Neatness counts on Flathead roads
Inter Lake editorial
The amount of garbage on local roadways reminds us that our beautiful Montana is called Big Sky Country. We can't let it degenerate into Big Scrap Country.
Dave Prunty, director of the county landfill, has noticed that the amount of road junk "seems horrid compared to previous years," particularly on U.S. 93.
Some ambitious residents form cleaning crews, either spontaneously or through the structured program of Adopt-A-Highway. That designates a stretch of road that volunteers commit to keeping clean for two years. The number for the program is 751-2006. Director Heather Egolf said the program will get a boost from United Way next month when it summons volunteers for a pick-up day on sections of roads that have no committed adopters.
But the main message is that trash needs to be stopped at its source. Egolf said the program will focus on educating people about covering the backs of their trucks when they haul trash.
Simple solution, cleaner highways. Everyone can pitch in. No one needs to pitch their garbage out on the Flathead's roads.
Griz basketball fans got good news this week when coach Larry Krystkowiak decided to stay in Missoula.
Montana's Coach K, saying he still had work to do with the Grizzlies, withdrew from consideration for the Pepperdine coaching job.
That's great for the Grizzlies, especially considering the work Krystkowiak has done so far in two seasons at the helm of the Griz: A 42-20 record, two Big Sky tournament titles and a first-round triumph in last month's NCAA tournament.
Krystkowiak had a storied high school and college career in Missoula before playing in the NBA. He brought his stamp of success back to UM when he was hired to head the men's program.
And although he may be lured away in the future to a bigger school, at least for now Griz fans can look forward to watching Krystkowiak's UM program develop.
We read with interest Tuesday's story about the possibility of expanding Glacier Park International Airport to accommodate increased passenger loads.
It seems like the last expansion just got finished. In fact, it was seven years ago, but the job was done so well that first-time visitors still tend to comment on what a nice airport we have.
Even since those improvements, however, the Flathead has seen a huge amount of growth, and commercial passenger traffic is expected to increase from 190,000 last year to more than 293,000 just four years from now.
It makes sense, therefore, to get started now thinking about what the airport should look like after the next expansion. For many residents, it is an important family and business resource. And for many visitors, it is the first and last impression they have of our community. We trust that with proper planning and forethought, it will continue to make a good impression.