Category: Great Falls

 

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I expect Great Falls residents and business owners will experience a little sticker shock when they see their local property tax bill next month.

After intentionally deceiving the public by not including the individual tax impact data on the ballot, our city commission voted for final approval for Great Falls Park District One. It amounts to mucho millions of dollars which we’ll be paying for in sharp property tax increases for a long, long time.

Yet your city commission still closed the Morony Natatorium, our only remaining indoor public swimming pool.

If you need a little refresher on the dishonesty and intentional deception surrounding the Park District One ballot scam issue the facts are available below.

Park District Deception

Sleight Of Hand?: Something Stinks In Great Falls Park District Number One

 

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I find it interesting that when I point out some of the harsh realities going on in Great Falls the same old group of usual suspects wag their fingers and scold me for being “negative” and not focusing on the “positive”.

It’s almost always the same folks doing the scolding who are partly responsible for the record of failure Great Falls has experienced recently. Failures like extreme poverty skyrocketing in the Electric City, the closing of the Nat and crumbling of our Civic Center, the shameful dishonesty and conflicts of interest engaged in by our city commissioners, and the raging, unprecedented problems of child abuse and neglect in Cascade County/Great Falls.

I know that these are uncomfortable truths, but identifying the problems and getting the truth out in the open is mandatory if we really want to fix the problems.

I know that these are uncomfortable truths, but identifying the problems and getting the truth out in the open is mandatory if we really want to fix the problems.

Let’s say you have a beloved old dog named Buck. One day you see Buck get hit by a car that ran a red light right in front of you. Buck’s hurt bad and as you’re trying to comfort your dog the driver get’s out of the car, half drunk, and tell’s you to “focus on the positive”. After all, Buck’s not dead yet.

The driver gets back in his car and drives away so you call the police and report the incident, but they tell you they’re too busy right now and that you should just “focus on the positive”. After all, they’re busy solving and preventing other crimes, so quit being so “negative”.

You take your beloved dog to the veterinarian and he ends up amputating Bucks right ear. But it’s a mistake because he meant to amputate the left ear, so he takes that one too. You’re furious and you start yelling at the vet but he looks at you all righteous and indignant and says, “Hey, focus on the positive, at least I didn’t amputate his legs!”

You take your beloved dog to the veterinarian and he ends up amputating Bucks right ear. But it’s a mistake because he meant to amputate the left ear, so he takes that one too. You’re furious and you start yelling at the vet but he looks at you all righteous and indignant and says, “Hey, focus on the positive, at least I didn’t amputate his legs!”

Two weeks later you get the vet bill and it’s $5000. You think there must be some mistake so you call the vet and the billing clerk tells you that, no there’s no mistake, remit payment forthwith. Before hanging up on you she also says, “You need to focus on the positive. That bill could have been $7000 and your dog could be missing two legs instead of two ears!”

So the next time anyone climbs their moral high horse or tries to divert attention from their own blunders and accuses me of not focusing on the positive I’ll just tell them the story about poor old Buck.

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We will be hosting a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the Children’s Museum on September 23rd from 4-9pm at $10 a plate. Hope to see you there.

For twenty years the Children’s Museum of Montana has proudly offered families and organizations an option outside of daycare and school to bring their children for quality play and learning experiences, but that time may be coming to an end.

The Museum was first conceptualized in 1994 by the Junior League of Great Falls, turned over to an independent Board of Directors in 1996 and opened for regular business hours at our current location in February 1999. At that time the Museum boasted a single floor with 5 exhibits and an admission fee of $2 per person. Since then, the Museum has grown to more than twice its original size in exhibits and programs and only raised our admission prices twice to where it now sits at $5 per person.

In 1997, the Board of Directors approached the City of Great Falls for a lease on the abandoned and deteriorated Zellerbach building to set up shop. At the time, the partnership was simple: the City would lease us the building “as-is” for $1 per year as long as we funded all renovations and maintenance. At the end of our lease, an auto-renewal clause would give us another five years in our home, but at the same time, terms of our lease (aka – our rent) could also change. It is no longer simple.

In the past number of years our relationship with the City has become more complex. It is public knowledge that the City has its own agenda for our home. They need more office space. Though they admit to looking at other buildings, it is ours they have their sights set upon. Additionally, they advised they will be taking advantage of the ability to change the terms of our lease and charge us a higher rent. We asked how much and they replied that the City budget will determine the amount. As a struggling non-profit, we cannot afford a high rent. We need to purchase a building that no one can take from us.

As a struggling non-profit, we cannot afford a high rent. We need to purchase a building that no one can take from us.

The community of Great Falls needs the Children’s Museum. Montana is known for its harsh weather and there are very limited indoor options for our youth to enjoy during times of extreme temperatures, especially options for toddlers that don’t include a happy meal. With the pending closure of the Natatorium, it is more evidence that the City cares more for the gambling and drinking income than the community. We fear if we cannot raise the money for a new building, we will be yet another family-friendly option that will disappear. So while the City prepares for the arrival of their new office space, the staff at the Museum are frantically trying to figure out how to raise funds for a new building, save the business, and their jobs.

