Park engineer promoted to facility position

The Daily Inter Lake

Manager to oversee Glacier maintenance

Glacier National Park has hired one of its own to be the park's new chief of facility management.

Jim Foster has worked as a park engineer since 2003 and deputy chief of facility management since last year. He replaces John Kilpatrick, who transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers last September after 10 years in the position.

As the manager for Glacier's parkwide maintenance, Foster's duties include oversight of all facility and infrastructure operations throughout the park, including road operations and maintenance, building construction, building repair and rehabilitation, campground operations, budget oversight and management, fleet oversight, utility operations and maintenance, solid waste and recycling management and personnel management.

This also includes park oversight and co-management of the ongoing Going-to-the-Sun Road rehabilitation along with counterparts at the Federal Highway Administration.

Foster served more than 25 years in the Army National Guard.

He commanded a field artillery firing battery for 26 months during the Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations in Kuwait.

He became a lieutenant colonel in January 1999 and retired from military service in November 2004.

"Jim Foster brings a wealth of expertise and professionalism to his new position and will be a great asset to the park management team," said Glacier Superintendent Chas Cartwright. "I look forward to continuing to work with him."

Originally from Massachusetts, Foster holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado, Denver; he is a registered professional engineer in Arizona, Colorado and Montana.

Foster lives in Whitefish with his wife, Deborah, who works for the U.S. Postal Service in Kalispell. The Fosters have three grown children.