For good reason, Great Falls High School’s historic original building, built in 1930, was recognized in 2017 by Architectural Digest Magazine as one of the Most Beautiful Public High Schools in America. During 1965, my class was the last to graduate before CMR was built. At the peak of its utilization, 3,000 students attended in…
I was born in Great Falls, am a 1965 alumnus of Great Falls High School, gained a Masters in Architecture from MSU during 1973, and started my architectural practice during 1978 in Calgary. I have successfully completed many architectural projects in several States and Canadian Provinces. Locally, my family has owned businesses and has built…
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…
The following was posted on Facebook by Great Falls mom Kelsie Semple on Tuesday, February 27th, 2018. E-City Beat is publishing the post with Kelsie’s permission. The content is unedited. There are minor formatting edits for easier readability. You can find responses from Big Sky Bus Lines and the Great Falls Public School District in…
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…
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…
In yesterday’s piece, “Another Bad Decision”, we questioned whether it would be wise for the GFPS District to purchase the existing historic Campfire Girls’ property at 1925 2nd Avenue South adjacent to Great Falls High School, demolish the building and construct a small parking lot for approximately 20 cars at an estimated cost of $10K…