For almost two decades, the plain brick building sitting behind the Civic Center is home to the most colorful, family-friendly slice of heaven for our community and its surrounding areas. We have been honored to welcome thousands of people from our community, guests from around the world, and local institutions like the Boys and Girls Club, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, the Community Rec Center, the Rescue Mission as well as the PTA’s of Great Falls Public Schools and many more.

Please help us raise money for our community’s only indoor toddler-friendly establishment. We need to raise approximately $3.5 million to purchase/renovate and move to a new location. Will you help? We will be hosting a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the Children’s Museum on September 23rd from 4-9 PM at $10 a plate. Hope to see you there.

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How to grow the local economy is by far the most asked question we hear. The suggestions range from recruiting hi tech businesses to getting a Red Lobster. Besides Malmstrom Air Force Base and the local poverty industry, the most significant business in Great Falls is the import-export business, and it has been right under our collective noses for decades.

We have heard from mostly teachers and a few business gurus that Education, with a capital “E”, is the key to the growth and survival of our local economy. We spend a ton of money, state and local taxes, on education in River City. So why haven’t we seen the return on investment in terms of local economic prosperity that we’re constantly promised?

The truth is, the money we spend on young minds generally ends up benefiting other local economies, and not ours. Typically, our brightest young minds go off to college somewhere else. When they have finished their college education, they look for environments where they can find a job and pursue a career. Unfortunately, that’s not back in Great Falls where they were treated to an excellent K-12 education that the taxpayers and the dedicated teachers provided.

If we agree that our children are our most valuable resource, and that most of them leave Great Falls after high school, then it’s not too much of a stretch to conclude that we are in the export business. We definitely produce a value-added product and export it to a larger market than our own.

If we agree that our children are our most valuable resource, and that most of them leave Great Falls after high school, then it’s not too much of a stretch to conclude that we are in the export business. We definitely produce a value-added product and export it to a larger market than our own.

What about the import side of the business? E-City Beat has recently pointed out that we also import people, the less fortunate who find Great Falls to be a very giving community with just about everything they need.

Former sheriff David Castle made a very interesting observation several years ago after we built the new regional detention center, or as we used to call it, the jail. He reportedly reminded us that without leasing space for federal and state prisoners, the detention center would not be financially viable. Holding local, state and federal detainees with longer sentences, often means their families move to Great Falls and become part of the community and take advantage of what we have to offer.

I think a case can be made that yes indeed, we have an import–export economy that is thriving, but is it the kind of business that produces the growth we need?

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There have been two disturbing stories in the last 10 days about Great Falls which have raised a lot of discussion and a lot of eyebrows around town.

First is the article which corroborates an unpleasant reality about our town, a reality that many folks have been concerned about and sounding the alarm on for some time now: poverty and extreme poverty is skyrocketing in the Electric City.

Second is the continuing depressing news about the raging, unprecedented problems of child abuse and neglect in Cascade County/Great Falls.

So, what should our reaction be as citizens living in the midst of these maladies?

When my wife Phyllis was diagnosed with cancer almost 11 years ago we didn’t pretend like it wasn’t really all that bad. We didn’t look around for people who were even sicker so we could say, “See, we’re lucky, at least Phyllis isn’t as sick as those other folks .”

We didn’t focus on how well she could walk, see, or function in the physical areas unimpeded by the cancer. We knew that “thinking positively” and repeating positive affirmations wasn’t going to fix the problem.

We called it what it was: CANCER.

We focused on a serious effort and applied proven solutions in order to eradicate the problem and restore her to 100% health.

Almost 11 years later Phyllis is cancer free. She came in 2nd place for her age group in the 3 mile run in the Ice Breaker race back in April. None of that would have happened had we ignored the problem or refused to call it what it was.

In all likelihood if we had stuck our heads in the sand and pretended like the cancer didn’t exist, my wife of 35 years would be dead.

Great Falls, you have cancer. So, what are we doing about it and where will our beloved city be in 11 years?

Great Falls, you have cancer. So, what are we doing about it and where will our beloved city be in 11 years?

