, but didn’t say so on the record at the meeting where it was discussed, then your ideas are not credible, and you need to shut up. It’s an amusing fallacy that, while rhetorically effective…
Sadly, we have to report that the Great Falls Public School District, with a vote of 7 to 0, effectively decided to demolish the historic Hi School Store (Campfire building) at 1925 2nd Avenue South to make room for a small surface parking lot. With unanimous support of your elected school board trustees, the…
At the School Board meeting on February 2, 2018, on the agenda item concerning the sale of more bonds from the nearly $100 million dollar bond levy, the audience was asked to provide public comment. According to citizen Cyndi Baker, this is what happened next: “I raised my hand and asked if there was a…
Other than Jenn Rowell, do you know who else deserves some credit? City Commissioner Mary Moe! At last night’s City Commission meeting, Moe voted against a measure that would have raised usage fees for the City’s swimming pools. From the original reporting in the aforementioned Rowell’s The Electric: Commissioner Mary Moe, who had asked that…
Do you subscribe to Superintendent Tammy Lacey’s newsletter? It’s called Tammy’s Top 10 on Tuesday. If you’re interested in public education in Great Falls, you should. Not only does it have an alliterative title, it also contains a lot of useful, interesting information. One item that got my attention in yesterday’s letter was the third heading…
You know who deserves some credit? Jenn Rowell, that’s who! Rowell is a former Tribune reporter who now runs The Electric, a local news site. Unfortunately, she seems a little upset with us today. This morning we ran a story about HUD coming down on various conflicts of interest within the city’s CDBG program. We…