Whenever I get questions or concerns from folks in our community, if I don’t know the answer, I ask City staff to respond to the concern or question and then I pass it along to the person who asks. I’ve done this a lot over the several years I’ve served as your city commissioner, and I’ve always received prompt responses from City staff.
Here are some of the most recent questions/concerns from about a week ago with responses from City staff.
1.) “It took 6 city workers and 3 trucks to take down 150 ft of snow fence at Sacajawea Park the other day. Not an effective use of resources. They didn’t even take the poles down. I think we need a doge department in great falls”
Response from Park Manager Kevin Vining: Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the snow fence removal in our city parks. We appreciate hearing from you!
I understand your concerns about the number of workers you saw removing the fences. While you mentioned seeing six people, we usually have a crew of four or five on the job. After checking records, I found we had 4 workers on that Friday morning (3-7-25) at Sacajawea Park. We’ve found a team of 4-5 is the sweet spot for getting the work done efficiently and safely.
Those snow fence rolls can be heavy – many weigh over 50 pounds! To avoid any injuries, we need at least two people to lift and move them. It’s also important to us that we follow city union guidelines for everyone’s safety. By preventing injuries, we can also keep workers’ compensation costs down, which benefits the city and our taxpayers. We’re always looking for ways to do things better and faster. We use appropriate equipment for each task that lets us move quickly from park to park so we can get the snow fences down as soon as possible.
The equipment for removing rolls of fence is different than equipment to remove posts and we have one set of equipment for each task, in turn fence rolls will be collected on one day and pulling of fence posts on another. One set of equipment for each task doesn’t allow us to send additional crews in different directions, but thanks to this approach, we’ve cut the removal time from three weeks, a few years ago, to one and a half to two weeks. That means we’re saving money and can focus on other park improvements you’ll hopefully enjoy.
History would state that Mother Nature can occasionally throw us a curveball. Snow or rain can make it tricky to remove the fences without damaging the grass. By getting the job done quickly, we minimize the chance of weather delays and potential damage, which helps us use taxpayer money responsibly. We’re always striving to make our parks the best they can be while being mindful of costs.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any more questions. Thanks again for your interest and support in our community.
2.) “I have a question about the boulevard special levy (BLGN: BOULEVARD) that passed in 2023. In 2023 we paid $101.86, in 2024 we paid $107.96, wasn’t this levy to pay for the trimming of boulevard trees? We have lived in this house for 12 1/2 years, the first 9 years we lived here we called the city to come and trim the boulevard trees. Not once has the city responded to trimming our trees (we have 6 boulevard trees). A couple of years ago we saw them spend 2 -3 months trimming the trees in the Natatorium lot after they closed the pool. What makes a city park property more important than the boulevard of a private citizen’s property? we have been here 12 1/2 years and they only trim the lower branches ever couple of years. They do not do anything about the upper dead branches…they have not trimmed any trees since the new assessment was added.”
Response from Todd Seymanski, City Forester: Morony park was trimmed 4 years ago. We wanted to get the trees trimmed before the demolition of the Natatorium for the health of the trees and the safety of the crews. Part of our funding comes from the general fund that covers all of the work done by Forestry in the parks, golf, civic center and non-boulevard areas. The boulevard assessment does not cover the total budget.
There is also a crew that is funded by the park district that works within the parks system doing tree work. Without an address I can’t look up to see if they had requested their trees to be trimmed. All requests are taken and ranked in order by tree health needs and public safety. If they called in to request trimming, they would have been put on a list. Please contact me for any clarification or questions. Thank you.
3.) “Concerning the zoning, isn’t one size fits all currently what the City has? I could be wrong but i think they are using a commercial zoning template sold by a private organization for cities to use lock, stock, and barrel. Like purchased turnkey zoning regulations.”
Response from City Manager Doyon: Great Falls does not have zoning that is “One-Size Fits All”. However, if the State Legislature had its way, they would probably support that model! City zoning is driven residents who help draft the City’s Growth Management Plan located here: (https://greatfallsmt.net/sites/default/files/fileattachments/planning_and_community_development/page/27411/growth_policy_update_-_august_6_2013.pdf). The GMP is being updated as we speak. Also, recommendations from the Planning Advisory Board (https://greatfallsmt.net/boc-pabzc), whose members are appointed by the City Commission, impact zoning classifications in the community.
The City Commission receives recommendations from the PAB which may include a requested zone change to accommodate a new development in a specific area of the City. Again, the Growth Management Plan is a homegrown document. Zoning is the product of the GMP, historical land uses and community growth (i.e., new development – land annexed into the City).
While the City may consider how other communities create and apply zoning laws or follow best practices from national planning associations, it is not using a private organization’s “template” for “turnkey zoning regulations”. Here is a link to all the different zones and land uses in the City of Great Falls: https://greatfallsmt.net/planning/interactive-zoning-map