How do we change Great Falls and where do we start? For those who haven’t been part of the conversation or who haven’t been paying attention to what I and many others have been saying the past few years let’s review a few of the steps that I consider to be necessary to get us back to health:

• First and most importantly we need leaders with passion, vision, and a plan. We can no longer afford the luxury of a city commission which is either not interested in or is incapable of doing what’s necessary. We have to get beyond the old ways of voting for local leaders based on name recognition, how much money they have or thinking it’s “their turn”, and we must start looking hard at their specific vision and ideas, not slogans.
• Next we need to expose and neuter the local good ol’ boys and gals club. There is no longer an argument as to whether excessive cronyism has influenced public policy to a damaging degree in Great Falls. That argument was put to rest once and for all with the HUD letter detailing the cronyism and conflicts of interest going on for years here in the distribution of taxpayer CDBG funds.
• Expose and destroy the prevalent poverty industry mentality and city/county policy direction which has made Great Falls the low-income, nonprofit, welfare, government dependent capital city of Montana, if not the whole region.
• Do a thorough review of all city/county code and revise it to reflect a pro-business, pro-development posture. Make the motto of Great Falls “We are open for business, how can we help you?” – not “You can’t do that here”.
• Develop media outlets (like E-City Beat) that hold local public officials accountable, from the school board to the county commission, city commission and local state legislators. We should all demand complete transparency and honesty from all of our local public officials.
• Demand local government stop treating local taxpayers like an ATM machine. Raising local taxes should be the last resort, not the first instinct. We need innovative, new thinking and solutions. We are starting to learn the hard lesson that our local government is running out of other people’s money because Great Falls is not growing or expanding our tax base.

Do a thorough review of all city/county code and revise it to reflect a pro-business, pro-development posture. Make the motto of Great Falls “We are open for business, how can we help you?” – not “You can’t do that here”.

All of this would be a good start. But the most important thing is that citizens must pay attention and give a hoot about what kind of community we’re going to have. We can’t afford to ignore the cancer any longer.

That means you.

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Groovin’ all Week with You

All most all high schools have off-campus hangouts where students congregate to pursue their interests in food, the opposite sex and cars; not necessarily in that order. These hangouts vary, but they all share a commonality and serve a highly beneficial purpose.

University of Cincinnati Professor Keith King agrees, saying teens’ developmental progress is greatly helped by keeping them engaged, socially active and busy.

Back in the B.C. days (before CMR) Great Falls High students spent their free time hanging out at the Burg, Sandy’s, Gary’s, the A&W, or at various parking lots along the route as a respite while cruising the drag.

Back in the B.C. days (before CMR) Great Falls High students spent their free time hanging out at the Burg, Sandy’s, Gary’s, the A&W, or at various parking lots along the route as a respite while cruising the drag.

Even further back in history, Great Falls High had the Hi School Store. Built at the same time as GFH, the Store was the go to place in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, and later in the 70’s when it was called Dugout Lunches. In the early years, when most kids didn’t own cars, the Store was remarkably convenient, right across the street, but still an escape from the confines or the GFH campus and it provided fun, food and the opposite sex.

High school hangouts have been a focus of many TV shows and movies like Arnold’s in Happy Days and American Graffiti.

Stadium High School in Tacoma, easily the most beautiful high school in the country, has its own student hangout, Shake Shake Shake, which is only a short walk from the school and a great place for students to eat and socialize.

In other words, it is a distinct benefit to have a high school hangout that kids can walk to, unlike the current drag strip down 20th Street, that occurs at lunch, and after school at Great Falls High.

During high school I was totally indoctrinated by the music and culture of southern California and I knew that’s where I wanted to be after graduation from Great Falls High. I was accepted to a college in LA and was ready to hit the beach and enjoy everything I had heard about, including California girls.

Little did I know that just a couple of miles away was the Wich Stand on Slauson, not too far from Hawthorne High School and the favorite high school hangout of Brian Wilson. The Stand was the hotrodders paradise. If you had a hot rod, or a cool car, which I did, this was the place to be after school, or on a Friday or Saturday night. Wow, how did I get so lucky! The only bummer was that by the time I discovered the Stand, where Brian Wilson and the Survivors occasionally played, Wilson’s other band, the Beachboys, had made the big time.

Brian, was not only the song-writing genius of the Beachboys, but he also wrote the song “Wich Stand” for the Surviviors. A typical Friday night always included cruisin’ the Stand and the A, which was short for the A&W about 5 miles away from the Stand on Hawthorne Boulevard and it was the inspiration for another Brian Wilson song, “Root Beer (Chug-A-Lug)”.

By this time, some of you are wondering when I am going to criticize our local school district. Okay, here it is – As Rahm Emanuel famously said; “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste”.

Once the school district demolishes the Hi School Store (Campfire Building) and turns the property into a parking lot, an opportunity to restore “The Store” to its previous place in Great Falls High School history, will be almost totally lost. I say almost lost because the CPL (Campfire Parking Lot) will likely become an off-campus gathering place, just not what it could be, a real high school hangout out with food, friends, and fun, during inclement weather.

Hang Loose!

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An E-City Beat reader sent us this video which was posted on Facebook last week after President Trumps visit to Great Falls. It shows the very long lines waiting to get in to the Four Seasons venue for the Presidents speech.

This confirms that the interest in and support for the Trump rally was yuuuuuuuuge in the Electric City.

Thanks again for coming to our town, Mr. President!

https://www.facebook.com/chad.culp.7731/videos/265264200912729/

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