Park gives boost to economy

Glacier National Park appears to be on track for a big year for visitation, which should provide a welcome boost for the economies of the park’s gateway communities.

July delivered 673,359 visitors, a 9 percent increase over the same month last year and the second busiest July on record for the park. In 1983, more than 689,000 people passed through the park that month, making that year the park’s busiest ever, with 2.2 million people visiting.

So far this year, Glacier Park is on track to best its 1983 numbers, which is remarkable considering that Going-to-the-Sun Road is in the midst of a major, long-term reconstruction project that involves some inconvenient traffic delays. We believe the park’s free shuttle system has played a big part in reducing traffic on Sun Road, maintaining an experience that does not deter visitors.

There’s still plenty of time to enjoy the grandeur of Glacier this summer. We encourage everyone to do so.

BACK IN JUNE, we chided Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester for following a national trend among Democratic members of Congress and avoiding “wide-open” townhall meetings.

So we were pleased last week when Sen. Baucus showed up in Columbia Falls without body armor and took the best shots the public could give him on a year’s worth of revolutionary legislation under President Obama.

It’s true that the forum at Glacier Discovery Square was in a smallish venue and scheduled in the daytime when a lot of people are at work, but a variety of folks turned out anyway and they had a chance to speak their mind.

When it was all said and done, Max stood his ground and defended his beliefs and votes, which is the way it should be. He works for Montana, but he also has to be his own man.

THE ROAD TO a new and improved Whitefish High School has been long and winding, but the latest strategy to emerge seems to be headed in the right direction.

The Whitefish School District this week unveiled three potential floor plans for an upgraded high school and is going the distance to make sure the plans are accessible so residents can choose their favorite. The plans range from $16.9 million to $19.5 million, and a bond request is at least a year away.

A lack of transparency has been an issue in past attempts to get voter approval for bonds in Whitefish. Two years ago voters rejected the district’s $21.5 million request for a new high school. The Whitefish High School Futures Committee, which has taken the lead in developing options for a better school, should be commended for bringing more clarity and openness to the table.